Preschool Pollinators

In our Pre-K classrooms, children have been busy exploring their garden unit.  One of our topics for the garden unit is discussing pollinators such as butterflies, bees, bats and hummingbirds, and how they help the environment. Children learned that pollen is a yellow powder found in flowers that causes them to make seeds that can then grow into new flowers, fruits and vegetables.  Pollinators are creatures that drink nectar from flowers, and then transfer pollen from one flower to another on their legs, face or body.  For our lesson, we focused on how a butterfly would pollinate a flower, since we have butterflies in our classroom.  

Students watched a video that discussed how butterflies and some moths drink nectar from flowers using their proboscis.  The proboscis is a long tongue used to reach the nectar deep in the flower.  When they are drinking their nectar, they get dusty pollen on their legs and transfer it from flower to flower as they are moving around, causing pollination.  The pollination helps the plants make new seeds, which gives us new flowers, fruits and vegetables.  

Moth with proboscis.

Butterfly with pollen on it's legs.

The bee is ready to pollinate some flowers!

When we were finished with our video, we viewed the insides of lilies, daisies and tulips to observe the pollen.  

One of our beautiful lilies.

The lovely daisies and tulips.

Then, we had our turn at being pollinators!  Children were able to take turns “pollinating” the flowers in our paper garden using corn starch.  First, the children came and dipped two fingers in the cornstarch.  Then, they picked a flower to “pollinate”  in the garden.  As more and more flowers were being pollinated, the children could see how much pollen the flowers receive from the different pollinators that visit them for a drink.  

This young lady is being a good role model and showing her peers how to do the activity.

Pollinating our flowers.

Teamwork!

At the end of the day, it was time to release our pollinators back into the wild so they can find flowers to pollinate.  

One of our classroom butterflies displaying it's wings.

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to see the butterflies.

Before we released all of the butterflies, children were given the opportunity to have a butterfly sit on their hand for a closer inspection.  

We are being so gentle!

It's a happy little butterfly!

So beautiful!

You can hold the butterfly, Mrs. Litwiller!

Needless to say, Preschool had a great day learning about their butterflies and the important job that they do while they are drinking their nectar.