Hi everyone,
I'm from the Butterfly group and it was recommended from the Hummingbird group that I come over here to post my note.
My Kindergarten class in Santa Ana, California is a finalist in the Animal Planet/Discovery Channel Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom How do you ROAR contest. I have been teaching my Kindergartners about Monarchs (and other butterflies) each year as an ongoing science 'project' and this has led to more interest in butterflies throughout the school. 2nd grade teachers have a unit where butterflies are mentioned so now they are 'into' butterflies so those who have been in my class are now the 'experts.' Each year, I take my group of 31 5-year olds to 2nd grade classes and we teach the 2nd graders how to plant milkweed seeds. My schoolyard has been certified by both the NWF and MonarchWatch. Now, my class is being recognized as a finalist in this awesome contest AND if we win, $5000 can be donated toward a charity or two! YES!!
The voting has just begun. Part of the final decision is a People's Choice vote which is done online. If each person here could help out by voting, we would be SO grateful.
The students in my class are really excited about this contest. I have 31 students and 23 are learning how to speak English...in today's educational curricula, one of the things often left out is SCIENCE! It is outrageous, I know, considering how one of the areas that is MOST interesting and MOST exciting is science, right? Other teachers wonder why my students do so well overall (I have many of the children who are JUST learning how to speak English!!! and I don't speak their native languages). Why? Probably because of the science in my classroom. Children instinctively FEEL for butterflies and hummingbirds and all of the little critters...That special connection brings a cohesiveness that no one can possibly understand unless they were in those shoes themselves. I call it EMPATHY!
Simply go to
http://wildkingdom.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?pageid=10 and scroll down to Jim Thorpe Fundamental School. Click on the dot to cast your vote and enter your email address then click SUBMIT. That's it. The winner will be announced on the June 10th Wild Animal Kingdom Show.
Each person can vote one time.
Thanks a million.
Sherry aka tdogmom
for involving us.
I am a mom of a kid who has multiple disabilities as well as a communication barrier so I know how great "hands on approach" works for children. Bringing science into the classroom or the classroom into the outdoors always gets thier attention. Good for you, wish there were more teachers like you. 
