My Monarch Butterfly Garden

Monarch butterflies were something I had not previously considered until I was at the Milwaukee County Zoo with my family.

The Zoo has two lovely butterfly gardens full of flowers and native plants. While I was walking around with my girls, I noticed signs for the Monarch Waystation and the Monarch Habitat. I had never seen anything like that before, so I decided to do a little research. It has been observed that the Monarch butterfly population has declined significantly over the past decade. Milkweed and native grasses have been replaced with housing developments and urban sprawl. Monarchs need Milkweed to survive. 

I've included a nature craft activity, My Nature Press, which complements My Butterfly Sun Catcher and will require dried flowers.  Really think about the flora and fauna in your area and let that shine in the activity.

Treehouse S.T.E.A.M. -- Gardens / Bugs / Birds Classes

If your child received a Pocket Prairie Garden seed packet, here are instructions from The Ladybird Johnson Wildlife Center on how to go about starting your pocket prairie garden. The seed in this packet is for a 20 x 20 garden or 400 square feet. I'd start these seeds in early winter if you've completed your site preparation to ensure proper seed stratification.  

Site Preparation: You'll need an area where weeds have been removed via solarization (recommended), or, if herbicide application is used, ready to plant 6 weeks after application (recommended only if the weed/seed bank is high).  Soil will be prepared for seed planting 5 days after application. Bloom times are from spring through fall, and heights vary.  

The full list of species in your seed mix is as follows (seed weight varies): 

(A) = Annual (B) = Biennial (P) = Perennial 

Common Name | Botanical Name [link to plants information]

(P) Little Bluestem Grass

[Schizachyrium scoparium]

(P) Butterfly Milkweed

[Asclepias tuberosa]

(P) Common Milkweed

[Asclepias syriaca]

(P) Swamp Milkweed

[Asclepias incarnata]

(P) Blazing Star

[Liatris spicata]

(P) Purple Coneflower

[Echinacea purpurea]

(P) Lance Leaved Coreopsis

[Coreopsis lanceolata]

(P) Black Eyed Susan

[Rudbeckia hirta]

(P) Tall Verbena

[Verbena bonariensis]

(P) Autumn Sneezeweed

[Helenium autumnale]

(P) Snapdragon

[Antirrhinum majus]

(P) Wild Bergamont

[Monarda fistulosa]

(P) Obedient Plant

[Physostegia virginiana]

(P) Royal Catchfly

[Silene regia]

(P) Cardinal Flower

[lobelia cardinalis]

(P) Indian Blanket Flower

[Gaillardia pulchella]

(P) Purple Prairie Clover

[Dalea purpurea]

(P) Eastern Smooth Beardtongue

[Penstamon laevigatus]

(P) Partridge Pea

[Chamaecrista fasciculata]

(P) Mexican Hat

[Ratibida columnifera]

(P) Grey-headed Coneflower

[Ratibida pinnata]

(P) Stiff Goldenrod

[Oligoneuron rigidum]

(P) Grey Goldenrod

[Solidago nemoralis]

(P) New England Aster

[Symphyotrichum noave-angliae]

(P) California Poppy

[Eschscholzia californica]

(P) Red Corn Poppy

[Papaver rhoeas]

(B) Purple Phacelia

[Phacelia bipinnatifida]

(B) Parsley

[Petroselinum crispum]

(B) Siberian Wallflower

[Erysimum allionii]

(B) Sweet William

[Dianthus barbatus]

(B) Common Evening Primrose

[Oneothera biennis]

(A) Sunflower - Evening Sun Mixed Colors

[Helianthus annus L.]

(A) Baby Blue Eyes

[Nemophila menziesii]

(A) Linaria Fairy Bouquet

[Linaria maroccana]

(A) Calendula Fancy Mix

[Calendula officinalis]

(A) Mexican Lupine

[Lupinus spp.]

(A) Mexican Sunflower

[Tithonia rotundifolia]

(A) Cosmos

[Cosmos bipinnatus]

(A) Balsam

[Impatiens balsamina]

(A) Sulphur Cosmos

[Cosmos sulphureus]

(A) Borage

[Borago officinalis]

(A) Bachelor's Button

[Centaurea cyanus]

(A) Pincushion Flower

[Scabiosa atropurpurea]

(A) Sweet Sultan

[Amberboa moschata]

(A) Crimson Clover

[Trifolium incarnatum]

(A) China Aster

[Callistephus chinensis]

(A) Dill

[Anethum graveolens]

(A) Rocky Mtn. Bee Plant

[Peritoma serrulata]

(A) Lemon Mint

[Monarda citriodora]

(A) Bishop's Flower

[Ammi majus]

(A) Sweet Alyssum

[Lobularia maritima]

To download project sheets and print at home: Right-click the image, download as a JPEG and save to your desktop. Please note that most printers are not borderless, so you might have to cut around the edge to remove that annoying white border. So, print out your project/parent sheets and get outside!

Link: My Monarch Butterfly Garden PDF

Share your pictures with us on instagram: @treehousemagazine

Mention us on Facebook: @treehousekidsmagazine.

Send us a tweet: @mytreehousekids

We would love to know how it went!

The Treehouse Family

Link to PDF: My Butterfly Book and Life Cycle Wheel

Link to PDF: My Butterfly File 

Link to PDF: Finding Monarch Eggs and Caterpillars


Link to PDF: Monarch Instars


Link to PDF: Chrysalis to Butterfly


Link to PDF: Growing Checklist

Link to PDF: Glossary of Terms

The Fantastic Fox

Team Treehouse - The Spencer Family

Fox Tracing Sheets

Link to PDF: Fox Tracing Sheets

Fox Anatomy

Link to PDF: Fox Anatomy

Watercolor Nature Jornaling

Link to PDF: Sheet of Leaves

My Fox Puppet

Link to PDF: Illustrated Instructions  Paper Bag Template

Fox Den Terrarium

Link to PDF: Terrarium Diagram

Gratitude Card 

Link to PDF: Fox and Turkey Template

When searching for information about Red Fox anatomy, I found myself wanting more. There are not many kid-friendly anatomy charts that combine information on tracking and anatomy. 

Initially, I was going to do a simple exercise in which your child could cut out the template and glue the cotton swabs onto it. Still, I decided that I had to set the bar high and create something that truly captured the biological makeup of the Red Fox and a bit of Bushcraft. 

I greatly appreciate Bushcraft, and I am consistently underwhelmed when I search for illustrated explanations of topics that I want to explore further. Tracking is essential to understanding the habits and Biology of the Red Fox and other animals. This information helps your child connect with the subject matter and explore further when they are immersed in the forest school environment.

Cotton Swab Fox Anatomy Step by Step:

Gather your materials: 

• School Glue
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Cotton Swabs (not pictured below)
• Pencil
• Construction Paper (Black + White)

1. It will be beneficial to staple the Cotton Swab Fox Anatomy TEMPLATE to your child's piece of black construction paper. Do not staple inside the fox template; staple only in a few places along the side. Your child will now be able to cut easily around the temple. 

2. After your child has cut out the fox from the template, they will have two foxes; one will be the construction paper fox, and the other will be the blank. Your child may discard the blank or colored version and share it with a friend. 

3. Have your child glue their construction paper fox to their lighter colored construction paper, preferably in the center. They will want to leave a bit of room to add the tags and maybe draw a neat scene after the project. 

3. Now you and your child will need to decide if they want to do the beginner version of the anatomy or the more advanced. The more advanced anatomy is higher level (ages 10+), but with your guidance, you can really start to teach your child a bit of proper terminology + Biology.

4. Lastly, depending on the age of your child, you should cut different sizes of cotton swabs, so they can jump right into the activity and explore the skeleton. Larger parts of the swabs together make great skulls and pelvis, while the smaller sticks are great for the ribs and bones. You can also bend the whole swab in different ways to recreate the spine, tail, and neck. However your child decides to approach the activity, encourage exploration and talk with them about how the skeleton is the framework of the Fox, and without it, the fox couldn't run, jump, or play, just like them. 

Please share Treehouse with your friends and family, and if you feature us in your blog, please leave a link in the comments below.

To download project sheets for printing at home, right-click the image, select "Download as JPEG," and save it to your desktop. Or you can simply drag and drop. All files are 8 1/2" × 11" and are compatible with standard home printers. 

Share your pictures with us on instagram: @treehousemagazine
Please mention us on Facebook: @treehousekidsmagazine
Send us a tweet: @mytreehousekids

We would love to know how it went!

The Treehouse Family

Reindeer ADVENTure

Reindeer ADVENTure log: Day 3

Reindeer ADVENTure Day 5: Letter "R" Tracing Worksheets

Link to the PDF: Letter "R" worksheets

Reindeer ADVENTure Day 9: Reindeer Card

Reindeer ADVENTure Day 9: Reindeer Card

Link to the PDF: Hand and Footprint Reindeer Card

ADVENTure log: Day 10 -- Migration

Link to the PDF: ADVENTure log: Day 10

Link to the PDF: ADVENTure log: Day 13

Reindeer ADVENTure: Day 11 -- My Boreal Forest 

Link to PDF project sheet: My Boreal Forest

Reindeer Wood Slice Project Sheet
Link to PDF: Reindeer Wood Slice

My Treehouse: Power Drill BASICS

I have big news for you, Treehouse Family! 

We were treated to a very special surprise at the Milwaukee County Zoo after my daughters zoo class. While we were finishing our class at the reindeer exhibit, we saw a familiar face talking with the Zookeepers. 

Santa Clause seemed to be a bit distraught. Three of his reindeer were sick and he needed three strong reindeer to help pull his sleigh. Ms. Colette, the reindeer's Zookeeper, had no problem allowing the reindeer to go out for Santa's big run. Santa's only request was that we needed to leave reindeer food. 

I thought how I could help and remembered that Gingerbread House was our new way to cook food and share recipes with our family. It's an easy recipe and really tasty too! So, please make the reindeer food for the three reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh from the Milwaukee County Zoo. It's up to you to help keep them strong for the big journey, Treehouse Family!

Reindeer Food Recipe 

Announcing: Gingerbread House Cooking School

Link to PDF: Reindeer Food + Coloring Sheet

Our Treehouse Nature School Facebook group is a vibrant community of nature lovers from around the world and we are all rooted in our love of outdoor education for our children. Join our free Nature School and get featured in our magazine!
Please share Treehouse with your friends and family, and if you feature us in your blog, please leave a link in the comments below.

To download project sheets for at-home printing: Right-click the image, select "Download as JPEG," and save it to your desktop. Or you can simply drag and drop. All files are 8 1/2" X 11" and fit any standard home printer.

 Share your pictures with us on Instagram: @treehousemagazine

Mention us on Facebook: @treehousekidsmagazine

Send us a tweet: @mytreehousekids

We would love to know how it went!

The Treehouse Family