Bugs!

Did you know that there are a million species of bugs on our planet, and that bugs account for more than 50% of the world's biomass? Neither did I, until this week. Neither did my kindergartners, first, and second graders- until today.

My favorite part of the day was definitely the moment I realized how excellent my kindergartners were at reading. In the ongoing struggle to consistently pronounce "decomposition" and understand it's meaning, I have heard all kinds of creative follies: "de-com-sa-pition", "de-com-pition", "de-cuh-puh.....puh.... du-cuh-puh-sumthin". Today, they looked at the side-walk-chalked word and sounded it out crisp and clear! YAY!


On our bug hunt we got to learn about the monarch caterpillar's defense mechanism: two apparent sets of antennas at each end so that predators can't tell which end has the chompers. We got to watch bees load up their legs with pollen to take back to the hive, and discussed bee anatomy. My last class seemed really interested in the idea that some of the same bugs we usually think of as being bad for humans are actually really good for the garden (i.e. spiders). All the classes did an excellent job pairing each of the bugs we saw with what they did that was good for the garden: pollinate, protect, decompose.

Working in the Peace Patch is incredibly rewarding. Every week I see my kids build their understanding of science in the garden. They are getting more confident in answering questions, and are really learning to use their five senses to make good observations. I'm proud of them.'

One of the Kindergarten teacher's
science journal activities
to help the kids remember

what they're learning.

Shannon Bean
A Happy Volunteer