Wisdom Seed: Interconnectedness

Welcome to the OAG Wisdom Seed, Interconnectedness. Click the items below to explore the content for this Wisdom Seed.

Caregiver Letter
Interconnectedness devotion

Group 1 (3yr-5yr)

  • Monarch butterflies begin their lives as small caterpillars. On their journey to become butterflies, they form a chrysalis. When they are ready to break out of their chrysalis, monarch butterflies have to push and wiggle their bodies for a long time. This hard work helps their wings grow strong enough to fly. To learn more about the time monarchs spend in their chrysalis, visit: How Long Do Monarch Butterflies Stay In Their Chrysalis

  • The monarch butterfly has to wiggle and push for a long time to break out of its chrysalis. What is something that took you a long time to learn but you didn’t give up? How do you think it feels for a butterfly to wiggle and push until it is strong enough to fly? 

  • Each day, take time to practice one thing that feels tricky for you. This could be riding a bike, tying your shoes, or anything you want to learn how to do. When it feels hard, imagine you're a monarch butterfly pushing out of its chrysalis and keep trying. 

  • Click to access Perseverance Psychoeducation Content

  • Click to access the Group 1 Lesson Plan

Group 2 (6yr-8yr)

  • Every year, monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles to and from places like the East Coast all the way to the mountains of Mexico. Their journey is long and full of challenges like strong winds, storms, and predators. Because their wildflower habitats are disappearing, they only have a few safe places to rest while on their journey. Even with all these hard challenges and obstacles, monarchs keep going until they’ve reached their winter homes. To learn more about monarch butterfly migration, visit: Monarch Butterfly Migration.

  • Imagine you were a monarch butterfly flying thousands of miles. What would help you keep flying when the journey gets tough? Can you think of a time when you kept trying your best, even when it took a long time? 

  • Monarch butterflies remind us how far we can go with perseverance. Sadly, there are less monarchs than there should be because of habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides. Planting a pollinator garden is a great way to help them. Native flowers and plants like milkweed can help monarch butterflies have a safe place to eat and rest, especially while on their long journey to Mexico. No garden is too small, even a small planter makes a difference! 

  • Click to access Perseverance Psychoeducation Content

  • Click to access the Group 2 Lesson Plan

Group 3 (9yr-12yr) 

  • Sea turtles travel thousands of miles across the ocean to return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs. This is called their nesting beach. They experience many obstacles while on their journey such as warmer sea temperatures, plastic pollution floating in water, and fishing nets that can trap them. Even when the path is hard or dangerous, sea turtles keep swimming, navigating, and trying again until they reach their nesting beaches. To learn more about sea turtles and their journey home, visit: Sea Turtles Travel Home

  • Can you think of how much plastic you use in a single day? This can include water and soda bottles, plastic straws, plastic shopping bags, and other items. How do you think your use of plastic can hurt sea turtles? 

  • Track how much plastic waste you produce each day for one week. Write down or make a tally mark for every piece of plastic you use. At the end of the week, look back at your results. Were you surprised by how much plastic you used? Did you notice any ways you could use less plastic? Try tracking your plastic use for one more week and see if you can create less plastic waste. Even small changes can help protect sea turtles and help them get back home.

  • Click to access Perseverance Psychoeducation Content

  • Click to access the Group 3 Lesson Plan