My Grade 2 class was doing a special project in which they raised butterflies from caterpillars. The students and I watched the insects in our classroom aquarium as they attached themselves to the lid, each forming a chrysalis. Within a week they began to emerge, wet an crumpled. The kids watched in fascination as the wings began to straighten, and with careful fanning, the butterflies dried themselves.
About three days after hatching, the insects began to fly. One
little boy in particular, who had been watching carefully each day, saw
this and excitedly announced, "They're flying!"
"Of course
they're flying!" a little girl in the class replied, rolling her eyes.
"They're called 'butterflies.' If they didn't fly, they'd just be
butter!"
