Week 34: May 22–25, 2018

After a restful long weekend, the Grade 1-2 students came into the classroom on Tuesday morning to discover that most of the butterflies had emerged from their chrysalises over the weekend! They were excited to see almost 30 butterflies flying around the habitat and did some research to find out what the red stains that covered the habitat were called. It turns out, it is meconium! It was a little tricky getting any work done in our classroom on Monday morning with our more active butterfly friends around but the students managed to do their final written observations and diagrams, as well as their Words Their Way spelling work. On Wednesday morning, we walked to the park with the Early Learners and took turns releasing the butterflies into the park near the ravine. Many students were sad to see the butterflies go but they understood that living their lives in an enclosure might not be as enjoyable as the freedom of the park. In Cooking Club, a few of the students enjoyed observing the chemistry of caramel making. There were also a few Grade 1-2s who got the chance to start harvesting vegetables that had grown in their recycled planters on the roof. We wrapped up our short week with a clothing swap, organized by the grade 8 class, as well as an extended ravine walk on Friday.

When we arrived on Tuesday morning, most of the butterflies has emerged and were happily feasting on the sugar-water-soaked paper towel in their habitat.

G had a hard time giving the newly-hatched butterflies space. She couldn't resist trying to touch their legs through the netting of the habitat.

When Z arrives at school, the Grade 1-2s are excited to show her how the butterflies have changed over the weekend.

M, G, and S are shocked by some of the rapid movements happening in the habitat now that the butterflies have emerged.

One of the chrysalises had fallen off the lid of the container early on and we thought it wouldn't turn into a butterfly. Instead, we had it in a Petri dish on a classroom shelf to observe last week. When we arrived on Tuesday morning, the chrysalis was empty and a healthy butterfly was sitting on our classroom carpet waiting for us. S enjoys looking closely at this "escape artist" in the glass jar. 

G works on sorting her spelling words according to their word families. She uses rhyming strategies to confirm whether or not she has sorted them correctly.

M tries to draw an exceptionally accurate diagram of the newly hatched butterflies in her science notebook.

K calls her friends over to see how much her lettuce has grown over the weekend. Then she conducts a taste test and is pleased with the results. 

M gets a chance to experiment with old technology in the CERES lab.

S carefully mixes the apple cider caramels over the stove in Cooking Club. She is very excited for them to cool so she can taste the sweet treat.

Every release of a butterfly at the park is accompanied by gasps and well wishes for the butterfly to "Have a nice life!".

G's butterfly isn't quite ready to fly off yet. She giggles at how much the legs tickle her hand.

Many of the students try to transfer their butterflies to flowers so they can admire them before they fly away.

M is careful not to touch the wings of the butterfly as she helps it out of the habitat.

M holds her butterfly up high, allowing it to catch the breeze and fly away.

M wore the perfect dress for the release and marvels at the butterfly who has taken up residence on her dress.

At recess, the Grade 1-2s and Early Learners discover that covering the treehouse with the parachute makes it feel extra cozy.

K shows off her choices from the clothing swap that happened during All-School on Thursday. The students had a chance to learn about how clothing is made and we can become more ethical consumers.

G and M model their finds from the clothing swap proudly.

A ravine walk with the Early Learners is the perfect way to beat the Friday heat. The students enjoyed observing and identifying changes to the ravine landscape as greenery starts to thicken.

Who needs a playground when you can climb on a network of fallen logs?