Animal research & Russell Woods field trip

This week we discussed different ways we can research our animals including: the internet, apps on the ipad, nature (Russell Woods), books, experts, and videos/documentaries. We have started using some of these methods and will continue to do so in the next couple of weeks. I went to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife in Xenia and got an education trunk full of Ohio animal pelts for us to observe.  There were many different pelts for us to observe including a coyote, squirrel, skunk, raccoon, otter, bear fur, deer fur, fox, rabbit, possum, beaver, bob cat. I showed them each pelt and we tried to figure out which Ohio animal it might be based on the features of the pelt such as fur, tail, etc.

For our animal inquiry projects Mrs. George is working with the snake and rabbit groups and I am working with the fox and deer groups. We met with our groups this week and asked them what they wanted to learn about their animals, how they wanted to document what they learned, and how they wanted to share their learning with others. We also looked at books and field guides to find some of the information about their animals. Once we met and discussed some of these things they gave one fact they learned about that animal and then documented that fact in their exploration journals. The groups also got to observe more closely their animals' pelt and why they had specific features. 

The children have continued to enjoy exploring animals during our "I Wonder" time. While we were watching our webcams to look for animals, a man came on and was adding more food for the animals. They thought it was so cool that they saw a person and got to watch him add more food! Below is also a picture of Shelby making an animal habitat in the engineering area and some friends observing the animal pelts more closely. Miley and Leeland were discussing how the fox pelt had whiskers and they were amazed by it!

On Wednesday we took our field trip to Russell Woods and besides a little bit of rain at the beginning, we had great weather! It wasn't too chilly and there wasn't any rain once we got into the woods. It was a little muddy but the children really enjoyed looking for animals and signs that there were animals there. Here are some of the pictures from our trip.

We had a scavenger hunt paper and we were looking for animals, their homes, or things that might show that they had been there like tracks, chewed bark/leaves, droppings, etc.

Before we even went into the woods we found a big hole in a tree and we talked about what animals might live in it such as squirrels, birds, raccoons, and possums. We found a lot of trees that were knocked over as well which we discussed might also be a home for other animals.

We also saw lots of birds nests in the trees since the leaves were all gone. We even saw a hole that was dug in the ground that the kids were convinced was from a snake!

We saw what looked like the remains of a bird from feathers to some blood and even bones. We saw chewed bark, animal droppings, chewed leaves, some chewed nuts, and even some deer tracks! These all showed us that animals had been there!

Some groups saw a couple birds and worms but the kids were very disappointed that we didn't see any deer, fox, rabbits, or snakes since they are learning about them. We discussed that it was probably because we were too loud and scared them away! The kids also really enjoyed the tree in the picture below. They thought it was so cool that it had carvings in it, even though it obviously wasn't done by animals!

After we got back we documented one thing that we saw on our nature hike at Russell Woods. Here are two documentations that labeled, 'I see nest.' and "I see spider.". There were many things for them to choose from when they were documenting what they saw.

We also started reading Charlie and the Chocolate factory this week. The kids seem to really enjoy it so far and when I asked them if they wanted to watch the movie when we were finished just like we did with Charlotte's Web, they seemed really excited! Now we just have to hurry to try and finish it before break!

Have a great week and stay warm!

Mrs. Brittany Garrabrant