Five monarch caterpillars went on a field trip to my daughter’s elementary school today as part of Read Across America.

I volunteered to read one of my daughter’s favorite caterpillar books, “The Impatient Caterpillar.” I took the caterpillars as a show and tell, if you will, to educate them about their life cycle.

I love the curosity of young minds. The pure excitement of learning something new. For some, they were seeing a monarch caterpillar for the first time. While others have seen them in nature. A highlight for me were the students in her kindergarten class who were eager to share what they had learned the prior year. (I placed milkweed plants in the garden, and after the female butterfly laid eggs, the plant went in an enclosure and brought to her class where they experienced first hand the life cycle.)

Nature is incredible, but educating the young minds is even more beautiful.

So needless to say, I may have promised I would bring in a few caterpillars from the garden that her class would too be able to witness. I have a hard time saying no to the gift of knowledge.