From noticing alone to observing together: infants and toddlers raise butterflies

Caterpillars arrive every year on the milkweed around the gardens here at Aquatic Park School

Monarch caterpillar munching a leaf

Babies and toddlers observe the subtle details of their environment, and develop a growing interest in these striped creatures.

A teacher offers Aly a chance to gently connect

Teachers respond to their interest, and, attuning to the pace of children, slowly guide the study. 

A small habitat is constructed. Toddlers observe the caterpillars inside their classroom.

Delight! Tiny baby caterpillars appear in their habitat!

A Monarch butterfly wrests free from their chrysalis. The group releases it back the gardens.

How does noticing together change the act of seeing?