Send a Monarch to Mexico!
Symbolic Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: November 10, 1998
Today's Update Includes:
Bienvenidas a Mexico Monarcas Simbolicas!
The Children's Museum of Mexico City
(Museo - Papalote Del Niño) opened their doors on Thursday to accept the
thousands of paper butterflies you sent their way for the winter. Special thanks
to Martha Sanchez and her staff who are about to begin their big job. Each year we're
reminded of the HUGE responsibility we put on their shoulders. Imagine if you had
to care for the thousands and thousands and THOUSANDS of butterflies!
Similarly, the real monarchs are now arriving by the millions
to a single place in Mexico, and the people who live there are faced with the responsibility
of caring for them. Because these people are some of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere,
this raises a question most of us don't think about while the monarchs are away:
Challenge Question #13
"Who do you think should pay the cost of protecting the monarchs' winter home?"
To RESPOND to this Challenge
Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.
Discussion of Challenge Question #10
In the October 28 Symbolic Migration
Update, Challenge Question # 10 asked you "How many symbolic monarch butterflies
do you suppose there are?"
The final count is in, and the Grand Total of paper butterflies received was 40,347!
Several classrooms came very close to estimating this number correctly by using our
clue about the number of butterflies in a cubic foot and the measurements of the
"sea of butterflies".
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The Grand Total is: 40,347!
Journey North Staff from L. to R.
Joel Halvorson, Elizabeth Donnelly, Beth Allen, Julie Brophy
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Students from Mariposa Elementary School (What a great school name!) in California
estimated 40,000 paper butterflies by drawing pictures of cubic feet to fit the measurements
of the butterflies, and then figuring out the number of butterflies from there: "We
think we have found the answer to your question 'How many butterflies in a space
this big 120 inches by 120 inches by 12 inches?' You said that there were 400 butterflies
in 1 cubic foot. Then we drew a picture of 1 cubic foot. Then we drew another square,
and labeled it in inches 120 x 120 inches. We then changed the inches into feet which
there was 10 feet in 120 inches.The box was 1 foot deep. Altogether there was 100
cubic feet in the square. Since there was 400 butterflies in one cubic foot you have
to times 10 x 400 because which squares 40,000. The answer is 40,000 butterflies
in the room."
Mr. Phillips's Third Grade Class from Kanawha School in Davisville, West Virginia
also calculated 40,000 butterflies, but they figured it out by using the clues in
a slightly different way: "We think that the number of paper butterflies is
about 40,000. We first used some wooden blocks to help figure out how many feet of
butterflies there are in the picture. Then we used calculators and counted by 400's
to figure it out. It was a real challenge to figure it out."
Discussion of Challenge Question #12
In Challenge Question # 12 we asked you: "Exactly how many days, hours and minutes
do you think it will take the butterflies to reach the front door of the Museo del
Nino in Mexico City?"
Those of you who "tracked" the butterflies on the UPS WWW site know that
the butterflies arrived in Mexico City on 11/5/98 at 1:34 p.m., just 2 days, 20 hours
and 39 minutes after they left the Journey North office!
The Fifth grade students from St. Veronica School in Philadelphia, PA came very close
with their estimate: "We think that the trip will take exactly 2 days, 17 hours
and 55 minutes."
Nice Job!
Thanks to all classes who submitted their answers to the Challenge Questions. Many
of you submitted very close estimates, and we're sorry we don't have space to list
them all. You can see all of the answers by going to:
Send Your Thanks to UPS
It's a long way from Minnesota to Mexico but, thanks to UPS, all your tens of thousands
of butterflies received a free ride. We encourage you to please write and thank UPS
directly. Without Mr. Jim Meyer, CEO of UPS Minnesota, this would not have been done!
Letters should be addressed and sent to:
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Mr. Jim Meyer
District Manager
United Parcel Service
3312 Broadway Street N.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55413
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Symbolic Migration Passenger List
If you haven't already done so, please carefully check for your school's name on
the Symbolic Migration Passenger List:
PLEASE DON'T PANIC
If you sent butterflies to Mexico and you do not find your name on the
list, please don't be alarmed. Simply send an E-mail to Journey North and let us
know: our feedback form
(Please include your full name and address, and the number of butterflies you sent.)
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question:
- Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-monarch@learner.org
- In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #13
- In the body of the message, answer the question above.
See You in February
When Journey North begins in 1999, we'll introduce you to some of the children caring
for your butterflies, and we'll visit their mountain homes in Michoacan.
The Next Symbolic Monarch Migration Update Will be Posted When Journey North Begins
in February 1999!
Copyright 1998 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form
