Habitat Quest

Explore the types of homes animals live in near water.  Walk to a nearby park or natural area, noticing small waterways, puddles, saturated ground created by rain. Collect materials (rocks, sticks, mud, grass) to build aquatic animal habitats. Discuss how animals might use the materials you are finding to create a home.  During your exploration, discuss tools that make your exploration easier--appropriate shoes, long pants, small  bags, bug spray, sticks and basic safety measures: bug spray, adult proximity.

Inquiry questions to encourage further student investigation

• Where did this water come from?
• Do you think there are animals that visit this water when no people are looking?
• Who might find a drink here?
• Is this a good place for a person to drink?
• How could this water protect an animal?
• What animals could live IN this water?
• What animals could not live in this water but could live near it?

Take Home Aquatic Habitat Set
Water 
Blue felt cut to shape of pond, lake or river 
Beaver and Dam 
Beaver-Small rock, paint it brown and add  details with marker 
Habitat-Use items collected in habitat quest--sticks, mud, grass and recycled egg  cartons to build beaver dams. Frogs and Lilly Pads 
Frog: Small green pom pom 
Habitat: Cut out lillypad shape and glue on  bit of white tissue for lillypad flower. 
Turtle Shells 
Turtle: Recycled egg carton, glue green tissue on and use  green pipecleaners for legs, head and tail--prepoke holes  for smaller children 
Rabbit Burrow 
Rabbit:  Cotton ball with pipe cleaner ears 
Habitat: Part of a toilet paper roll. 
Duck Nests 
Duck:  Small yellow pom pom Grass and mud to form nest

Songs
Beaver Call
Beaver One, Beaver All
Lets all do the Beaver call F F F F F F F F F F F F F
Beaver three, beaver four
Lets knock on the Beaver Door F F F F F F F F F F F F F
Beaver five, beaver six
Lets all pick up beaver sticks F F F F F F F F F F F F F
Beaver seven, beaver eight
Lets swim through the beaver gate F F F F F F F F F F F F F
Beaver nine STOP
Its Beaver Time Naaaaa na na na  Na-na  Na-Na... Naaaaa na na na  Na-na  Na-Na

The Tired Turtle
(I’ve been working on the railroad)
I’ve been crawling through the mud,
All the whole day long,
I’ve been crawling through the mud,
Just listen to my song
Oh, my house is getting heavy,
My legs are tired and sore,
I am moving very slowly
I can’t crawl anymore.

I’m getting closer to the water
All the whole day through
I’m getting closer to the water
where I can freely move
I’ll swim so fast you’ll hardly see me
and dive and eat and breathe
Oh the pond is where I’d really really love to be

Little Froggy
(I’m a Little Teapot)
See the little froggy, swimming in the pool
The water’s great, It’s nice and cool
when he gets all cleaned up, Out he’ll pop
Squeaky clean from bottom to top.

See the little froggy, On the lilly pad
trying to catch flies, she’s getting sad.
When she catches one, she’ll gobble it up
Back in the water she’ll go kerplop!"

Ten Little froggies
One little froggy goes hop
Along comes another and they just can’t stop, soooo

Two little froggies go hop, hop
Along comes another and they just can’t stop, soooo

(Could use large felt lilly pads to hop in a circle)