A butterfly garden.

2005CLAIRE

I'm a Childminder. I saw a butterfly garden advertised and wondered if anyone had had any experience of these sets? I thought it would amuse and educate the kids I look after.

Cheapest I have seen is £15 with £3 p+p.


Thanks for any replies.

Dijor

These butterfly gardens are great. I'm assuming you mean the mesh pop-up style holder that you have your butterflies in? I purchased one of these from Letterbox (www.letterbox.co.uk - I think) a couple of years ago. With the kit you get a voucher to send off for your caterpillars and the pop-up thing. Once your caterpillars arrive, from memory I think you either put them or them arrive in a clear plastic pot filled with a yummy "food" that caterpillars like. They eat this for a week or two and grow hugely in the process then you put them into your mesh thingy. After a few days they "magic" themselves into pupae/crysalis and the kids are really fascinated watching how these develop until that magic day when they emerge as butterflies (and you have to let them go).

A great idea. One word of warning, don't let the butterflies free near cats, one of our butterflies was eaten immediately on release by one of my cats, much to the distress of my two girls (and sniggers with my back turned to them to myself)......

2005CLAIRE

Thanks SO much for that very helpful info

Might get one just before OFSTED visit lol