Miniature Butterfly Dioramas and Pressed Plants

Alexa and Sophia Francis (ages 4 and 6) came to the Miniature Museum of Natural History and made some butterfly dioramas using artificial butterflies and flowers.  We learned about which flowers attract butterflies most, especially milkweed.  We put the flowers and butterflies (made from feathers) in glass and plastic domes, using moss and pebbles, shells and tiny pine cones we collected.

Here are the proud artist scientists!

Then we took a nature walk and collected tiny specimens in the wild.  We pressed them in our microwave plant press, that takes only 45 seconds to press flowers and plants.

Then we mounted them to small cards and put them inside mylar sleeves to protect them.

Alexa and Sophia’s little brother Jude who is nearly 2 years old is a budding artist scientist too!