<p>Bright Star Montessori Academy got into the spirit of Earth Day last Friday by planting a flower garden for the budding butterflies that the children are so carefully nurturing in Walnut.</p>
<p>The youngsters have been coddling caterpillars, waiting patiently for the bright, beautiful butterflies to emerge from their cottony cocoons.</p>
<p>”We wanted them to become involved in Earth Day,” explained director Tina Garcia. “So we thought showing them where butterflies come from would spark their interest.”</p>
<p>As indeed it has, the kids enjoy singing a butterfly song as well as creating crafts that celebrate the beauty and wonder of these singular creatures.</p>
<p>Garcia said the 2- to 6-year-olds all suggested ideas for nurturing our planet.</p>
<p>”Four-year-old Chloe thinks we need more trees and flowers, while Leiah, 4, hopes people will pick up their trash instead of throwing it in the parks,” Garcia said. “Thomas, 4, believes we need to recycle more, while classmate Joseph wants to plant more gardens.”</p>
<p>While they wait for the butterflies to burst from their cocoons, the school decided it better build a flower garden to feed the colorful creatures.</p>
<p>”We had 25 parents bring flowers to plant in our back yard. Some started with seeds, others with potted plants,” noted owner Lydia Xie. “Everyone worked hard to build our new flower garden.”</p>
<p>— Richard Irwin SGVN twitter.com/richirwinsgvn</p>
