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Observing a Metamorphosis

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Over the last few weeks, our tamariki at BestStart Montessori Otumoetai got to observe a complete transformation of an egg to a butterfly. Our teacher set up a station to observe the eggs, with a magnifying glass and books on caterpillars and butterflies. Children would come in every morning and observe the changes. Some children were aware of the process but for some children it was a complete new experience. The children were very captivated with the changes they observed leading to a lot of questions and answers, heaps of explanation and referring to the books to learn more about them. It was a slow and long process, but it kept our children interested on them each day. The children’s eyes lit up to see the transformation of the hanging caterpillar to a chrysalis, then they kept intently observing the changes in the chrysalis until one day it turned into a butterfly and flew away.

Throughout this process our children showed understanding of empathy, increased vocabulary as they verbalised their experiences and shared their previous knowledge and made sense of their natural world.

The Montessori Philosophy emphasizes immersion in nature in order to assist in the development of the whole child. “The land is where our roots are,” she wrote. “The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.”