Insect Lore Raise and Release Butterfly Garden Kit – Caterpillar Habitat with redeemable Voucher – STEM-accredited Live Butterfly Growing Kit for Kids, Classrooms, and Homeschool Learning

This was such a fun and educational experiment. I bought it as a present for my child, and she loved watching her caterpillars transform into butterflies. Ordering the caterpillars was easy, and we had a 100% success rate with them completing the transformation.It turned into a wonderful learning experience — she not only got to observe the life cycle firsthand, but also enjoyed releasing the butterflies into her garden when it was time. A perfect mix of fun and education.TL;DR: Easy to use, educational, and fun. 100% success rate with caterpillars turning into butterflies.

The Live Butterfly Garden by Insect Lore is a fun, hands- on educational experience that is certain to appeal to even the most stubborn, disinterested child. With the Live Butterfly Garden, children get to observe the process of metamorphosis, right before their eyes. Starting with caterpillars, children watch the little critters eat food, create a cocoon, and then transform into fully grown adult butterflies. The butterflies can then be observed in their habitat for a while before setting free.This butterfly garden is great for dozens of reasons, the most obvious of which is the educational value. Reading about insects and metamorphosis is one thing, but seeing the process live is another thing entirely. Kids get to learn how caterpillars/butterflies live, eat, and thrive; how to care for them; etc. They get to observe the caterpillars and butterflies at play and watch the butterflies eat their food, which is provided in the package. The caterpillars that come with the Live Butterfly Garden are painted ladies, which are not very common and will not be recognized by most children. However, most kids won't care- the fun of watching these small caterpillars transform into butterflies will have many kids gazing in awe, and prompt them to ask many questions.This educational toy is a huge hit and my kids loved it, but there were a few small issues. One was waiting for the caterpillars to arrive in the mail. To get the caterpillars, you have to mail in an included certificate, along with a check, and then wait. It seems like an eternity, especially from the perspective of young children, and it took longer than expected. Anther problem was parting with the butterflies. Once you have the caterpillars and they have transformed into adult butterflies, the next problem will be setting them free. Kids will grow attached to their small, winged friends and will not want to let them go. Another minor issue is with the transferring of the caterpillars from their small container- the one you receive in the mail- into the actual habitat. The container that the caterpillars arrive in has a paper area at the top, where the caterpillars will hang as they spin their cocoons. This paper section is fairly easy to remove, but the problem is that the cocoons are very delicately attached, and that means that some will fall off when the transfer is made. You will need to pin this piece of paper to the inside of the butterfly garden, but the kit doesn't include any pins. Safety pins or straight pins work, and it would have been nice if these were included in the kit.Still, when all factors are considered, the Live Butterfly Garden is worth the purchase and young children will enjoy the educational experience. Sure, it could be improved a little bit by making a few minor changes, but this is still a very good toy and considering my kid's fascination with the process, along with the educational value, it earns an easy recommendation.

This kit is wonderful. The voucher process to get your caterpillars is easy to use. Our grandson loved the entire process. Helps teach our children the responsibility of caring for their insects. It’s so precious seeing the joy your child experiences when they see their butterflies leave the habitat after they have cared for them through the entire process.

I bought this butterfly kit for my granddaughter for Christmas. She absolutely loves butterflies! I was amazed what all was included and not long after the caterpillars arrived. All of her caterpillars turned into butterflies, and she loved being able to watch them progress from caterpillar to butterfly. It was definitely a huge learning experience for her. This makes a great gift!

Pros:This was cool. We bought it for our homeschooling, and it was fun to talk to the kids about the different stages and watch the caterpillars grow. They grow so much! Ours all made it to be butterflies, even one chrysalis that kept getting bumped by one of the other caterpillars and seemed weirdly half-formed.It was a cool experiment and cool to release them. They landed on the kids and walked onto their fingers, before flying away.Cons:- The cheap plastic things are cheap plastic things. It doesn't feel pleasant or beautiful. It just feels like junky plastic in my house.Growing our own butterflies felt less Montessori and more like a Happy Meal.- They poop a lot, and they drip blood-looking stuff when they come out, so having it on a counter in the kitchen felt really gross, really fast. It smells a little as well.- None of our butterflies came out during a time when we were watching, so they just were suddenly butterflies, which was a bummer.