The “Beyond the Mexico” book project is forging on, providing books and environmental lessons to schoolchildren around the MBBR.
In Fall 2022 into 2023, schools in two major monarch sanctuary areas and surrounding areas participated. The project has been led by Estela Romero, working with Journey North’s Symbolic Migration, and supported by Monarchs Across Georgia. Ms. Romero visited 17 schools and reached over 500 students and teachers! In one elementary school, after a lesson on moths, children went outside to recognize numerous insects and discover evidence of them eating and breeding in this wild habitat, a hands-on example of learning about their surroundings and the importance of habitat conservation!
In November 2023 through March 2024, Ms Romero visited 39 schools and presented locally important environmental lessons on water to 1,200 students! As they looked through the big, colorful books, students from the Samuel Ramos Kindergarten exclaimed "Water is everywhere! So many things live in water and depend on it for life! We do not want to see garbage around our homes. We promise we will place garbage in the right place and tell our seniors to keep our neighborhoods clean and green as is!"
In Fall 2024 into 2025, Ms. Romero presented lessons on soil health drawn from two science books filled with colorful illustrations: Bajo Tus Pies: Suelo, Arena y Todo Lo Que Hay Bajo Tierra (Beneath Your Feet: Soil, Sand and Everything Underground) by Dr. Jackie Stroud, and Manos a la Tierra: Crea Tu Propio Jardín (Hands-On Gardening: Create Your Own Garden) by Kirsten Bradley. She also used the field guide, Plantas: Guia de Campo Monarca, Mexico Natura, by Dr. Ek del Val de Gortari to encourage conservation of native plants. Since beginning her school visits in the Macheros Community, Ms. Romero has reached over 100 students there with environmental lessons on soil.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, Monarchs Across Georgia purchased 45 copies of “Jardines para polinizadores: una herramienta para la conservación (Pollinator gardens: a tool for conservation),” and a poster, “Colibríes de México y Norteamérica (Hummingbirds of Mexico and North America),” to supplement the upcoming lesson on pollinators. These items will remain in the schools, adding to the schools’ teaching resources.
See more student testimonies on the Symbolic Monarch Migration website.
