Fly Away...

Every spring our first graders participate in a butterfly life cycle project. We order Painted Lady butterfly eggs from Insect Lore, and then each child tends the egg and caterpillar through the chrysalis stage. Once they form a chrysalis, all the pupae are put into a special enclosure to continue their metamorphosis. Once they emerge, we keep them a few days longer so that the kids can see the butterflies use their proboscis to sip "nectar" from orange segments.  Throughout the experience the kids keep an observation journal where they record everything they see happening.

Finally, the big day arrives and we release the butterflies into the "wild" so that they can start the life cycle all over again. It is so precious to see the kids hold a butterfly in the finger for a few moments before it flies away....

... a lot like my little firsties as we finish the year and they become big second graders.

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)