Caterpillar Envy

This is the first year teaching, or really, in my whole life, that I've ever gotten caterpillars to try to raise into butterflies.  There is something amazing about the fact that they come in the mail.  And then you just pop them into the net and spread out the food and wait.  If only I had been the only one to do this, then I would have never known.  But two of my teammies got the caterpillars too.  And after a couple of days, the truth unveiled itself. 

My caterpillars are anorexic.  Or starving.  Or duds.  Or something.   
 
 
 
 
Just look at this monster.  Two days.  That's it- and it's four times its size.

 

 

And here's mine.  What the hey?

It shouldn't matter.  I'm aware that the size of these caterpillars does not define me as a person.  And yet... Gadzooks it chaps my bum!  RED ALERT!!!  So my kids and I spent the morning researching.  We found this site on Squidoo  that aside from showing some cool video- told us a bit about what they eat.  The only thing was, do we have this out on the playground?  We looked hard at the picture of a thistle plant and decided to go look.  We also came across a reference to that they have been known to eat dandelions.  And we knew we had those.  So off we went.

 

 

We sort of ended up with anything we found.  And what we thought could possibly be a thistle went into the box as well, along with a lot of OW OW OW!  And then we popped half of it into the butterfly cage and now we wait.  Hopefully we didn't poison them.  It's the weekend though, so we won't know until Monday.  Won't that be a tense ride to work? 

 

 

Actually, I've been a lot more hands-on sciencey this year.  We even planted seeds the other week.  Turns out my city kids loved stirring up the dirt the most.  I've really got to start having sensory boxes in my classroom.  I love Sandi's posts on them over at Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes.  And she's given me some pretty neat ideas on how to make them academically linked to second grade.  But, just as I am caterpillar challenged, I am apparently bean challenged as well.  

 

 

Not a sprout.  Sheesh.  We did transplant them the other day and saw tap roots- but now nothing.  Perhaps we traumatized them.  I do not have a green thumb, people.  Plants wilt when they see me coming.  However- it does appear that the forget-me-nots might not be a total loss.  Just, can they survive long enough to be transplanted?

 And, miracle of miracles, looks like the watermelon might just be wanting to make an appearance.

 

 

All in all, even if this totally doesn't work out, it's on my list to have more of this kind of thing more often next year.  Anyone else already in next year mode?