EC blog April 17, 2012
First Impressions
How do you
feel about bats? Do you find them scary or weird? What about spiders? Do they
give you the “creepy crawlies”? People often have misconceptions about wildlife
based on inaccurate stereotypes. While bats, spiders and other “scary” wildlife
may not be cute and cuddly, they are important contributors to healthy
ecosystems. Scary doesn’t mean bad!
Create three different circles on your classroom floor or outside in the
schoolyard. Make the circles big enough for several students to stand in at
once. Ideas for circles are hula hoops, length of rope etc. Label each circle:
one with a smiley face, one with a frown, and one with an unsure face (straight
mouth). Show children pictures of different “scary” animals. Ask them how the
animal make them feel. Tell them to stand in the circle that represents how
that animal makes them feel. Why does it make them feel that way? Have they
ever seen this animal in real life? Go
through several animal pictures, discussing each one as you go. Make a chart
and record the children’s reactions to the different animals as a class.
As a class pick one or more of the animals to explore further. Read
books, take a walk to find them in nature, or even have a County Conservation
Board Naturalist bring an animal or activity to your class. Learn all you can
about the animal and how it contributes to a healthy ecosystem. After children
have learned more about their animal(s) repeat the circle test again. Have
anyone’s feelings changed? Why or why not?
Did your students enjoy exploring “scary” animals? Why not host a
“Misunderstood Animals Week” and share your findings with the rest of your
school and parents? Children could make posters or think of other ways to share
their findings!
For this and other activities, crafts and snack ideas use Growing Up WILD’s “First Impressions”.
Book
List
Arnosky, J. 2009. Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles.
Boutiller, J. 2005. Pigs Aren't Dirty, Bears Aren't Slow: And Other
Truths about Misunderstood Animals. Annick Press, Limited.
Burns, D. and L. Garrow. Frogs, Toads, and Turtles (Take-Along
Guide). NorthWord Books for Young Readers.
Cannon, J. 1993. Stellaluna. Harcourt Children's Books.
Cronin, D. and H. Bliss. 2005. Diary of a Spider. HarperCollins
Publishers.
DK Publishing. 2007. Backyard Bugs. DK Publishing, Inc.
Dorros, A. 1988. Ant Cities (Let's Read and Find Out Science2). HarperCollins
Publishers.
Earle, A. 1995. Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats. HarperTrophy.
Fredericks, A.D. 2001. Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs and Other Ughs.
Dawn Publications.
Fredericks, A.D. 2006. On One
Flower: Butterflies, Ticks and a Few More Icks. Dawn Publications.
Graham, M. B. 1967. Be Nice to Spiders. HarperCollins Publishers.
Gibbons, G. 2000. Bats. Holiday House.
McDermott, G. 1987. Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti. Henry
Holt & Company, Inc.
Milton, J. 1994. Bats and Other Animals of the Night. Random
House, Incorporated.
Monks, L. 2007. Aaaarrgghh! Spider! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Pallotta, J. and R. Masiello. 1990. The Icky Bug Alphabet. Charlesbridge
Publishing, Inc.
Pallotta, J. and R. Massiello. 1989. The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book.
Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Priddy, R. and J. Rigg. 2004. I Love Animals: Wild, Scary, Cute or Cuddly,
We Love Them All. St. Martin's Press.
Pringle, L., and M. Henderson. 2000.0Bats!:
Strange and Wonderful. Boyd Mills Press.
Sill, C. 2003. About Arachnids: A Guide for Children. Peachtree
Publishers.
Simon, S. 1987. Animal Fact, Animal Fable. Random House
Children's Books.
Simon, S. 1994. Snakes. HarperCollins Publishers.
Waldrop, V.H., D. Anker, and E.B. Blizard. 1988. Unhuggables: The
Truth about Snakes, Slugs, Skunks, Spiders, and Other Animals That Are Hard to
Love. National Wildlife Federation.
Links:
Bats Live: A Distance Learning Adventure
10 scary animals that are totally harmless
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