Learning about Butterflies

Last Friday was Earth Day, and taking care of and appreciating the beauty of our world is of primary importance to the students and teachers in The Experiential School of Tampa Bay. The boys and girls in Alpha class celebrated the day with an appreciation of the beautiful creatures around us, and specifically on this day – butterflies!

Students have been watching the progress of their own caterpillars to learn about their life cycle and habits, and also learn about symmetry by observing the butterflies’ wings. This concept was illustrated when the children squeezed dots of paint onto one half of a piece of paper, then folded and gently rubbed it. There were squeals of delight when they opened the paper to discover beautiful symmetrical designs which became the wings of their butterflies.

Snack also fit into the topic. After listening to “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, the children copied the caterpillar by following its pathway of snacks. They carefully counted out just the right number of each item (we stuck to the healthy items!) and then ate their way through them.

See more from this week in Betty's Blog.