Sheila Sims Iding
Oh the miracle of raising butterflies in a classroom! The miracle of that tiny larva not any longer than a first grader’s fingernail that grows into a caterpillar as long as their little finger. And then turns into a chrysalis? How does that happen? It’s a miracle.
And then the miracle of all miracles for these caterpillars…when the chrysalis opens and out comes a butterfly! Yesterday we had our first butterfly and then our second. Oh the joy of butterflies emerging from a chrysalis!!...except when they don’t. Because sometimes they won’t.
Of the over 30 larvas we get some of them don’t grow into caterpillars and some of the caterpillars don’t turn into chrysalis and some of the chrysalises don’t hatch. It’s the reverse cycle of life, if you will. It’s the life lesson that is part of every science lesson dealing with real life. It makes the science lesson more real and the “normal” life cycle lesson more of a miracle.
So the larva and the caterpillars that don’t fully grow get put in a special place in the Rosary Garden. Every year the “special” larva and caterpillars go to a special place by the St. Francis of Assisi statue.
What about the “special” chrysalis? Well…with those we wait and hope and pray. The most vulnerable chrysalises are the ones that don’t attach to the top or fall when we transfer them from the cubbies. We can’t do much about them except place them on cotton balls we call “clouds” hoping they think they are hanging in the air.
Every year we have a few special chrysalises. This year we had three. When one falls or doesn’t attach the kids get really concerned. I tell them our only hope is placing them on the cotton and see if they will develop normally. Sometimes they do but I prepare them and tell them many times they are “born” with crumbled wings or broken body parts. They do not make it and they, too, get a special place of the St. Francis Statue.
Every year I prepare the kids for what may happen with the special ones and assure them that is part of nature. And every year they pray for them. This year was no different. During our morning prayer many kids pray for our butterflies “especially the special ones”…“the ones that fell”…“the ones on the cotton”. We prayed…we waited…we hoped. And today our prayers were answered.
Today all three of the “special” chrysalis hatched and they were all fine! All normal. We cheered! That has never happened before. Maybe one or two of them are fine but this year ALL of them were fine. Only half of our butterflies have emerged and there still may be a special one that requires a crash course in the life lessons of nature but today we rejoiced. Today the three special butterflies we prayed for everyday are flying around the butterfly house happy and healthy on a wing...and a prayer.
Pictures below: They watched and prayed. The special ones hatched. Flying around on a wing & a prayer.