Spring is Here… And So Are the Caterpillars

By Parul Chandra, Head Teacher

Young children are fascinated by the living things they encounter. They study them like naturalists. This study takes place over days and weeks, thus building their ability to sustain an interest. We began Spring Quarter in Center AM by introducing a monarch butterfly kit with five larvae—also known as caterpillars. These caterpillars provided children with ongoing opportunities to observe and appreciate the diversity of these organisms, to document the changes and develop their own theories about caterpillars. The simultaneous study of butterfly metamorphosis and discussions about developmental changes in plants, tadpoles, silkworms and moths enriched their experiences and extended their thinking.

The children were entranced with the larvae. We noticed that they were “getting bigger and bigger.” At group time we discussed the changes they were observing and made predictions about what they thought would happen next. Children watched them eat and get big and fuzzy. On the 12th day they crawled up and started making a “J” formation. Watching this Hitsch exclaimed: “I notice that there is something like a thumb finger hanging on the top.” We read books about the monarch butterflies because the children were not always present to see all the transformations happening. These books illustrated all the changes, thus clarifying the process for the children who had missed some of these stages. As children noticed what was happening to the butterfly garden, the classroom brimmed with energy and excitement. When children arrived they went straight to the garden to visit their new friends. They took ownership of the project and were very invested in taking care of our caterpillars. Children were able to observe the caterpillars’ skin splitting. We watched them hang in their chrysalises. Mahmoud noticed: “They are starting to wiggle and dance.”

Teachers asked the children what they thought it looked like inside the chrysalis. Many represented this understanding through drawings. Anna T. said: “They are growing wings, but we can’t see them. They are shy. They need privacy.” Alex thought: “What if two butterflies came out of one chrysalis?” Children were becoming investigators and researchers as they studied and recorded their observations. Children shared this excitement and newfound knowledge with their families and peers. They were making connections with their experiences inside the classroom and outside. Chloe and Anna encountered a moth at the Hidden Villa Farm and Jack discovered one on the patio in the classroom. Teachers took advantage of these discoveries to enrich the children’s understanding and get them to extend their thinking. We engaged in a discussion about similarities and differences between moths and butterflies. Many theories were generated.

EMILY: “Moths sting, but butterflies don’t.”

MAHMOUD: “A moth is camouflaged but a butterfly is not.”

ANNA: “Camouflaged means that if they are green, they are green. If they are black, they are black. If they are white, they are white.”

BEN: “Moths have brown wings with different kinds of things on their bodies. Butterflies have brighter wings.”

Children shared stories and anecdotes about what they saw with their families at home, in gardens and on nature walks. Those who were enthusiastic about sharing their experiences brought their parents to the language and discovery tables. Teachers supported this by bringing in books on the topic, researching and investigating with the children to gather information. At group time we focused on related key books to reinforce and clarify the children’s understanding of what they were observing in the classroom. Teachers supported the children to go further in their initial observations by continually probing for details as children shared their observations and talked about their drawings.

BAYLOR: “One caterpillar is growing and growing and growing and growing.”

EMILY: “That black fuzzy thing is a babycaterpillar. We can’t see the others; they are in their chrysalis. If one has long wings, we can call it Spiky.”

HITSCH: “The black part is the baby caterpillar, maybe it is a baby. That is my idea. I notice that they are small chrysalises. I notice they use spider webs to hang from the top of the jar.”

ALEX: “We have to wait two days for the butterflies to come out. I am making a butterfly atlas. It tells us a lot about butterflies and where they live. First, I am doing Asia, now I’m doing North America.”

In a real inquiry into living things, much is unpredictable. Teachers recorded the children’s estimates of how many days it would take for each transformation stage and with the children’s help noted the caterpillars’ progress on a calendar. Many children made a calendar of their own. After making his, David said: “It has been 17 days for the caterpillars. It is going to be more days until they turn into butterflies.” A few days later, he checked his calendar. “It has been 20 days and it is still a chrysalis.” Children realized that sometimes growth is not predictable. Some of our caterpillars did not go through all the stages in their life cycle. Children saw differences in growth rates and even deaths. The children were becoming scientists as they observed and recorded data through their drawings, stories and theories. We waited for the final stage with much anticipation. On the 22nd day something amazing happened. The children witnessed a birth! The chrysalis changed color, becoming transparent. The children pressed their noses against the garden mesh; eyes wide open, looking at the newborn butterflies. They patiently awaited each butterfly’s arrival, preparing the garden with sugar water and fresh flowers, and singing songs to welcome them into the world.

Children extended their experiences with the butterflies to other areas of the classroom. They represented their understanding of the topic through their dramatic play. They wiggled like caterpillars and flew like butterflies during movement activities. They created three-dimensional representations of the different stages through clay, playdough, wood, blocks, paper, pipe cleaners and found materials. They narrated butterfly stories both descriptive and poetic. Documentation with photographs as well as observational drawings by the children helped to keep the process visible over the weeks. Children shared their observations and stories about the butterflies in group discussions, which gave them a chance to tell their stories and hear the perspectives of others. The discussions also helped us assess our group’s understanding of the topic, identify concepts that children were struggling with and plan ways to follow up. These were some of the additional questions examined throughout the project by the group:

“How are the caterpillars going to turn into butterflies?”

“What do caterpillars eat?”

“Why did one caterpillar die?”

“Why is the chrysalis shaking?” “What if we accidentally crack open the chrysalis?” “How do they hang from the lid?”

“Why is there a spider web in the jar?”

“What do butterflies eat?”

“What is the biggest butterfly of all?”

Children were able to answer these questions as they explored and investigated together. Talking about what they had learned was easier as they revisited their observational drawings, photographs and other documentations of their daily recordings.

After a few days we released the butterflies near our garden. Children formed a circle and sang songs as we watched them strengthen their wings and take flight.

JADAH: “We are singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and then it flew away. It was on the flower and then it flew high.”

ADAM:“Will it come back to our garden?”

This was an experience in which all the children could participate. It was important for the children to learn from their direct observations, watching things unfold right in front of their eyes while predicting what was to come. Most important, this project generated excitement and fascination among the children who became “experts” and “entomologists.” Children still remember the exciting events and we encourage them to revisit these memories to help bring the whole experience together.