Henry: He’s looking for a spot. He’s smelling it (referring to the caterpillar at the top of the net).
Teacher Jess: Do you think he is looking for the right spot to make his chrysalis?
Remy: Maybe he’s… maybe he is already making it.
Henry: Maybe he is. Hmmm, it is hard to tell because there are two whiskers on each side. Which one is the front and which one is… because there are two whiskers…
Teacher Jess: Do you have any ideas, Remy?
Remy: I think he is going to go in his house.
Henry: Which end is he going to stick it to?
Teacher Jess: Henry, I remember you reading a book with your daddy this morning about butterflies. Does that book tell us which end is the head and which end is the bottom on the caterpillar?
Henry: Hmmm, yeah. I wonder… (looking up toward the caterpillar with the magnifying glass). Maybe that part is the head and that part is the back (pointing first to the right and then to the left).
Remy: Or maybe that is the front and that is the back (pointing first to the left and then to the right).
Teacher Jess: I could take a picture of the caterpillar since he is up so high and we can take a closer look at the picture.
Henry: Allright!
Once the picture has been taken, Henry brings the book he read in the morning with his dad to the Living Garden to use as a reference book.
Teacher Jess: Do you think you can find the page about butterflies?
Henry: Okay. He flips through the book. Here it is. After studying the page, Henry exclaims: That’s the face part!
Teacher Jess: There is quite a bit of detail here but it doesn’t say for sure. Should we go back and compare it to our picture?
Remy: Yeah.
After comparing the photograph to the illustration in the book, Henry and Remy feel confident they can identify which end is the head. Henry’s hypothesis was correct.
Favorite books provide opportunities for children to investigate the hypotheses they develop based off of their observations and to satisfy their curiosity through research. Experiences like this help to build a disposition to learn. Research becomes a tool to support the “thrill of the chase” for knowledge. Even if the facts learned are forgotten, the thrill of discovery will hopefully be sustained by a love of learning. – Teacher Jess