Closing Notes from the Symbolic Migration Volunteer Project Coordinator 2023-2024
Symbolic Migration Project comes to a close for the 2023-2024 academic season.
Greetings,
The monarch butterflies are on the move! Real monarchs are already making their way north from Mexico, with sightings popping up in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. If you spot one, don’t forget to report it on Journey North.
And guess what? The symbolic monarchs are also taking “flight”! As of March 16, all Spring Return Envelopes have been sent out via the U.S. Postal Service. Keep an eye out for yours—it should be arriving soon!
Exciting news! You’ll also be getting emails from groups across Canada and the USA, letting you know when one of the life-sized butterflies created by your students “lands” at their location. Don’t forget to reach out to the teachers or leaders listed on the butterflies you receive. The students are super excited to hear where their butterflies have traveled!
The Symbolic Monarch Migration Project is a wonderful project that mimics the real monarch migration. In the fall, monarchs from Canada and the USA head down to Mexico for the winter. When spring arrives, they start their journey north. But here’s the twist: while the real monarchs are unlikely to make a return journey all the way back to Canada and the northern US states, our Symbolic Monarchs do not need to confirm to real monarch biology. Symbolic Monarchs can fly over the Rocky Mountains, head into Canada, and some even make it across the oceans to India!
Wondering what to do with the symbolic monarchs you receive? One creative teacher in Texas shared a photo with us. She used a map and stickers from Amazon to make a fun project:
- Monarch Butterfly 1/2” (0.5”) Planner Calendar Scrapbooking Crafting Stickers – Opaque
- Laminated 24x28 Poster: Political Map - North America Political Wall Map
Got more ideas? We’d love to hear them! Share your creative projects with us: symbolic-migration@eealliance.org.
Happy monarch watching!
Susan
Susan Meyers
The Symbolic Monarch Migration is a project of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum) and Monarchs Across Georgia (a committee of the nonprofit organization, the Environmental Education Alliance). Journey North manages the interactive Symbolic Monarch Migration Participant Maps and hosts educational materials on its website. Monarchs Across Georgia administers the project including coordinating the exchange of symbolic butterflies among 2000+ classrooms in three countries, engaging a contract worker to provide lessons and deliver materials in Mexico, and raising funds for the project’s continuation.
Consider a donation to the Symbolic Monarch Migration and/or the Mexico Book Project.
The Monarch Butterfly Fund supports, through their Small Grant Program, our “Beyond the Mexico Book Project” providing funding for books and environmental education efforts in the schools surrounding the Mexican monarch sanctuaries.
