Preparing for the pollinators

Student presents butterfly box

As part of an outdoor education initiative being piloted at Haine Elementary and Middle School by sixth grade teacher Mr. Kenneth Cahall, over 50 elementary students and family members recently participated in an afterschool program on pollinator gardens. The goal of this program was to provide an engaging opportunity for parents and children to gain knowledge and appreciation for various types of local pollinators, identify threats facing many beloved pollinators such as the Monarch butterfly, and to see how small action steps could help attract some of these pollinators to personal gardens.

Near the conclusion of the program, families worked together to construct a butterfly box and were given local wildflower seeds to take home as they plan out their own pollinator garden spaces for the spring. The hope is that this experience will help foster a curiosity in children about the world around them and encourage families to see the value the outdoors can play in the lives of their families.