The Forks

The Forks is an interesting place. Because the climate is so cold in the winter, they actually flood the plaza with water so everyone can ice skate!

Did you know the prairie is also found here in Western Canada? They have created many prairie gardens, just like the one we want to plant at Gale! Of course we will add many plants that are butterfly friendly...and some milkweed!

Migrating....again?

Hello from Winnipeg! I have migrated north, where the Monarchs are reproducing at the northern most point on their migration route! There is not nearly the amount of common milkweed in Winnipeg as in Illinois. We are so lucky to have all the milkweed that grows along the roadsides and near our farmers' fields!

This picture is near the downtown area called The Forks. It is called The Forks because two major rivers meet....and make a fork? The Red River and the Assiniboine River have flooded the city many times. They now have flood walls that hold back the water.

Begin and end with butterflies!

We began our year studying butterflies, it only seemed right to end our year by displaying all the butterflies that arrived in Illinois because of the symbolic migration supported by our friends at Journey North!

Symbolic Migration

Our paper monarchs migrated to Mexico this past winter. Now, the monarchs return to Illinois. Just like the real monarchs, the ones who have migrated do not return to us. Over 50 symbolic butterflies arrived in Illinois in May. Some came from as far away as Germany! We had one that came from our neighbor to the north, Canada. We also received a letter from a school teacher and a student who helped care for our butterflies. They were a little tough to understand because they were in Spanish! Luckily we had a college student helping in our room who was able to translate for us.

Pizza anyone?

We have a poster contest winner in our class! Her winnings? A pizza party for everyone! But before we can eat the pizza, we have a lesson from Miss Aggie. Remember, you can't have a day without agriculture!

Handmade tortillas

It was so interesting watching the food being prepared on the island of Pacanda without the help of modern conveniences.

A volcanic stone is used to create the dough for the tortillas. Once a ball of dough is made, another woman uses a hand operated machine to make the tortilla and place it on the hot grill. Two other women watch as the tortillas cook, and once done place them in a covered basket. They all looked so perfect!

The tortillas became our spoon, fork and napkin! We had no utensils at all, and had to scoop our food using the tortillas! Now that is truly a good use of materials!

Handmade tamales

These tamales were handmade by the women who cooked for our group at the school. They worked from a large washtub that was filled with a mixture. They patted the mixture into balls and wrapped each in a corn leaf. All the tamales were placed in a large pot that was placed over an open fire. After they were cooked, the women scooped the tamales from the pot with their bare hands!