Winthrop Avenue third graders are delving into the study of butterflies. In addition to classroom observations of the life cycle stages of Painted Ladies, the students recently visited the Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, during a videoconference field trip.

Bellmore School District is leading the way in technology with students in grades 3-6 taking advantage of ample videoconferences offered throughout the school year. During the 2018-19 school year, students will have participated in more than 30 video-conferencing opportunities, which provide students with the opportunity to explore the world outside of their immediate surroundings and supplement the educational concepts taught within the classroom, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Joanne Dacek explained.  

During the Center for Puppetry Arts videoconference with Ms. Amy, students studied the metamorphosis of butterflies like the Monarch Butterfly, spoke about adaptation and discussed camouflage techniques. They not only identified the parts of a butterfly but learned how to determine through identifying features whether a butterfly is a male or female. While discussing the program’s various components, they constructed a butterfly puppet out of construction paper, pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks and tried their hand at making their new craft imitate the flight of these fascinating insects.

In addition, the students are recording their observations about their caterpillars each day in a notebook. Teacher Stacy Reiner said that when a chrysalis forms, the future butterflies will be transported to a larger box until they hatch and then released into the wild.