"Monarch Mentors" provides opportunities for nature enthusiasts to learn about: habitat restoration in order to re-establish healthy numbers of monarchs & pollinators and then to help educate the public to plant native milkweed species and nectar-rich plants. This seems the only way for the low monarch populations to return to previous healthy numbers.
Habitat. Habitat. Habitat.
Terrific resources for teachers:
These are appropriate for formal educators in classrooms -and- informal educators
working with civic groups such as scouts, 4H, adult garden clubs, etc.
Very thorough website for many items related to monarch biology,
milkweed propagation, migration, etc here: www.monarchwatch.org
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
Set aside a LOT of time to explore the Journey North website. It. Is. Wonderful.
This link shows a larger view of the monarch's annual cycle by months:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/graphics/monarch/annual_cycle_wheel.gif
Smart phone apps to assist classroom citizen science
Journey North mobile phone app:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/mobile/index.html
Bee Smart mobile phone app:
http://pollinator.org/beesmartapp.htm
Lost Lady Bug mobile phone app:
http://www.lostladybug.org/llp-app-1108.php
Monarch Lab
Resources
An excellent series of training videos for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project may be viewed for free at this link:
http://www.mlmp.org/Training/Videos.aspx
K-8 adaptable lesson plans involving monarchs in the classroom and the wonderful critters of the milkweed patch:
http://monarchlab.org/education-and-gardening/curricula
Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
MLMP website has a basic monarch life cycle Power Point of slides and transcript to print and read here:
http://www.mlmp.org/Resources/Presentations.aspx
http://www.mlmp.org/Resources/ppt/Monarch_Biology_notes.pdf
Monarch Conservation Talking Points here:
http://monarchjointventure.org/images/uploads/documents/MonCons_talking_points.pdf
Many multi-media press articles & links here:
http://monarchjointventure.org/resources/links/
Numerous helpful publications housed here:
http://monarchjointventure.org/resources/publications/
28-minute DVD tells the story of the monarch butterfly: its life cycle and migration, its connection to people, cultures and critical environmental issues. English/Spanish/French. Info here:
http://www.eirc.org/website/programs-services/global-connection/monarch-teacher-network/
Other
Resources
TONS of GREAT resources at this link from The Xerces Society:
http://www.xerces.org/citizen-science/
Yard Map link:
Lesson Plans:
http://www.americasheartland.org/education/teachers/004_buzzy_buzzy_bee.pdf
These are for Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis but could serve as ideas for other nature centers and classroom activities
Monarch Life Cycle and Migration 2011 by Ba Rea (10 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGmobCkApO0