9,000 Painted Lady Caterpillars to be Adopted Over the Next Six Weeks
PASADENA, CALIF. (March 21, 2014) – Kidspace celebrates the life cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly during its 18th Annual Butterfly Season and Caterpillar Adoption Days, March 22 to May 4. This long-standing tradition at the Museum offers Kidspace guests the opportunity to adopt and care for a Painted Lady Caterpillar as it develops into a beautiful butterfly. Guests are also invited to return at the end of Butterfly Season on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, to participate in the release of over 500 butterflies, of various varieties, per day, from the Museum’s Stone Hollow Amphitheater. During the culminating celebration, guests will be able to engage in various butterfly related arts and science activities before and after each day’s release, scheduled at 2:00 p.m., as well as enjoy a musical performance that will accompany the release.
During the next six weeks, March 22 to May 4, guests can purchase an adoption kit for $4 and receive: a Painted Lady Caterpillar, its food, a care guide, which outlines how to care for the caterpillar during the various stages of its lifecycle, and an adoption certificate, giving guests the opportunity to name their caterpillar and create a sketch of each stage of its development. Adoptions take place in Kidspace’s Busy Bee Learning Store, while supplies last.
To kick off the season, Kidspace will host its 5th Annual Bug Fair, on Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23, offering guests the opportunity to learn about all things bug! Guests can chat with a bug specialist, try a sweet treat that has been made with crickets, hunt for bugs, make computer bugs, and much more! In addition to this, Dr. Nicole Norwood, from Banfield Pet Hospital, will be onsite, teaching children about the insects that affect our pets. Guests can also sign up for a special wormy composting workshop and learn how to utilize red wrigglers to create all natural, organic compost for their gardens at home. The wormy composting workshop will take place at 12:30 and 3:00 p.m., each day, and costs $7 per child, in addition to regular museum admission.
Find out what's happening in Pasadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The culminating event, the Grand Butterfly Release, will take place on Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, beginning at 10:00 a.m. each day. Kidspace guests will be able to join the festivities and celebrate the life of the butterfly with interactive and engaging activities. Guests can create and decorate their own butterfly wings at Flutterby’s Art Center, create antennae in the Kidspace Gardens, learn about the anatomy of a butterfly, and how a butterfly eats at the “Eat Like a Butterfly” activity in the Harvest Corner. Kidspace guests are invited to bring the butterfly they adopted originally as a caterpillar, during Caterpillar Adoption Days, to release it with hundreds of others during the afternoon’s program.
“This is my 9th butterfly season and it’s one of my favorite Kidspace traditions. Not only is it a magical experience to witness the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly but it also teaches children about this amazing process in a way that leaves a lasting impression about the beauty and fragility of the natural world.” Said Susan Cardosi-Albert, Retail & Communications Manager.
Find out what's happening in Pasadenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Guests are encouraged to check the Kidspace website, www.kidspacemuseum.org, to ensure caterpillars are in stock before coming to the Museum. Adoptions will continue through the Grand Butterfly Release on Sunday, May 4, 2014.
About Kidspace:
In 1979 Kidspace Children's Museum was established as a hands-on, participatory children's museum, dedicated to enriching the lives of children. 35 years later, Kidspace has grown to be an industry leader in the field of informal, free-choice education and continues to seek out new ways to bring children and families together to learn and play.
Located on nearly three and a half acres in Pasadena, California, Kidspace Children’s Museum has more than 40 hands-on exhibits, in addition to its outdoor spaces, programs, and activities that are designed to encourage a child’s growth and development through exploration of the environment, investigation in science, and artistic expression. Kidspace is located at 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., in Brookside Park, Pasadena, California, adjacent to the Rose Bowl Stadium. Free parking is available in Rose Bowl Parking Lot I. Kidspace is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Kidspace is open seven days a week between Memorial and Labor Days). Admission for all adults and children one year and older is $10.00. Children under one year and members are free.
Kidspace Children's Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that exists to enrich the lives of children. For more information about exhibits, events, and other activities, please visit: www.kidspacemuseum.org or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/kidspacechildrensmuseum.