Monarch Butterflies Take Flight
UPDATE: Advent Kindergarten teachers Karen First and Polly Pfau traveled to Mexico to visit the monarch’s winter habitat with the Monarch Teacher’s Network over February break. Click hear to read their blog.
On a perfect October day, children and teachers from The Advent School paraded up Brimmer Street to the Public Garden where they released several monarch butterflies to begin their 2,000 mile journey to Mexico. The students sang “Mariposa vuela ya” (butterflies fly now) as their butterflies were released and fluttered up into a bright blue sky.
Our teachers and our butterflies
credit: Suzanna Schell
Since September, students in the Kindergarten and First Grade have observed the metamorphosis of these amazing insects from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The butterflies were raised from caterpillars collected around Boston and hatched from chrysalides in the classrooms. Before their release, the butterflies were tagged with 9mm round polypropylene stickers, numbered specifically for this year’s tagging season. A network of researchers and volunteers from Canada to Mexico monitor the monarch’s migration and record any tagged butterflies that are found along the route.
Removing a Monarch - very carefully
credit: Kathy Pattison
Students studied science, geography and social studies as they learned about the monarch’s amazing life cycle and the threats they face from pesticides to habitat destruction. In art class, they painted butterflies and created butterfly collages and tiny wire and paper butterfly sculptures. They composed butterfly songs in music class and learned vocabulary and a song in Spanish class.
One Monarch landed on Ms. First's shirt
credit: Kathy Pattison
Kindergarten teachers Karen First and Polly Pfau attended a three-day summer workshop called Teaching and Learning with Monarch Butterflies run by the Monarch Teacher Network. They join a growing number of teachers from Canada and the United States who use the monarch’s inspiring story to teach science, literacy, math, the arts, and social studies while connecting students to the environment and critical global issues.
This butterfly lingered awhile
credit: Kathy Pattison
Each fall adult monarchs in North America begin their 4,000 kilometer/2,000 mile journey to the high mountains west of Mexico City, the longest migration of any insect in the world. In the spring their great grandchildren return to complete this annual cycle. The monarch migration is considered endangered because of the many threats these insects face. Pesticide use across North America kills monarchs and the plants they depend upon while logging in the Mexican mountains also threatens their habitat. Urban sprawl and global warming also take their toll.
“The curriculum at Advent is remarkable. We’re constantly amazed by what our kids are absorbing and how excited they are to be learning.”
— Advent parent
- Advent Art Sampler
