Flutterbyes: A Tale of Tiny Transformations

From wiggly beginnings to wings on the wind — a gentle story of change.

🧠 For Educators and Parents

Perfect for little learners aged 3 to 7 — whether you're in the UK (EYFS/KS1) or further afield. This nature-based post gently introduces the butterfly life cycle through storytelling, rhyme, and art. Ideal for minibeast topics, seasons, or early science themes in classrooms or at home.

🎬 Watch the Flutterbyes Short

📖 Story Section

In a quiet corner of the forest, Wilee sniffed something new.

Not a squirrel. Not a stick. Something… tiny.

On the underside of a leaf, like drops of morning dew, sat a row of pale, round eggs. Wilee tilted his head and watched.

Days passed. Then — wiggle, munch, wriggle — out came tiny caterpillars, hungrier than a hedgehog at breakfast.

Wilee followed as they crawled and munched and grew, shedding their skins like old jumpers.

One caterpillar found a quiet twig. It hung upside down and curled into a hook.

Slowly, it wrapped itself in a silky case — a chrysalis.

“Is that the end?” Wilee wondered.

But the forest knew better.

Days passed again. The case darkened and shimmered. Inside, a quiet magic stirred.

Then, one morning, the shell cracked.

Out came a pair of crinkled wings — red and gold like autumn leaves.

“Flutterbye,” Wilee said softly, as it rose into the sky.

Another. Then another.

Dozens of Flutterbyes floated through the trees like flying flowers.

Wilee wagged his tail and watched them go.

Have you ever seen a Flutterbye take its very first flight?

✍️ Poem – For Read-Aloud or Display

First an egg upon a leaf,  
Tiny still and quite beneath.  

Out pops wriggly caterpillar,  
Hungry, stretchy, growing bigger!  

Climb and curl into a shell,  
Rest inside and dream a spell…  

Then with wings so bright and wide,  
Off it flutters — flutterbye!

🎨 Activity – Design Your Own Flutterbye

Encourage imagination, observation, and creativity.

Printable Sheet Includes:

• Bold-lined butterfly outline
• Space to name it and colour the wings
• Creative prompts:
  • What colours are its wings?
  • Where does it fly?
  • What makes it special?

Optional classroom prompt:
“If your Flutterbye had a message on its wings, what would it say?”

🖍️ Download the Activity Sheet

[Insert download button or link for PDF activity sheet here]

📚 Closing

Change can be slow. Quiet. Magical.
And when it arrives… it might just fly.

Watch for more gentle lessons in nature from Andrew the Pen Maker, where every story begins with a pen — and every adventure ends with wonder.