onarchs in the Classroom began in 1991 when Karen Oberhauser brought 10 monarch larvae into her daughter Amy’s kindergarten classroom. Since then, it has grown to include a wide variety of materials and professional development opportunities for teachers throughout the US. Two groups of behind the scenes people work together in a unique partnership to make this program successful: classroom teachers and scientists committed to sharing their expertise with the K-12 community. All of our programs reflect this partnership, combining real science with techniques that work for teachers and students, and promoting classroom practices in which students learn science in ways that reflect the inquiry methods used by scientists to understand the natural world.

Why monarchs? Monarchs are familiar, well-loved insects that provide students and teachers with a comfortable, non-threatening experience with living organisms. Their easily-observed life cycle brings diverse and exciting science concepts to life, and their large size makes it easy for students to handle all life stages. Working with living organisms in the classroom engages students and allows them to practice observation, measuring, hypothesis-making and evaluating skills. Using monarchs is especially appealing because it captures the interest and attention of all students, not just those with an "aptitude for science."