Adios, Mariposa!

Each fall, Advent’s Pre-K and Kindergarten students embark on a joyful and immersive exploration of monarch butterflies and their incredible life cycle. This annual project invites curiosity, observation, creativity, and care for the natural world—core values of our Reggio-inspired approach.

This year’s journey began with a renewed excitement for butterflies. Children explored the science of insect life cycles through books, drawing and writing about the details that fascinated them most. Through this, students posed questions, made predictions, and expressed wonder about the stages of transformation.

A highlight came when three of their classroom caterpillars formed chrysalises. Children noticed subtle changes, such as darkening colors, and eagerly shared their thoughts and predictions about what might happen next. These observations were paired with stories and discussions about life cycles—not only of butterflies, but of other animals as well.

As part of the ongoing tradition, Kindergarten and ECC participated in Journey North’s Symbolic Migration Project, which connects classrooms across North America and Mexico in a symbolic exchange of paper butterflies. Students learned how real monarchs migrate to Mexico each fall and return north in the spring—and how their paper butterflies would make a similar journey to another classroom.

They imagined how their butterflies would travel, discussed monarch sanctuaries in Mexico, and even watched a video about scientists using a robot hummingbird to study monarchs up close. Students then created their own butterflies and signs with powerful conservation messages like “Keep Butterflies Safe” and “Plant Milkweed.”

Their study culminated in a celebratory all-school parade through Boston's Public Garden, where students and their families sang "Adios, Mariposa" as the butterflies embarked on their journey to Mexico!