Butterflies Migrate to Sixth-Grade Classrooms!
by Paula Merwin, Grade 6 Reading Teacher

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Last fall the sixth grade class learned about the journey of the monarch butterflies south in the winter to Mexico and back north to us in the spring. As part of our study, our CCES students decorated paper butterflies last fall to be sent to the children in Mexico as a symbolic migration.



Since spring has arrived, the "real monarchs" have begun their journey back north and we are receiving paper butterflies back from Mexico!



The children in Mexico took care of the butterflies they received from all over the United States and Canada so that they could send them back to us in the spring. This is called "overwintering," which is what the real monarchs do.



We have received butterflies that originated in New Jersey, Michigan, Canada, North Carolina, Tennesee, Georgia, and Ohio, to name a few. Letters were also included from the teachers and children that took care of the butterflies. Some are written in Spanish, which will give us a chance to practice our language skills.



We will be writing letters back to them to thank them for taking care of the butterflies. Excitement is still in the air as we wait to see how many butterflies we will receive. At the last count we had received 62!