2nd Grade Explores CruPARK as Monarch Butterfly Scientists

Second graders are embarking on a fun educational journey this fall. They’re studying the super generation of monarch butterflies that are making an epic migration from Canada to Mexico, a voyage only one percent will survive. With the Upper School’s undeveloped terrain (“CruPark”) now being cultivated for experiential learning, second graders have already ventured out to see first-hand how they can help the monarchs complete their migration.
“Kids have a natural connection to nature, they love to notice things outside. Rather than having them just read about monarchs, or watch a video, it’s really special that we can give them a real life example in our community,” says Annie Billups, one of the second grade teachers. On their first trip to CruPark, they had CruPark teacher Greg Mele as their guide to learn trail safety and how to observe their surroundings. “We didn’t see any monarchs, but we did see a lot of look-alikes,” says Annie, adding, “The students noticed that there wasn’t any habitat for the monarchs, so the next time we visit CruPark we’re going to plant milkweed for them, which is one part of our solution. The other part of our solution will be to create an informational piece of writing about butterflies, and possibly CruPark too, for other students.”

The monarch butterfly study will be interdisciplinary: Students will learn “how to write like a scientist” by creating a non-fiction, informational piece of writing, and how to use the scientific method to study the lifecycle of a butterfly (the caterpillar larvae are still growing in class). The monarchs’ arrival in Mexico traditionally coincides with the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday, so students will also learn about the cultural significance of monarchs in their Spanish and social studies classes. In fact, Annie points out, “Carolina Gomez (Spanish teacher) initially proposed this monarch butterfly project to us because she did it at her previous school. She plans to partner with a school in Mexico, and the students will exchange paper monarchs as a symbolic migration as well.”

The students’ final products will be presented later this fall, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us!
 
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