Little Lepidopterists

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I teach a class of seven 3 to 5 year old children with physical and health handicaps in the city of Chicago. The curriculum in my classroom is based upon the individual needs of each student and the Illinois Education Standards for Early Learners. One of the state science standards is: Students will “know and apply concepts that explain how living things function, adapt and change”. My task, as a teacher, is to provide learning experiences for my students that will promote mastery of these standards. Living in a decidedly urban environment, my students have very limited experiences with nature. Opportunities to observe and learn about living creatures in their natural habitat are almost non-existent outside of school. My students come from low to middle income families where trips to local zoological and nature parks or forest preserves are not an economic priority. In addition, my students' mobility problems (only two of my students can walk unassisted) restricts their ability to explore the natural world; wheelchairs are really difficult to maneuver on muddy, uneven ground. Our school does have an award-winning, accessible, Sensory Garden. My students learn about the life cycle of plants from this wonderful resource. However, I would like to expand their knowledge of how living things “function, adapt and change” by teaching a four week unit on the life cycle of the butterfly. The life cycle of the butterfly is one of the most bizarre and impressive examples of nature at work on the planet. It is a remarkable series of changes between seemingly very different forms culminating in the emergence of a butterfly. In fact, most children believe that caterpillars and butterflies are entirely separate species! Throughout nature there are fantastic and fascinating occurrences of many kinds. The metamorphosis of an egg to a butterfly is just one of those wonders. In order to bring this wonder to my classroom, I require a science kit which would allow my “little lepidopterists” to observe living creatures change from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis and finally to butterfly. Books, a video and models of the life stages would reinforce and expand lessons learned by observing the living organisms. Once mature, the butterflies we raise would be set free in our school's Sensory Garden. Having a butterfly feeder, with a good supply of nectar, would insure our butterfly friends would visit us throughout the summer and fall.