On Saturday 17th December 2016, Nature@Seletar Country Club was abuzzed with the exciting cries of children and their parents. They were running around interacting with butterflies.
This was a unique outreach activity organised by Lim Jit Leang and Janice Ang to get children familiar with butterflies.
For some strange reasons, many children and even some adults, panic when a butterfly flutters around them.
Can the reason be because they were told by their mothers that scales from butterfly wings can cause blindness LINK? This of course is an old wives’ tale!
A brief introduction to butterflies and caterpillar rearing not only got the kids interested but the adults as well. Soon, some overgrown “kids” tried to net butterflies.
The climax of this outreach program was when participants were allowed to “tar pow” (as in takeaway after a meal at a restaurant) caterpillars and plants for observations at home. For those not interested in live specimens, there were “balloon butterflies” by expert balloon artist, Cheng Khim to take home as souvenirs.
The children were advised to wear covered shoes least ants find their way to bite their feet. This did not materalise when one mother retorted: “Never mind, let them be bitten.” Nature in the raw indeed!
Lim Jit Leang & Janice Ang
Nature @ Seletar Country Club
17th December 2016
Video by Janica Ang; images by Janice Ang, Cher Hern and participating parents.
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