What does Pesach bring to mind? If you're like most kids, the holiday reminds you of matzah, bitter herbs, finding the afikomen, and reading the Haggadah. But mention Pesach to the Abramowitz-Silverman family in Boston, and they think of butterflies.

Several years ago, Yosef Abramowitz and his wife, Susan Silverman, decided they wanted to enhance the theme of freedom at their Pesach Seder. They came up with the idea of raising caterpillars into butterflies, and releasing them on the night of the first Seder. "It's really very fitting," notes Silverman. "A butterfly goes through a metamorphosis as it changes from a caterpillar," she explains. "The Jewish people also went through a transformation on Pesach: They were changed from slaves to a free people."

What began as an experiment has developed into a family tradition. On the first night of Pesach, just before the candles are lit, the children- Aliza, Hallel, and Adar- gather up the newly formed butterflies and, with outstretched arms, set them free.

The experience helps the children understand freedom in a very straightforward way. Eight-year-old Hallel, a student at the Jewish Community Day School in Newton, Massachusetts, knows there's a reason that the butterflies are released before Pesach. "The Jews were freed from Egypt, so we set the butterflies free," she explains.

"We've been doing it every year since I can remember," adds Aliza, a 10-year-old in fourth grade. "My friends think it's really cool."

Don't miss the fun: try your hand at raising butterflies for Pesach. Aliza's family buys its butterfly larvae and a butterfly pavilion (a home for the larvae until they grow into caterpillars) from www.insectlore.com.

If you're interested in raising butterflies, remember to order the larvae about five weeks before your release date (or at least one week before Purim next year). This will allow time for the caterpillars to arrive, form chrysalides (cocoons), and become butterflies. Remember that butterflies can be safely released only if temperatures are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If Pesach falls out early in the year, or if you live in a cold climate, you may not be able to release the butterflies until after the holiday; but that's okay because this creative tradition is meaningful anytime between Pesach and Shavuot.

"I like watching the butterflies grow up," says Hallel with a smile. "And it looks so pretty when they fly away."