This fall each 2nd grade classroom raised a monarch butterfly caterpillar through its life cycles. They released it in September to make its long journey to Mexico. The students also participated in the Symbolic Migration project through JourneyNorth.org. They created paper butterflies that were sent to a school near the migration grounds in Mexico for the winter. Along with the butterflies, they sent information about Eisenhower School and Dubuque, Iowa, where the butterflies originated.
This spring they received a package of paper monarch butterflies from around the country that had spent the winter in Mexico, just like their real-life counterparts. They also received information from the school in Mexico at which their butterflies had spent the winter. Students each had butterflies to take home from schools in different cities and states that all participated in the Symbolic Migration. The 2nd grade team will be sending a donation to Journey North program to help them continue their work. It is wonderful to see how many kids around the country care about the monarch butterfly!