Over a dozens preschool students in the Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) Kindergarten Kickstart program took a tour through the Pollinator Park on North Broadway, each student was outfitted with an umbrella.

The tour was led by volunteer and pollinator park organizer Deb Steinberg, who told the students about the importance of pollinating plants. The pollinator park tour is an annual tradition for Kindergarten Kickstart program. Each year, in late July the students in the program visit the pollinator park, but this year’s visit coincided with a thunderstorm.

The first fifteen minutes of the class took place on the school bus outside of the rain. Steinberg brought the pollinator plants to the students, bringing milkweed plants onto the bus. The plants had monarch eggs growing on the leaves.

The kids were able to learn the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly. Monarch caterpillars grow up on milkweed; it is the only thing they eat. Steinberg explained that eventually the caterpillars get big enough to form a chrysalis and eventually develop into a monarch butterfly after a month.

Kindergarten Kickstart student Sullivan Altmann examines a milkweed plant while waiting on the school bus for the rain to let up.

Once they become butterflies, the monarchs migrate to Mexico. Steinberg explained there is a lot working against the monarchs on their way to Mexico. Chemicals and lack of food are big obstacles. It takes a lot of energy to make the journey, that’s why growing pollinating plants like milkweed are so important.

After the short lesson, the class was able get off the bus and walk through the pollinator park. Steinberg pointed to the different types of pollinating plants along the paths. She explained the park had several walking trails that met up with the New Ulm bicycle trail. She encouraged the students to visit the park again on a non-rainy day.

Though the rain put a damper on this year’s visits, Steinberg said the rain this year head brought the park to life.

“This is the prettiest I’ve seen the park since we started it in 2016,” she said.

Lincoln Boomgarden (left) and other Kindergarten Kickstart watch the rain fall on the Pollinator Park from the safety of the school bus. Boomgarden and his fellow students were excited to explore the park rain or shine.

Pre-K student Vivian Guerra (left) followed by Greta Schugel hold tight to their umbrellas as follow the path through the North Broadway Pollinator Park.

ECFE teacher Eillen Bierk points out different pollinating plants to the Kindergarten Kickstart students as they tour the North Broadway park.