When school teachers are approached with a question related to the butterflies, most of them feel confused or start looking for answers online. Those basic or incomplete facts that we have often become corrected as we learn from various butterfly resources. The trick is to take your time and study butterflies through the lens of Biology, Environmental Science, and Culture.
It will help students and teachers to fully appreciate and understand the importance of butterflies in our lives. As you browse through the useful resources, you will learn more about butterfly gardens, will learn how to identify butterflies, and boost your overall knowledge.
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You will instantly notice how your life becomes more colorful when you are able to share this precious knowledge with your students, turning them into responsible individuals who care for nature and appreciate our hard-working winged friends!
5 Useful Resources for Teachers and Students to Study Butterflies
1. World Wild Life Foundation (WWF) Monarch Butterfly Toolkit.
This website provides good resources for educators who would like to research fun monarch facts and provide information about their importance that would be accessible for learners of all ages. Most importantly, it also explains what the children can do to help. It also offers a special monarch butterfly classroom presentation template that will be helpful for creative educators in need of inspiration.
There are various physical education activities and arts education toolkits that can be used to stir the imagination of the learners. Once the students complete the learning session, you can make them happy with a special certificate of achievement that can be downloaded from the WWF’s website.
2. Butterflies and Moths of North America.
A truly unique resource that collects and shares interesting information. You can find maps and data, profiles of the species, a gallery of relevant butterfly images, and learn how to identify the butterfly you have noticed in your garden or somewhere else online.
It is an important resource that can be used as a way to contribute your images and discuss your findings based on your location. If you are unsure how to write and shape your ideas correctly, you may approach an essay writer and explain your situation. Take your time to explore the website and see how the other butterflies have been identified and what information must be provided.
3. Cycle of a Butterfly Lesson For Kids.
If you want to apply STEM resources and take your learning to another level, the life cycle of a butterfly is one of the best solutions you can find. The resource offers all the necessary information to make your lesson impressive as it provides the list of materials and complete instructions, including the preparation. It’s also a good way to work with the colors, which will be of great assistance as the young learners identify the butterflies, make comparisons, and become more attentive.
4. Butterfly Conservation Foundation.
It offers information on the Big Butterfly Count project 2022 and explains the best ways how we can save the butterflies and protect our environment. It also has an important “Identify a Butterfly” section, which will help educators use the pictures and relevant facts to show the variety to the students during the lessons. It’s also possible to search the database based on keywords. This resource is one of the best in terms of verified information and structure.
5. Butterflies of America.
This website offers 160,500 butterfly images and provides information on 8,300 species. It’s a great online resource that focuses on the study and enjoyment of American butterflies. It also covers North and South America. If you’re interested in Hawaii, Caribbean Islands, and the butterflies encountered in Panama, do not miss this resource!
Importance of Cultural Factor and Symbolism
Even those people who are not directly dealing with the butterflies know that they have a strong symbolic significance. These beautiful and precious butterflies have inspired many cultures around the world and became the reflection of human life with all of its hopes and dreams, spiritual rebirth, and infinite freedom. At the same time, the symbolism of butterflies also serves as a powerful reminder that our life is fragile and short, thus asking for a spiritual rebirth while there is still time. The teachers and students may use this concept as a way to get rid of the bad habits and inspire the young learners to be the positive change they want to see.
When you are only starting with the study of butterfly symbolism, think about the colors and ask the students about their feelings. For example, most gardeners that encounter the cabbage white butterfly will feel concerned, yet seeing white in your garden will also speak of purity and have an almost religious meaning of rebirth and transformation. When you are dealing with young students, think about turning to the drawings and asking your learners why they have chosen particular colors. Based on their answers, tell them about how the different world’s cultures understand the palette of colors in their symbolic sense.
Author:
Christian Duke loves spending time in the garden by taking a scientific approach to what he observes. As an educator and IT specialist, he loves to take a break once in a while and write about his observations. Keeping things simple and accessible, Christian aims to help educators and students learn.