Kitah Bet is very excited to introduce some new members of our class family. We've been learning about spring, the changes we see happening in nature as well as the role played by wildlife in this blossoming time. What better way to bring nature into our classroom than to host real, live caterpillars! Appropriately, our fuzzy little friends were introduced by our resident butterfly puppet, though introduction was merely a formality. The intrigue held by the caterpillars speaks for itself and the children launched into all kinds of questions and observations as we passed them around the circle.
Evan: "Look at how they move! Squirmy wormy all over the place!"
Annabelle: "How can they get down from the top? (of the lid)?"
Anslee: "They're moving!"
Caleb: "They're climbing on top of each other!"
Yannai: "They're moving!"
Becker: "What's that sticky stuff?"
Sammy: "When they're gonna be outside, how will they fly away?"
We're going to check on our caterpillars every day and note any changes we might see. The children can't wait until they spin their chrisalides and emerge as butterflies. Participating in the caterpillars' life cycle is a tangible way to to engage in a process, to follow a sequence of steps that organize themselves into beginning, middle and end. We're also delving into scientific discovery when observing and wondering about these live creatures, and learn to turn to research materials like books to find answers.
