Allamanda Elementary teachers arranged for second-graders to receive a butterfly-attracting milkweed after their lesson gets spoiled by the coronavirus outbreak.
A plan to distribute milkweed plants to Allamanda Elementary students after spring break fell through the cracks when schools closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus.
It forced the second-grade lesson to go through a metamorphosis.
“I didn’t want them to lose such a cool experience, so I decided to arrange for them to pick up their own,” said Sharon Stokey, second-grade teacher at Allamanda Elementary in Palm Beach Gardens.
On March 27, second-grade students and their families met, one family at a time, to pick up a caterpillar/butterfly-attracting milkweed plant that had been donated by MSA Nursery in Loxahatchee for an upcoming life-cycle science unit.
Stokey had reached out to her friend Chelsea Barrett, with MSA, to buy the plants, but Barrett generously decided to donate them.
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A class Dojo message and Google form for parents found much interest, and Stokey and the rest of the second-grade team made the preparations for pickup. Teacher Melissa Vonderhaar kept a safe distance while parents and more than 30 students came one at a time to receive their milkweed plant at Promenade Plaza on Alternate A1A.
“Everyone was so excited to pick up plants, but I think the most exciting part was seeing their teachers,” Stokey said. “I know seeing my smiling students was my favorite part. I had to stay in my car the whole time but I wrote messages to them on my white board that they could see.”
The idea is for the students to observe the life cycle of a monarch butterfly right in their backyards as they learn about it virtually. Marilu Garcia, principal of Allamanda Elementary, is thrilled with the project during this new period of online learning.
Stokey created a Google Slides presentation for the students to record each day of milkweed observation. The students uploaded pictures, drawings, and typed up their observations right on the slides, documenting their new discoveries and findings each day.
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“I have never been more proud to be part of the Allamanda family,” said Jane Lieurance, Allamanda school office assistant. “Our teachers, not just the ones on this project, love and miss their students so much. They all rose to this new occasion, and are doing everything they can to support their students.”
Students have been excited to fill out their slides with their observations. The kids will privately message and send pictures when they spot eggs and see butterflies fluttering around their plants.
Parents also have demonstrated their own measure of teamwork. Cynthia Engi is the mom of Isaac Engi in Jaclyn DeHart’s second-grade class. The Engis took eight caterpillars to a classmate, along with a leaf that had two eggs, because the classmate’s plant had none.
Engi did a contact-free transfer, using tools to carefully handle the caterpillars without touching their plant. A couple caterpillars went straight to munching leaves and settling in to their new home, while others curled up in the flowers.
Meanwhile, a collection of caterpillars on Isaac’s plant, plus more eggs, prompted dad to order two more plants to help sustain the colony.
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“They’re multiplying like crazy,” Engi said.
Since March 13, when teachers had to leave school, DeHart has mailed care packages to her students. She had books and magazines shipped to her students from Amazon.
It’s been difficult for the teachers and staff to be away from the students during this time. Stokey’s been sharing pictures of her milkweed and the life on it with the kids, but it’s not the same as seeing them in person.
“It’s like a piece of me is missing and I never officially got to say goodbye,” Stokey said. “They message me pictures of what they find on their plants sometimes. It’s a good feeling to know that we all are seeing the same things and it gives us a connection.”
Sometimes, in the midst of this stay-at-home period, Stokey sits outside and watches her milkweed plants.
“It’s peaceful to me,” Stokey said. “I hope my students feel the same sense of peace and wonder when they look at their plant. Yesterday, my son and I counted 16 caterpillars (I have eight plants). It’s been a good learning experience for my first-grader at home, too.”
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April 22, 2020 at 08:38PM
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Coronavirus Florida: At-home plant project teaches students the cycle of life - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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