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ECLC: Caterpillars, Butterflies, and Bees... Oh My!

In ECLC, students have been learning about insects and pollinators. “We are getting rid of a lot of the ‘yuck’ factor about insects,” ECLC Lead Teacher Ms. Sara Flansburg said. The students began with learning about the anatomy of insects and how they communicate with each other. Then they practiced mimicking the insects by communicating with each other without using any words. Finally, they used their math skills to calculate how many preschoolers it would take to make one insect, if each student made up one part of the insect’s body. “Our students particularly loved creating their own insect books and spent days working on them,” ECLC Support Teacher Ms. Tracey Morrell said. 
After their lessons, middle school teachers Mr. Andy Dodge and Mrs. Meggan Dodge visited the ECLC students to teach them about beekeeping. Mr. and Mrs. Dodge brought their beekeeping suit, their bee boxes, and the smoker they use to calm the bees down when harvesting the honey. The students were excited to look at each item up close and ask questions about how bees find pollen, make honey, and help the planet. “We learned that insects are beautiful and fascinating creatures!” Ms. Flansburg said. The beekeeping presentation was Ms. Morrell’s favorite activity during the unit, because it was a wonderful connection between their lessons about the Earth in April and their lessons about pollination in May. “It was wonderful to see how the students began to connect the information we were teaching them,” Ms. Morrell said. “We were very impressed by how much they already knew.” 

In addition to learning about bees, the students learned about other pollinators such as butterflies. Each classroom raised their own caterpillars and watched them turn into chrysalises earlier this month. We are still waiting for their caterpillar chrysalises to unfurl, but when they do, the campus will be adorned with Graland-grown butterflies. Thanks, ECLC!
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Graland Country Day School

Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.