For schools, libraries and homeschool groups

Bring a real entomologist to your school

Butterfly Field Lab: mobile science programs for schools, homeschool groups and family events.

Lucy Garcia Salik, PhD, brings preserved butterfly specimens from her own drawer and microscopes to Pre-K–12 students across Dallas–Fort Worth.

Now booking School Day visits for spring 2027 and Family Science Nights for fall 2026 or spring 2027.

Get the free Teacher Sampler Request a program

Station cards, the Butterfly Families sort and a pre-visit guide, as one PDF, developed with Lucy Garcia Salik, PhD. Tell us where to send it.

Reference photo of a pinned Danaus gilippus specimen, upper side Reference photo of a pinned Heliconius sara specimen, upper side Reference photo of a pinned Idea idea specimen, upper side
Reference photos of museum specimens: Danaus gilippus, Heliconius sara, Idea idea. Credits.
Meet Lucy

Lucy Garcia Salik, PhD

Co-founder · Scientific Lead

Training
PhD in Entomology — doctoral and postdoctoral research on the taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of Neotropical butterflies (Nymphalidae).
Exhibit
Lepidopterist Lead, Fort Worth Botanic Garden “Butterflies in the Garden,” 2024–2026.
Entomology
Entomology Team Associate, Texas Discovery Gardens Butterfly Conservatory and Insect Zoo, 2026.
Teaching
Science educator since 2005 — museum science communication in Brazil and science lab teacher in Texas.
Professional
Member, International Association of Butterfly Exhibitors and Suppliers (IABES)
Programs

Programs and starting prices

  • School Day

    Lucy visits classrooms during the school day.

    Half dayUp to 3 classroom sessions
    $450
    Full dayUp to 6 classroom sessions, for example a whole grade level
    $750

    Booking spring 2027

  • Family Science Night

    An evening event for families, often PTA-funded, for up to about 300 attendees.

    Founding rateFor our first three schools
    $650
    ThenAfter our first three schools
    $750

    Booking fall 2026 or spring 2027

Running a library or homeschool program? Butterfly Storytime works well for library programs. Email hello@butterfliesandboardgames.com and we'll put something together.

Nonprofit, library and Title I rates: ask us.

Questions about pricing or format? Email us.

Every program needs

  • A space for your group
  • Tables
  • A power outlet

Request a program

Booking

How booking works

Now booking
Now booking School Day visits for spring 2027 and Family Science Nights for fall 2026 or spring 2027.
Lead time
Book at least 3 weeks ahead.
Minimum
One program booking: a School Day half day (up to 3 classroom sessions) or one Family Science Night.
Dates
We're booking School Day visits for spring 2027 and Family Science Nights for fall 2026 or spring 2027. Tell us your preferred dates or timeframe in the form, and we confirm a date with you.
Calendar
No programs on a campus's STAAR testing days. Otherwise any school day, September to May; June to August is library and camp season.
Travel
Travel is included within 30 miles of Alvarado, TX; beyond that, $0.70 per mile round trip.
Payment
Invoiced at booking, due within 30 days of the program date. School purchase orders accepted.
Indoors
Programs run indoors by default: the microscope station needs a table, a standard outlet and shelter from the weather. Outdoor versions of some programs by arrangement.
Sessions
A School Day is up to 3 sessions (half day) or up to 6 (full day). Pick one program for each session, matched to the class's grade level.
You provide
A space for your group; Tables; A power outlet
Paperwork
W-9 available; Invoice or purchase order accepted

Questions about pricing or format? Email us.

Request a program

What to expect on the day

Lucy arrives with the lab

Setup
Lucy brings the microscopes, specimens and lab equipment for each session. We'll confirm space and AV details when we schedule.
Flow
A School Day is up to 3 sessions (half day) or up to 6 (full day). Pick one program for each session, matched to the class's grade level.
Each session
45–60 minutes or 30–40 minutes, up to 25 students.
Specimens
Lucy brings preserved specimens only: no live butterflies, eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or live plants. Life cycles and host plants come up as topics.

What students do and make in each program is on the program menu.

What students experience

Real science, up close

What comes to your school

Lucy brings preserved specimens only: no live butterflies, eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or live plants. Life cycles and host plants come up as topics.

Standards

Aligned with Texas standards

For Pre-K, the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TEA, 2022). For kindergarten to grade 12, the science TEKS in effect from 2024–25 (19 TAC Chapter 112, Subchapters A, B and C). The numbers are TEA's; the summaries are ours. Under each line: the programs that cover it.

Pre-K

Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines PK4 science

  • PK4.VI.B.1 Children look closely at real butterfly specimens and talk about their colors, shapes and body parts.Butterfly Storytime
  • PK4.VI.B.2 A puppet story takes children through the butterfly life cycle, and they talk about each stage. Partial fitButterfly Storytime
Kindergarten to grade 2

Kindergarten §112.2

  • §112.2(b)(4)(B) Students meet a working entomologist and see what a scientist who studies insects actually does with a specimen collection.Butterfly Storytime
  • §112.2(b)(13)(B) Students point out eyes, antennae, legs and wings on specimens and say how each helps a butterfly sense and move.Butterfly Storytime

Grade 1 §112.3

  • §112.3(b)(1)(D) Students use magnification to observe and compare features of real butterfly and moth specimens.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.3(b)(4)(B) Students meet an entomologist in person and learn what scientists who study insects do and why collections matter.Butterfly Storytime · Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.3(b)(5)(F) Students link butterfly structures to jobs: scales for color and warmth, feet for tasting, spiracles for breathing.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.3(b)(13)(A) Students identify wings, antennae, legs and body parts on many species and compare how they help each insect survive.Butterfly Superpowers

Grade 2 §112.4

  • §112.4(b)(1)(D) Students use magnification to observe wing scales and compare features across specimens.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.4(b)(4)(B) Students meet an entomologist and explore how she studies, identifies and preserves insects for science.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.4(b)(5)(F) Students explain how scales, antennae, feet and spiracles each do a specific job for the butterfly or moth.Butterfly Superpowers
Grades 3 to 5

Grade 3 §112.5

  • §112.5(b)(1)(D) Students use magnification to observe and analyze fine details like wing scales and veins.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.5(b)(5)(F) Students explain why butterflies have scales, clubbed antennae and an exoskeleton, connecting each structure to its function.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.5(b)(13)(A) Students explore how camouflage wings, warming scales and sensing feet help butterflies and moths survive in their habitats.Butterfly Superpowers · Butterfly Explorer
  • §112.5(b)(12)(A) In Butterfly Explorer's migration discussion, students learn how cooler fall temperatures send monarchs south through Texas and warmer spring temperatures bring them north. Partial fitButterfly Explorer
  • §112.5(b)(4)(B) Students hear from a PhD entomologist about her career, giving a first-hand STEM career example to explore. Partial fitButterfly Superpowers · Butterfly Explorer

Grade 4 §112.6

  • §112.6(b)(1)(D) Students use magnification to observe and analyze the details used to identify families.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.6(b)(5)(F) Students explain how wing scales, antennae, spiracles and exoskeleton each serve a function for the insect.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.6(b)(4)(B) Students hear from a PhD entomologist about her career, giving a first-hand STEM career example to explore. Partial fitButterfly Superpowers · Butterfly Explorer

Grade 5 §112.7

  • §112.7(b)(1)(D) Students use microscopes to examine wing scales and other fine structures on real specimens.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.7(b)(5)(F) Students explain how scales, antennae, feet, spiracles and exoskeleton connect structure to function in butterflies and moths.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.7(b)(13)(A) Students compare butterflies and moths, day and night fliers, analyzing how different structures let each survive alongside the other.Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.7(b)(13)(B) Students discuss monarch migration as an instinct: the monarchs that reach Mexico have never been there, and the trip helps them survive the winter. Partial fitButterfly Explorer
  • §112.7(b)(4)(B) Students hear from a PhD entomologist about her career, giving a first-hand STEM career example to explore. Partial fitButterfly Superpowers · Butterfly Explorer
Grades 6 to 8

Grade 6 §112.26

  • §112.26(b)(1)(D) Students use microscopes to examine wing scales and other fine structures on preserved butterfly and moth specimens.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.26(b)(1)(E) Students gather qualitative observations of antennae, wing veins, legs and wing shape and use them as evidence to identify specimens. Partial fitButterflies Under the Microscope
  • §112.26(b)(5)(A) Students spot shared feature patterns, such as antenna shape or wing veins, and apply them to sort specimens into groups.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Explorer
  • §112.26(b)(5)(F) Students connect scales, feet, spiracles and the exoskeleton to their jobs: color, camouflage, warming up, tasting and breathing.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Superpowers

Grade 7 §112.27

  • §112.27(b)(1)(D) Students use microscopes to examine wing scales and other fine structures on preserved butterfly and moth specimens.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.27(b)(1)(E) Students gather qualitative observations of antennae, wing veins, legs and wing shape and use them as evidence to identify specimens. Partial fitButterflies Under the Microscope
  • §112.27(b)(5)(A) Students spot shared feature patterns, such as antenna shape or wing veins, and apply them to sort specimens into groups.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Explorer
  • §112.27(b)(5)(F) Students connect scales, feet, spiracles and the exoskeleton to their jobs: color, camouflage, warming up, tasting and breathing.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.27(b)(14)(A) Students sort the drawer’s species into families and separate butterflies from moths using shared and differing physical features.Butterflies Under the Microscope

Grade 8 §112.28

  • §112.28(b)(1)(D) Students use microscopes to examine wing scales and other fine structures on preserved butterfly and moth specimens.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.28(b)(1)(E) Students gather qualitative observations of antennae, wing veins, legs and wing shape and use them as evidence to identify specimens. Partial fitButterflies Under the Microscope
  • §112.28(b)(5)(A) Students spot shared feature patterns, such as antenna shape or wing veins, and apply them to sort specimens into groups.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Explorer
  • §112.28(b)(5)(F) Students connect scales, feet, spiracles and the exoskeleton to their jobs: color, camouflage, warming up, tasting and breathing.Butterflies Under the Microscope · Butterfly Superpowers
  • §112.28(b)(13)(C) Students explore structural adaptations like camouflage scales and behavioral ones like monarch migration that help butterflies survive. Partial fitButterfly Superpowers
High school

Biology §112.42

  • §112.42(c)(1)(D) Students use microscopes, prepared slides and real specimens to examine wing scales, wing veins and other external structures.Butterflies Under the Microscope
  • §112.42(c)(1)(D) Students handle and mount a real butterfly specimen using proper scientific technique.Butterfly Frame Art
  • §112.42(c)(1)(E) Students record what they see under the microscope and use it as evidence to identify specimens. Partial fitButterflies Under the Microscope
  • §112.42(c)(1)(F) Each student turns microscope observations into a scientific drawing of a butterfly.Butterflies Under the Microscope
  • §112.42(c)(1)(F) Students organize the features they observed into a mini identification key.Scientist for a Day
  • §112.42(c)(2)(B) Students compare Lepidoptera families and pick out the patterns of features that separate them. Partial fitScientist for a Day
  • §112.42(c)(9)(A) Students see how shared body structures (anatomical homologies) are used to work out relationships between butterfly and moth families. Partial fitScientist for a Day
  • §112.42(c)(4)(B) Students learn the history of scientific collecting and how specimen collections have shaped what scientists know. Partial fitButterfly Frame Art

Sources: 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, PK4 (Texas Education Agency), Science domain, B. Life Science; Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Elementary (19 TAC Chapter 112, Subchapter A, adopted 2021); Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, Middle School (19 TAC Chapter 112, Subchapter B, adopted 2021); Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science, High School: §112.42 Biology (One Credit), Adopted 2020 (19 TAC Chapter 112, Subchapter C), Texas Education Agency.

Before and after your visit

Ready-made classroom activities

  • The Collection

    Every species in Lucy's drawer, with photos, families and where each one lives.

    • Before: let each student pick one species and find where it lives on a map.
    • After: find the species you saw on the day and compare the families.

  • The Invisible World of Butterflies

    The science Lucy brings: scales, wing veins, senses, and butterfly or moth.

    • Before: read the kid lines together and pick questions for the Ask Lucy cards.
    • After: open “Dig deeper” on wing scales once students have seen them magnified.

  • My Field Journal

    Students press species into a journal that stays on the device. No accounts, nothing collected.

    • After: use one classroom device as a class journal and press in each species students can name.
Why spring

Monarchs head north through Texas in spring

In spring, monarchs returning from Mexico pass through Texas, including the Dallas area: a good season for students to learn about them.

  • Eastern monarchs spend the winter in mountain forests in central Mexico and start north again around March. Texas lies between those winter sites and the summer breeding range, so monarchs cross it in both spring and fall.

  • The spring migration works like a relay. The butterflies that spent the winter in Mexico die after laying eggs, and their offspring carry the trip farther north. Reaching the northern U.S. and Canada takes several generations.

  • Texas matters a great deal to the migration: the first new generation of each year is raised largely in Texas, so spring conditions there help decide how many monarchs move north.

  • The Dallas area is on the monarchs' spring route north.

Logistics and paperwork

Easy to say yes to

Lucy brings
Lucy brings the microscopes, specimens and lab equipment for each session. We'll confirm space and AV details when we schedule.
You provide
A space for your group; Tables; A power outlet
Paperwork
W-9 available; Invoice or purchase order accepted
Request a program

Tell us about your group

Now booking School Day visits for spring 2027 and Family Science Nights for fall 2026 or spring 2027. Share your preferred dates or timeframe and we confirm a date with you.

Asking for the Teacher Sampler? Choose it under Program interest; the number of students and dates can stay blank.

Grade levels

Please don't include student information. Up to 500 characters.

For grown-ups only. We use these details to reply about your program. Please don't include student information.

Questions

Frequently asked

Are the specimens real?

Yes. They are preserved, pinned specimens from Lucy's entomological drawer, the same ones in The Collection. Lucy never brings live butterflies, eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or live plants.

Which grades are the programs for?

Butterfly Field Lab runs from Pre-K to grade 12. Each School Day session is matched to a grade level: pick one program per session from the program menu. Family Science Night is for the whole family.

What does our school need to provide?

A space for your group, tables and a power outlet. Lucy brings the microscopes, specimens and lab equipment for each session. We'll confirm space and AV details when we schedule.

Can we combine classes?

A full School Day covers up to 6 classroom sessions, enough for a whole grade level. For anything else, email us.

Which dates are open?

We're booking School Day visits for spring 2027 and Family Science Nights for fall 2026 or spring 2027. Tell us your preferred dates or timeframe in the form, and we confirm a date with you.

How do we pay?

We provide a W-9 and accept an invoice or a purchase order.

Anything else: hello@butterfliesandboardgames.com