“Mariana Becomes a Butterfly”
Allie RaymondAbby McAbee
About Mariana• lives in the Dominican Republic• has a Papa and a Tia Leti• favorite plant is Ohelo berry plant• loves butterflies
Mariana’s Problem• favorite plant, Ohelo, is not growing• berries are in seeds• insects pollinate seeds• seeds aren’t getting pollinated-
why??
Why Don’t Bugs Come?• Ohelo is from Hawaii• not shaped like D.R. plants• bugs can’t get the pollen out
What Mariana Does• watches her garden for insects• records in her journal pictures and
words• sees no insects visiting Ohelo• What can she do??
Solutions• bring insects from another country• use a puff ball to transfer pollen• make her own pollinator
What She Chooses• insects can harm other plants and
people• puff ball is too big• So…. she makes her own!!
What Kids Learn• Science- what is an engineer? pollination scientific process pesticides butterfly life cycle• culture- Domincan Republic Spanish words
Critique• Age: 2nd and 3rd • liked this activity for younger
elementary students• directions not clear, though• lots of information in the book for
age level• activity is fun and engaging
Our Experiment
What We did• made a hand pollinator• tested aluminum foil and pipe
cleaners• pipe cleaner worked much better• why? – furry like insects legs– thinner– picks up pollen easier– less pollen falls off