Our changing caterpillars

We are so excited in the Owl Room over the changes that we have been seeing every day with our caterpillars!  Each day, as the kids enter the classroom, there are always several of them swarming around the butterfly habitat.  I hope you can come in to see them for yourself (Our "Write On!" Open House tomorrow night is a perfect opportunity!) but here are some pictures of the caterpillars and chrysalises.  These were taken yesterday.  Today, the one in the J is a chrysalis. The one eating is in a J today!  So we should have 3-4 in the chrysalis stage by tomorrow.  They will probably be in the chrysalis stage for about 10 days.  Some of our caterpillars didn't make it, which is just part of life also.  We had actually prepared the kids for that, because many in the wild don't make it either. It is just amazing to see how these creatures are created!  I found a great website that explains how some live longer to be able to migrate.  It is quite fascinating!  Click here to learn more: http://www.Monarch-Butterfly.com  

Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for pictures of the butterflies when they emerge!

This one is camouflaged pretty well!

These are a little difficult to see through the netting!

Meijer Gardens Field Trip

We had a great day today at Meijer Gardens!  Thankfully the rain held off, and we were able to spend a short time viewing the largest horse sculpture in the world before running or rolling down the big hill.  Then we went in to see the butterflies.  Some were even fortunate enough to have a butterfly or two land on them!  After the exhibit, we went to a classroom to do an activity centered on the life cycle of the monarch.  By this time we were pretty hungry!  We ate a chilly lunch outside.  Thanks to the dads who brought our lunches to us.  Then, we spent a little bit of time in the children's gardens.  I think we could have spent hours there alone! What a fun day!  Thanks again to all of the parent volunteers who helped us out!