chrysalises become hard.
Mrs. Best moves them to
a flight cage and pins the
paper towel to the side.
The chrysalises hang
down. Just as they would
from a leaf or a branch.
Inside each chrysalis the
pupa is transforming ... "
Writing Hatching Chicks in Room 6, (2017) was obviously a treat for Caroline Arnold as she has followed it up with this book. In a return visit to Mrs. Best's kindergarten classroom she helps readers learn about the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly.
Her action research is clearly shared through text and engaging, captioned photographs. The children in the classroom are learning about butterflies through hands-on experience, careful observation, asking questions and looking for answers, and careful leadership on the part of their teacher. It is a wonderful experience for all.
A great deal of information is shared on its well designed pages, allowing readers to see the interest, amazement, curiosity, and joy found in watching the children's faces as they see those butterflies develop. This is only possible through well documented observation of the classroom dynamic. The life cycle is carefully presented in numbered boxes. Each stage is chronicled in clear photographs, and accompanied by leaf-shaped fact boxes.
"The flight cage is made
of soft netting. When the
butterflies come out. they
will have room to fly and
places to land."
When the butterflies are ready, each child has a chance to hold one before it spreads its wings and takes flight.
"Painted ladies are fast
flyers. Their speedy,
zigzag flight makes it
hard for birds and other
predators to catch them."
Classrooms are not the only places where butterflies can be raised. Families, too, can raise them safely. In backmatter, Ms. Arnold provides answers to Butterfly Questions, adds a Butterfly Vocabulary, offers a list of online resources as well as further reading about butterflies.
If you are interested in trying this in your classroom, or at home, here is the website in Canada for kit purchases: https://www.canadianhomeeducation.com/325-Live-Painted-Lady-Butterflies
And, if you are interested in knowing more about Caroline Arnold and her excellent books, here is the link to her website:
http://www.carolinearnoldbooks.com/butterflies2.html
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