Lessonplan and script created by Localeaf Gardens and Pollinate Aylmer for use in creation of the Butterflyway Aylmer.
Feel free to use or adapt as needed. Credit is appreciated but not mandatory. @localeafgardens #pollinateaylmer
OUTDOOR LESSON:
Butterfly Ranger Script for elementary student planting
Adapt as needed. Notes provided offer suggestions for adaptations for younger / older elementary kids.
Materials
Yellow pom-poms from dollar store (as ‘pollen’)
Tape circles (to hold the pompons in place. Place on shoulder before starting class)
Butterfly wings (for volunteer)
Printed photos of various pollinators (preference. Can also project on slideshow if preferred. Specific pollinators used identified below)
Hollow plant stems (to show where bumblebees live)
Kid shovels for digging holes (or forks and spoons)
Watering can (if possible)
Photos of plants to be planted (if possible)
Popsicle sticks (set up in planting space in advance. Used to mark spacing for where plants)
Introduction
Hello friends! My name is _______ and I’m a Butterfly Ranger. That means it’s my (our if ++ presenting) job to help the butterflies and their friends, and I’m (we’re) here today to talk to you about how to do that! We’re going to learn a little bit about them, and then we are going to plant some special plants for them, and help them find places to build safe homes. Does that sound ok?
Lesson
What is nature?
(Let a few kids answer)
(Guided follow-up question)
Can you tell me something alive that is in nature?
(Take an answer)
Yessss!
(If space and time allows, ask the kid to stand up and come near you. Take another answer. Do the same until everyone is standing, in a circle. Ask kids to hold hands)
Each living thing in nature is a circle of parts holding hands. Everything in nature depends on each other to live and thrive and survive. People need food, and the animals we eat need food to survive. When they don’t have enough food or safety to make babies they become endangered and extinct.
When that happens there is a hole in the circle of parts holding hands. That’s kind of what happened when the dinosaurs went extinct.
(If standing in a circle, demonstrate. Thank kids and ask them to sit down)
Many animals and even people eat plants. Can you think of any plants that we eat?
(Listen to all their suggestions)
All these plants grow from seeds. Seeds are baby plants. The fruit and vegetables that we eat were seeds once. And before they were seeds, they were flowers.
Like this:
(Show picture of a flower)
Wait, I have another picture!
(Show picture of a bee covered in pollen)
Can anyone tell me what this yellow powder is?
(Take a few answers)
This yellow stuff is a powder called pollen, and most flowers have it. To make seeds, the flowers need to give it to another flower. Like a high five. Like this
(demonstrate a high five)
There’s only one problem. Flowers don’t have hands to give high fives. Or legs to move over and see their friends. So they need help.
Look at this stuff on my shoulder. Can anyone tell me what it is?
(Point to yellow ponpons. Take answers)
That’s right! Pollen!
I’m a flower with pollen and I need some help to get my pollen to my friend flower, over there
(use other adult / teacher or another student. Walk over and put some tape on them, and give them a ‘high five’)
Who do you think can help me?
(Take a couple of answers. Continue if kids are naming pollinators)
You guys are great! Yes! These are all pollinators, just like this guy
(show picture of bee covered in pollen again).
Let’s get another pollinator to help. Can I have a volunteer?
(Pick a kid)
What’s your name? Hello, _______. You’re going to be our pollinator today.
(Put wings on volunteer)
Can you buzz around all these beautiful flowers for me? (point to kids)
(Volunteer hopefully flutters. Class giggles)
Great job. Now can you come over here?
(Turn to class)
How do you think that _______ can get the pollen from me to (the other flower teacher)?
(Ask for answers)
He can do it because butterflies have very sticky feet.
(If kids are older tell them butterfly is actually looking for nectar, not pollen, but pollen sticks to his feet)
(Stick the pollen balls to volunteer. Prompt them to fly over to the other teacher and stick them on. Walk over to the teacher and give big high five)
Yes! We did it! Now that (teacher) flower got a pollen high five from me, she will make a fruit, with seeds to make more baby flowers or plants.
And that is how pollination works.
(Thank volunteer and ask them to sit down)
So, we know butterflies are pollinators. I’m going to show you some photos of other pollinators.
(Show, in order. Ask students to raise hand if they know what it is)
– honeybee (if students are older, talk about how honeybee actually doesnt come from here, and eats flowers that don’t come from here either, like dandelions and clover)
– bumblebee (point out that this one looks like a teddy bear bee and DOES NOT STING! In fact, most types of bees do not sting).
– sweatbee (green bee)
– leaf cutter bee (point out what it’s doing)
– pearly banded bee (blue bee. Prepare for aaaawwws)
– butterfly
Some of our pollinators are VERY picky eaters. Some can only eat one plant! Are any of you picky eaters? What don’t you like?
(Let a few answer)
–Monarch butterfly (point out that their babies are picky and can only eat one kind of flower. Milkweed)
– moth (point out it comes out at night. Needs flowers to open at night, so it needs flowers to open at night. Some flowers do, and we’ve brought some of those today too).
– hummingbird (point out that it has a very long beak and can reach pollen in flowers that have very long thin petals)
– bird (if appropriate point out that birds are different types of pollinators. They come later, after the flower has been pollinated, and eat fruit. And what happens to the seed? It gets pooped! From the sky! – giggles here)
– bat (same as birds, they eat fruit, but at night. They also eat thousands of mosquitoes)
– Wind (give dandelion as example)
I have one last picture I want to show you:
(Show Rusty Patched Bumblebee)
This is a Rusty Patched Bumblebee, look at his belly you can see it’s a reddish brown.
This bee comes from here but has not been seen since 2009! That’s 16 years ago! Why do you think that is?
(Wait for answers. Age appropriate. If endangered or extinct don’t come up, explain it, using dinosaurs as concept)
It’s endangered for 2 reasons. It doesn’t have enough food to eat, and enough safe spaces to live. Do you know where bumblebees live?
(Prompt answers. If ‘hive’ is answered point out that honeybees, not MOST other bees live in hives.)
Let me show you!
(Hand out sticks and ask kids to pass them around. )
See the holes in them? That’s where bumblebees hide their babies.
(Show photo of stick nests)
What about the moms or dads? They can’t fit in there, so they need good hiding spots, especially from birds. So do caterpillars. And moths. And all the baby pollinators. Look around.
Is the
(insert ideas here based on what you see)
- Pavement?
- School roof?
- Grass?
- Etc..)
A good place to hide, and find food?
(When a kid says grass is good, remind them the grass and dandelions only help honeybees)
There aren’t enough places for pollinators to find food and hide in our cities anymore.
Planting Activity
So, today, we are going to help them. We are going to plant some plants that help our pollinators, butterflies and bumblebees and all the other cool creatures we learned about, and we are going to help them by making them places to hide.
I’m going to divide the class into two. Actually, I will let your teacher choose how to divide you.
Half of you will go with your teacher to look for materials to put around our plants to make places to hide and build nests. Think about plant stems, sticks, leaves. These are all very important in our habitat.
The other half will come with me, and I will help you learn how to plant a plant, and tell you a bit more about each of the plants we brought today.
Let’s go!
Planting demonstration
(Let kids choose a spot in front of a Popsicle stick.
- Demonstrate digging a hole, the size of a pot
- Wait for all kids to dig hole, bring plants over in the meantime.
- Hand out while talking a bit about each one, if possible.
- Show kids how to hold fingers on top of plant, flip upside down, protect the plant then plant it.
- Bring dirt tightly back around the plant.
- Water (if possible)
Now we will switch, and you will go collect materials to provide shelter. When you are finished and the rest of the class is finished you can come back and ‘decorate’ around your plant to make some hiding spots.
Material Gathering
Show the kids examples of natural materials they are looking for (site dependent). These could include
- Leaves
- Twigs
- Branches / old wood
- Grass
- Pinecones
- Natural mulch (i.e. pine needles)
- Etc.
Let the kids roam together or in small groups within safe boundaries, and ask them to return everything to one centralized place. Put large bowls or boxes out and have them sort and separate the found materials. Bring these to the planting area
Wrap-up
Ok everyone, thank you sooo much for your help today. Together, we made a spot for bees and butterflies to stop, get food, sleep, hide and safely put their babies.
We call this a stop on a “Butterflyway”. We are building many other stops like this across Aylmer, so if you see another sign like this one (show Butterflyway sign) you think about this stop and know that a butterfly or bee stopping there has probably stopped here first.
Thank you so much for helping me today, and I hope you see you again soon. If your teacher says it’s ok, maybe we can take a photo together before I leave?
Thank you friends! The butterflies and bumblebees and all the other pollinators thank you too, and if you have a garden at home, ask your parents if you can make a stop for them there too.
LocaLeaf 