It all started when a ladybug landed on a student’s hair bow.

It was then a Lafayette teacher reconsidered her rule against no classroom pets.

Lafayette Elementary School kindergarten teacher Kelly Hunter saw how curious the students became and wanted to make it a learning experience

“It was one of those opportunities I just wanted to build on,” Hunter said.

She normally had a no-pet policy for her classroom, but Hunter promptly ordered a batch of young ladybugs.

The kit came with ladybug larvae that needed care. The students helped water and feed the ladybugs into maturity.

Hunter incorporated science, language arts skills along with learning what it is like to take care of a pet.

“A lot of it is responsibility,” Hunter said.

In addition to learning about the life cycles, the students wrote in class journals what they learned.

“They really enjoyed talking with each other and writing about it,” Hunter said.

All ladybugs start out as tiny yellow eggs, which normally hatch within a week and become larvae. The larvae stage lasts from two to four weeks. Once the larvae stage is complete, they grow into a pupa for one more week before being ready for release.

The students enjoyed watching the insects mature in class for three weeks. Once the insects had reached adulthood, the students released all 10 ladybugs into the outdoors.

Hunter said the project is something she is considering for future kindergarten classes.