PLAINS — The staff of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (JCNHS) announces its involvement with the new Spread Your Wings program. This program is geared toward second-grade students in surrounding counties and encourages them to not only Explore their America by visiting the JCNHS, but to use the outdoors as an alternative classroom.

The Spread Your Wings program is divided into three separate experiences. These are (1) the pre-visit, (2) the class field trip to the JCNHS, and (3) a post-site activity. Through these separate experiences, students are given the opportunity to connect with nature as well as former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s life. The students not only learned about the life stages of butterflies, a Georgia state curriculum for second graders, but they were taught about the lasting impact Carter had on butterfly populations as a result of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail. Ranger-led classroom activities and discussions, along with a reading from the book The Butterfly (which the students are allowed to keep for their in-class library) also allowed the students to make the connection between the life cycle of a butterfly and the morphing of Mrs. Carter’s from a young girl in a rural community to the First Lady of the United States.

The staff of JCNHS looks forward to continuing the program and further engaging with the students as they visit the site and continue to explore nature, the life of Rosalynn Carter, and their America. This project was made possible by a grant from the National Park Foundation through the generous support of DISNEY and Subaru.

Please be sure to check for upcoming events at www.nps.gov/jica. Also, join the online community by following us on Facebook at Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Twitter at @JimmyCarterNHS1, and Instagram at jimmycarternps. For school field trip information and reservations, visit www.jimmycarter.info or call the site at 229-824-4104.