For the past six years, teacher CJ Blau has brought science to life for her kindergarten students using a simple tool: caterpillars. The lesson, which culminates with the kids freeing the transformed butterflies, allows them to see the life cycle play out in front of their eyes, and "there's nothing more valuable than that," she said.
But with budgets tight, the 29-year-old teacher at Ilalko Elementary School has occasionally had to pay the $80 for the insects herself. That's been the case the past couple of years, as the Auburn School District's budget has decreased.
This year, Blau is hoping to get the money from a new Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation project that's funneling half a million dollars directly into classrooms across King County.
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