Symbolic Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: October 22, 2004
Ooooh! Aaaah!
"Oh, that's so pretty!", "Look at this one--it's so beautiful!", "That's so Cool!", "This one even shows the friendship and goodwill of all three countries!" This is a soundbyte of what the Journey North office has sounded like for the last week as we opened all of your envelopes of beautiful butterflies. Take a look at some of what we've been seeing:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Butterflies
Now Staging in Minnesota
Here's the latest news from the symbolic migration staging ground in Minnesota, where your butterflies are resting comfortably--at least for now.
Since the deadline a few weeks ago, the Journey North staff and volunteers have been taking on the enormous task of processing the big beautiful butterfly cargo, in preparation for the rest of its migration to Mexico.
We check to see if all of the necessary information is on your return envelope which helps provide the best chance of a safe return of butterflies back to you (and it keeps Beth Allen very happy too. Beth coordinates the Symbolic Migration each year. Thank you, Beth!).
Here's the latest news from the symbolic migration staging ground in Minnesota, where your butterflies are resting comfortably--at least for now.
Since the deadline a few weeks ago, the Journey North staff and volunteers have been taking on the enormous task of processing the big beautiful butterfly cargo, in preparation for the rest of its migration to Mexico.
We check to see if all of the necessary information is on your return envelope which helps provide the best chance of a safe return of butterflies back to you (and it keeps Beth Allen very happy too. Beth coordinates the Symbolic Migration each year. Thank you, Beth!).
|
Over
50,000 butterflies are packed to go to Mexico! |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Thousands of symbolic monarchs have flooded into the staging grounds here at the Journey North headquarters. They are sorted and boxed up for their journey to the mountains in Mexico where the real monarchs are staging for the winter months. | ||
  |
 |
 |
| Butterflies
are delivered from across North America. |
One
butterfly goes to Northern Mexico
|
The rest go to the Monarch Sanctuary Schools and Exhibits. |
|
|
 |
 |
| We
take out your Donations
(Thank you!) |
Return
envelopes are saved for Spring. |
Beth
Allen coordinates the whole show. (Thank you, Beth!) |
A Peek Inside the Classroom
This fall Journey North was invited into classrooms in Minnesota to share the excitement of the Symbolic Migration. Printing with paint and designing with markers and colored pencils students created beautiful works of art right before our eyes.
How would you describe your hobbies to students far away in the mountains of Mexico? Can you translate: andar en bicicleta or - jugar videojuegos? Riding bikes and playing video games are just some of the activities that 4th Graders wrote about in their Spanish language class in Mahtomedi.
|
Here's
a peek at the creative process - making the beautiful Symbolic Butterflies. |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Now, take a peek into the Spanish classroom where students write letters to the students in Mexico. | ||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
- Take a look at a full gallery of pictures from inside the classroom:
We hope you enjoy this peek into the process where each student becomes an ambassador for the magnificent monarch butterfly. Many thanks to elementary schools in Mahtomedi and Deephaven, MN for opening their doors!
Try This! Are You an Ambassador for Your Country?
Symbolic monarchs that we exchange are ambassadors that carry messages between northern students and students in Mexico, where the monarchs over-winter. The symbolic monarch you made represents you and expresses your interest, friendship, and appreciation for the role the Mexican people play in monarch conservation.
As you follow the migrations of real and symbolic butterflies this year, plan to look for similarities and differences between the migrations. Keep a list of comparisons all year in your Journal and watch it grow. If you haven't already done so, here are some questions to consider and some lessons to try.
Journaling Questions:
- Who is responsible for the monarchs at each stage of their lives?
- What happens when the butterflies cross national borders?
- What obstacles might they encounter during their migration?
- How do the butterflies find their wintering grounds?
- Are there
times during the fall, winter or spring when the entire population is
at risk?
Symbolic Migration Lessons are Available on the Journey North Web site:
Mark your Calendar! Here What's in Store for Your Symbolic Butterflies:
COMING November 5th
- Symbolic Migration Art Gallery: See photos of hundreds of the migrating monarchs--will you see yours?
COMING NOVEMBER 19th
- Symbolic Butterflies take off for Mexico!
- Passenger Lists (so you can make sure your Symbolic Butterflies were on board).
- Challenge Question #1: A special UPS Tracking number will be posted so you can try to predict exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds the symbolic migration will take to Mexico. (To be sure you're ready, bookmark the UPS tracking system now: UPS Online Package Tracking System
- Challenge Question #2: Facts to help you predict how many symbolic monarchs are flying to Mexico.
COMING December 3rd
- Total number of Symbolic Butterflies revealed.
- Total days, hours and minutes it took to reach Mexico revealed.
- List of donors to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation proudly displayed.
- While your Butterflies are in the care of the Mexican people, read about life in the sanctuary region.
The Next Symbolic Monarch Migration Update Will be Posted on November 5th, 2004.
Copyright
1997- 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our
feedback form
