Even if no one else noticed, the children knew they had done something that made a positive difference— even if only for a few monarchs to safely lay eggs.
Yet beyond the 15 children was our greater preschool community. We shared every moment of our experience with families and friends. We took photos and wrote stories of the caterpillars’ transformation, our learning journey, and the children’ s successful removal of an invasive species. Some families enjoyed learning about the way our curriculum was integrated throughout this unit. Others reveled in the stories children brought home. Many may not have realized that the work we did was related to climate change. They just knew that their children had learned that humans impact the environment and can be part of making those impacts positive instead of negative.
The Work Lives On
pods in total. The children were impressed with their efforts but not entirely astounded— until I opened one pod to determine how many seeds it contained. Doing some math, we realized that our class had collected over 10,000 seeds in just one walk! The children beamed with pride and a sense of accomplishment. This was something they could brag about as they dictated a letter to the butterflies, telling them what they had done and warning them not to lay their eggs on the black swallow-wort in the future. Climate change and its influence on our community may not have been stopped, but we’ d certainly done our part.
Impacting the Community
So, in the end, did our efforts matter? Looked at from one angle, 15 children collecting 10,000 seeds during a one-hour walk suggests how many more seeds are likely to go uncollected across the region. We cleared one tiny corner; how could our efforts possibly matter?
Yet when looked at from another direction, the effect this activity had on the children was undeniable. For weeks, even months, they continued to talk about butterflies and the impact of their own efforts. We couldn’ t walk by a milkweed plant without searching for eggs. Whenever our walk took us past the area we’ d cleared, the children glowed with accomplishment.
Roughly one year later, we heard from the parents of one of the children in our class. That fall, their son had noticed black swallow-wort growing near their home. Upon recognizing it, he knew he had a problem on his hands... and he knew how to fix it. That 6-year-old child, with the help of his family, organized his entire neighborhood to take part in an invasive removal effort.
It wasn’ t until then that we came to understand the true impact of our unplanned butterfly curriculum: It wasn’ t some 10,000 seeds we removed one day in October. It was the transformational experience as children learned to care about, investigate, plan, and take action to protect their natural world. It was about showing children that they have the power to step in and lead others to make an even bigger difference. Each child inspires others who inspire others, and suddenly 10,000 seeds become so many more.
Applications for Your Program
We acknowledge that our setting is unique: Drumlin Farm Community Preschool sits on 291 acres of farmland and conservation areas in the heart of a rural Boston suburb. But the activities we planned and the lessons we learned can be applied anywhere: Invasive species are called“ invasive” because they are so good at living everywhere, meaning they can be found in large cities and other areas.
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