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Mrs. Carter's Butterfly Garden: I Wonder Why
Inform and inspire young naturalists with this book about a very special butterfly garden. Mrs. Carter’s Butterfly Garden is the story of how former First Lady Rosalynn Carter started a front yard project that grew into a butterfly-friendly trail through her hometown of Plains, Georgia. Learn from Mrs. Carter’s example why it’s good for people when butterflies have welcoming spaces and how kids can create their own butterfly gardens at home or school.
32 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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November 4, 2019Summary:
Mrs. Carter was the first lady of the state of Georgia as well as of the United States; however, there are some really cool things that not everyone knows about the wife of former president Jimmy Carter! For example, did you know she has her own butterfly garden? Out it Plains, Georgia, Mrs. Carter has created a safe haven for butterflies in which they may eat, go through metamorphosis, and lay eggs of their own! This book describes Mrs. Carter’s background and love for flowers and gardens as well as her journey to becoming the owner of her own butterfly garden. In addition, this book exposes kids to scientifically accurate information about the life cycle and survival of butterflies. It talks to young readers about what butterflies eat, where they live, and even the lifecycle of a butterfly from it’s early start as an egg and then a caterpillar. In addition, it also talks to young readers about the concept of migration.
Evaluation:
This book with it’s photographed images and rich historical and scientific information, is a must have for teachers in lower elementary classrooms as it discusses not only the life cycle of such a beautiful creature (hitting some lower grade science standards for elementary school) but it also teaches children historical information about our nation’s former first lady as well as the concept behind a governor and a president and what they do. It also exposes children to the non-fiction genre, with its mixture of biographical and scientific information, as well as different text structures. Finally, the inspirational story of the first lady who started her own garden to help nature’s creatures survive and flourish teaches and shows young readers that there is much they can do and that they are not limited and can accomplish anything with determination and hard work.
Teaching Idea:
This book would be a great introduction in a lower grade elementary classroom (K-2) to begin a life science unit on the life cycle of butterflies. The teacher could read aloud this book to the students and have a discussion with them about the different phases of a butterflies life cycle and what they need to survive. The teacher could then inform students that we are going to raise our own butterflies as a class over the next several weeks! Students may also be provided an opportunity to listen to other books about butterflies, write and draw about butterflies, create their own journals or booklets for the unit, and explore and observe caterpillars as well as observe their habitat and the food that they eat first hand. Students will learn about all that they will need to build their own butterfly garden and will contribute to building a small butterfly garden in the school’s courtyard. Students will help build the garden and will write about their experiences, also recording data as they watch the butterflies live and grow (how long did each caterpillar take to become a butterfly, etc.). Students will experience a miniature version of what it was like for Mrs. Carter to build a butterfly garden by building one of their very own! (Students will also learn about and explore the different species of butterflies in Georgia).
Mrs. Carter was the first lady of the state of Georgia as well as of the United States; however, there are some really cool things that not everyone knows about the wife of former president Jimmy Carter! For example, did you know she has her own butterfly garden? Out it Plains, Georgia, Mrs. Carter has created a safe haven for butterflies in which they may eat, go through metamorphosis, and lay eggs of their own! This book describes Mrs. Carter’s background and love for flowers and gardens as well as her journey to becoming the owner of her own butterfly garden. In addition, this book exposes kids to scientifically accurate information about the life cycle and survival of butterflies. It talks to young readers about what butterflies eat, where they live, and even the lifecycle of a butterfly from it’s early start as an egg and then a caterpillar. In addition, it also talks to young readers about the concept of migration.
Evaluation:
This book with it’s photographed images and rich historical and scientific information, is a must have for teachers in lower elementary classrooms as it discusses not only the life cycle of such a beautiful creature (hitting some lower grade science standards for elementary school) but it also teaches children historical information about our nation’s former first lady as well as the concept behind a governor and a president and what they do. It also exposes children to the non-fiction genre, with its mixture of biographical and scientific information, as well as different text structures. Finally, the inspirational story of the first lady who started her own garden to help nature’s creatures survive and flourish teaches and shows young readers that there is much they can do and that they are not limited and can accomplish anything with determination and hard work.
Teaching Idea:
This book would be a great introduction in a lower grade elementary classroom (K-2) to begin a life science unit on the life cycle of butterflies. The teacher could read aloud this book to the students and have a discussion with them about the different phases of a butterflies life cycle and what they need to survive. The teacher could then inform students that we are going to raise our own butterflies as a class over the next several weeks! Students may also be provided an opportunity to listen to other books about butterflies, write and draw about butterflies, create their own journals or booklets for the unit, and explore and observe caterpillars as well as observe their habitat and the food that they eat first hand. Students will learn about all that they will need to build their own butterfly garden and will contribute to building a small butterfly garden in the school’s courtyard. Students will help build the garden and will write about their experiences, also recording data as they watch the butterflies live and grow (how long did each caterpillar take to become a butterfly, etc.). Students will experience a miniature version of what it was like for Mrs. Carter to build a butterfly garden by building one of their very own! (Students will also learn about and explore the different species of butterflies in Georgia).
December 3, 2019
SUMMARY-This book is about First Lady Rosalynn Carter and her passion to save monarch butterflies. In Plains, Georgia, Mrs. Carter learned about the decreasing monarch butterfly population and the threat of their migration from North America to Mexico. In order to help build up the monarch population, Mrs. Carter planted a garden of flowers that attract the butterflies. Then, she started an initiative in the city to plant more gardens to make a giant habit for monarchs on their journey south. Read to find out the impact of Mrs. Carter’s first flower garden had and what it has turned into now.
EVALUATION-This book has a really neat, true story. What I really liked about it was that it was about something that happened local to me as a reader. It made the book much more impactful to me.
TEACHING POINT-I would use this book in a Georgia’s studies unit to talk about some great things happening in Georgia.
EVALUATION-This book has a really neat, true story. What I really liked about it was that it was about something that happened local to me as a reader. It made the book much more impactful to me.
TEACHING POINT-I would use this book in a Georgia’s studies unit to talk about some great things happening in Georgia.
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December 4, 2018Summary:
This book is about how Mrs. Carter decided to create a butterfly garden at her house. This book goes through the whole process on how she recruited Steve Rich to come and help her and how they picked out the plants and such that would be in the garden. It also goes into how they knew that these certain plants would attract the types of butterflies that they wanted in the garden.
Evaluation:
Overall, this book was very informative. It talked in a simplistic level to where the children can understand, especially if it was read aloud to them. The pictures are very interesting, and it is great because it is an insider view on how this garden came to be.
Teacher Tip:
I would use this book to help teach children about the life cycle of a butterfly, and different things they eat. I would read it aloud in the classroom and then afterwards construct a diagram aloud with the students.
This book is about how Mrs. Carter decided to create a butterfly garden at her house. This book goes through the whole process on how she recruited Steve Rich to come and help her and how they picked out the plants and such that would be in the garden. It also goes into how they knew that these certain plants would attract the types of butterflies that they wanted in the garden.
Evaluation:
Overall, this book was very informative. It talked in a simplistic level to where the children can understand, especially if it was read aloud to them. The pictures are very interesting, and it is great because it is an insider view on how this garden came to be.
Teacher Tip:
I would use this book to help teach children about the life cycle of a butterfly, and different things they eat. I would read it aloud in the classroom and then afterwards construct a diagram aloud with the students.
November 20, 2019
Summary:
This is a book about a butterfly garden created by First Lady Rosalyn Carter. It encourages students to create their own gardens and why they are important. It also gives them steps in order to accomplish that.
Evaluation:
This book was ok. I did not think it was super engaging and thus I worry how interested my students would be in it. It is however as a whole beautifully written and culturally relevant to where I currently live.
Teaching Idea:
If students were taking a field trip to a butterfly center then this would be a good book to read. It would also go along well with studies of presidents and what each one and his family accomplished.
This is a book about a butterfly garden created by First Lady Rosalyn Carter. It encourages students to create their own gardens and why they are important. It also gives them steps in order to accomplish that.
Evaluation:
This book was ok. I did not think it was super engaging and thus I worry how interested my students would be in it. It is however as a whole beautifully written and culturally relevant to where I currently live.
Teaching Idea:
If students were taking a field trip to a butterfly center then this would be a good book to read. It would also go along well with studies of presidents and what each one and his family accomplished.
October 16, 2017
This story is about former first lady Evelynn Carter who started a garden in her hometown that attracted many butterflies along the way. It was an ok book overall in my opinion telling the story about this garden and how the butterflies ended up meaning so much. I did really enjoy the illustrations throughout the book.
December 5, 2018
Summary
This book looks into how Mrs. Carter created a butterfly garden that expanded to include all of Plains, Georgia.
Reaction
This was a great book for teaching about butterflies. I liked that it had ties to a U.S First Lady and was local to the state, giving it even more significance while teaching about a scientific topic.
Lesson
I would use this book when teaching about monarch butterflies. After reading this book to students I would teach about the life cycle of butterflies and the migration patterns of Monarchs. I would also try to have students plant milk weed to create their own butterfly garden at school.
This book looks into how Mrs. Carter created a butterfly garden that expanded to include all of Plains, Georgia.
Reaction
This was a great book for teaching about butterflies. I liked that it had ties to a U.S First Lady and was local to the state, giving it even more significance while teaching about a scientific topic.
Lesson
I would use this book when teaching about monarch butterflies. After reading this book to students I would teach about the life cycle of butterflies and the migration patterns of Monarchs. I would also try to have students plant milk weed to create their own butterfly garden at school.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews