Butterflies Life Cycle and Species word search, scramble and crossword

Butterflies Life Cycle and Species word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this butterflies puzzle set for my 2nd and 3rd graders during our spring science unit. The kids knew butterflies were pretty, but they had no idea about the four stages of their life cycle, what words like chrysalis, metamorphosis, or proboscis meant, or that monarchs migrate thousands of miles . They also kept mixing up the caterpillar stage with the adult stage. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using the key life cycle vocabulary: egg, larva, caterpillar, pupa, chrysalis, adult, metamorphosis, proboscis, nectar, migration, monarch, wings, antennae, and insect .

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about the spelling of chrysalis (it’s a tricky one) or whether a caterpillar and a larva are the same thing (they are—the kids always have opinions about it) . The crossword I use for partners, and I usually have a life cycle diagram and a picture of a proboscis nearby for the kids who need the visual support .

Works for 2nd through 4th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers draw and label the four life cycle stages on the back, or write one way butterflies help plants grow . The kids actually ask for these now.