Classroom Animals
Animals can be a wonderful resource to enhance learning and understanding in the classroom. Many children today have limited exposure to wildlife and animals. Having an animal in the classroom allows children to observe and study an animal first hand. It allows for the observation of animal life cycles, and behaviors. Classroom animals also teach students responsibility as they care for the needs of the animal. It teaches students to treat animals with respect, understand their needs and meet those needs.

Classroom animals must be chosen with care. Considerations:

-Safety of your students is first and foremost, chose an animal that is appropriate for the age-level of your students.

-Consider the needs of the animal and whether or not you and your class will be able to provide what the animal needs.

-Keep in mind the logistics of keeping a classroom animal. Is it an animal that can be left at school during weekends? What is the plan for holidays? Who is going to provide vet care if the need arises?

-Is there a permit required to obtain and/or keep your chosen animal? What are the regulations of your school district? (For example, in Iowa, you may collect and keep tadpoles and frogs if you have a valid fishing license. Research your state laws and regulations before you obtain any animal.)

Fish, frogs, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and small mammals are common classroom pets. Also consider ant farms, worm farms, and insects. Consider having an “observation” tank or aquarium that can house various animals through the year on a revolving basis. For example, use it to observe grasshoppers for a week in the fall, spiders during the winter, and tadpoles in the spring.

Links

Animals in the Classroom: An On-line Guide for Teachers

http://petsinclass.com/

Pets in the Classroom (offers grants to help pay for pet supplies for classroom pets)

http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/

Pet Smart: Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Pets

http://promotions.petsmart.com/landing/teachers-guide/

Back to School with Nature

It is that time of year again – back to school time! As children are picking out new backpacks and sneakers teachers are preparing themselves and their classrooms for another year filled with growing and learning.

This year, as you are preparing your classroom for the new school year, try to incorporate nature into the overall design and layout of your room. There are many ways that you can create a nature-themed classroom.

Classroom Design

Choose a nature-theme for your classroom and incorporate in throughout. Your theme can change as the seasons change. Or your theme can simply be “nature” and incorporate nature in various forms throughout your classroom. Use it for bulletin boards, newsletters home, nametags for students, and cubby spaces. Base centers on nature, encourage students to share stories, objects and/or pictures based on nature. Display their contributions in your classroom.

Fill your classroom with living things such as plants, fish tanks, ant farms, worm farms etc… Set up bird feeders outside your classroom windows for children to observe daily. Plant seeds (bean, sunflowers or other easily grown plants) together as a class and watch them grow.

Centers

As you prepare centers for the new school year set up a center or table for nature objects. This is a center that can change as the season’s change. At the beginning of the school year you can have objects such as flowers, and leaves. As the year progresses into autumn you could have pumpkins, apples, fall leaves, etc… Encourage children to bring in natural objects that they find as well, such bird nests that have fallen from trees, cool looking rocks or sticks that they find. Allow children to look at, touch, smell, etc…the objects.

Nature objects are great for sensory tables as well. Leaves crunch, moss is soft, rabbit fur is fluffy. Check with your local County Conservation Board for various natural items that they may be able to loan you.

Outside Play

Plan outside time for students into your day every day as weather allows. Think of your outside play area as an extension of your classroom. Have a place for children to play with dirt, sand, sticks and other natural objects. If you do not have an “outdoor classroom” you can still incorporate nature into your outdoor play area. Sandboxes can be filled with sand, dirt, or nature objects (or even mud!). Logs can be brought in for children to climb on, sit on, build a fort beside, or even to peel the bark off to look for insects.

You can plant flowers, seeds, even small trees in pots and create your own “natural” setting. Put our bird feeders for children to watch birds eat. Provide children with binoculars, magnifying glasses and other “explorer gear” during outside time. Remember that children are fascinated by even the smallest insect they find!

County Conservation Boards

As you are preparing your school year remember what a wonderful resource you have in your local County Conservation Board. CCB Naturalists are usually more than happy to come into your classroom and present programs on various subjects. They often also have access to wildlife that have been injured, rehabilitated and are used for education purposes, such as snakes, salamanders, and owls. They can also bring in animals furs, owl pellets, animal bones, and many other nature and wildlife items.

Our Outdoor Explorations for Early Learners blog is getting a makeover! Starting in August we will be rolling out a new format for our blog postings. We will be posting weekly blogs based on a theme for the month.

Augusts’ theme is “Back to School with Nature”, every week we will have a new tip and/or activity for incorporating nature in your classroom. Check back for nature-based ice breaker games for the first days of school, nature objects for centers and sensory tables, classroom setup ideas, and more!

In September look for ways to develop your students observations skills with nature hikes, scavenger hunts, journaling, and other observation activities.

We are excited about the changes coming and hope that you will join us on this new blogging journey!

Water!

Water is everywhere. It surrounds us in the environment – flowing in oceans, lakes, and streams and falling from the sky in rain, snow and hail. Water is essential for life on Earth and makes up approximately 60% of our own bodies.

Children have experiences with water daily: they bathe in it, drink it, play with it, see it as rain and snow, and observe rivers and ponds. Children are naturally drawn to water and love to play in it – pools, sprinklers, water tables, rain puddles, you name it and kids will play in it!

Let’s explore water further!

It’s time to explore water as a class. Set up an outdoor water center. Use a water table if you have one available. Other containers that hold water can work as well. While children are playing and experimenting with “what happens when?” they will be developing and using basic science skills.

Water center supplies:

Buckets and other containers of various sizes and shapes (drill holes in the sides of a few so children can observe how the water “shoots” out)

Tubing of various sizes and shapes

Water wall (pieces of plastic coated wire shelving made to stand on side like a wall, tubing can be passed through and supported by wall)

Plastic connectors

Simple hand pumps

Funnels

Turkey basters, eye droppers, and other squirting tools

Paintbrushes

Various objects of different materials (wood, metal, paper, plastic etc…for children to observe what sinks/floats)

Food coloring

Any other containers, objects etc… that will allow children to experiment with the properties of water and how it changes, passes from one object to another, and make other observations

Questions to ask children (these are only a place to start):

How can you move water through the tubes?

What will happen if you put the wood (or other object) in the water?

How will a funnel help water get into the tube?

Why does ___ sink/float?

What happens when you put a drop of water on the pavement? The grass? Sand? A piece of paper? Why is it different for each?

What happens when you add food coloring to water?

What happens if you mix colors?

Encourage children to share their observations and ideas.  Take pictures of children as they play and experiment. Share their pictures and observations with the class. Allow children time to openly explore the water. After they have had time to openly explore the water focus their exploration with eye droppers, tubing, questions, challenges (i.e. Can you get the water into the tube?), and observations for them to explore.

Field trip:

Plan a trip to a local pond, or creek to observe water. Visit a water fountain and watch the water. Take advantage if it rains and take children on a walk to splash and play in rain puddles (after or during a rain shower).

For more information use Exploring Water with Young Children by Ingrid Chalufour & Karen Worth.

Book List

Amos, W.H. 1981. Life in Ponds and Streams. National Geographic Society.

Arnosky, J. 2008. The Brook Book: Exploring the Smallest Streams. Penguin Young Readers Group.

Base, G. 2001. The Water Hole. Harry N Abrams, Inc.

Branley, F.M. 1997. Down Comes the Rain. HarperCollins Children's Books.

Brimner, L.D. 1999. Raindrops. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Dewey, J.O. 1987. At the Edge of the Pond. Little, Brown & Company.

DK Publishing. 2007. Water Everywhere. DK Publishing, Inc.

Edom, H. 2007. Science with Water. EDC Publishing.

Fleming, D. 1993. In the Small, Small Pond. Henry Holt and Co.

Fourment, T. 2004. My Water Comes from the Mountains. Roberts Rinehart Publishers.

George, L.B. 1996. Around the Pond: Who's Been Here? Greenwillow Books.

George, W.T. 1988. Beaver at Long Pond. Greenwillow Books.

Giesecke, E. and A. Royston. 2002. Pond Plants. Heinemann Library.

Greenfield, E. and J.S. Gilchrist. 1999. Water, Water. HarperCollins Publishers.

Hooper, M. The Drop in My Drink: The Story of Water on Our Planet. Viking Press.

Jango-Cohen, J. 2005. Why Does It Rain? Lerner Publishing Group.

Jarnow, J. and E. Hathon. 2000. Splish! Splash! Penguin Group, Inc. (USA).

Kerley, B. 2006. A Cool Drink of Water. National Geographic Society.

Kosek, J.K. 2003. What's inside Lakes? Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.

Kurtz, J. 2000. River Friendly, River Wild. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Kurtz, J., C. Kurtz and L. Christiansen. 2002. Water Hole Waiting. HarperCollins Publishers.

Locker, T. 2002. Water Dance. Harcourt Children's Books.

Luenn, N. 1994. Squish!: A Wetland Walk. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Olien, R. 1999. Splish Splash Science, Grades 1-3: Learning about Water with Easy Fun-Filled Activities. Scholastic, Inc.

Petersen, C. 2004. Water Power. Children's Press (CT).

Pluckrose, H. 2001. Water. Gareth Stevens Audio.

Pratt-Serafini, K.J. 2001. Salamander Rain: A Lake & Pond Journal. Dawn Publications.

Rauzon, M.J. 1995. Water, Water Everywhere. Sierra Club Books for Children.

Rosinsky, N.M. 2002. Water: Up, Down, and All Around. Capstone Press.

Schuh, M.C. 2002. What Are Lakes? Capstone Press.

Seuling, B. 2000. Drip! Drop!: How Water Gets to Your Tap. Holiday House, Inc.

Swanson, D. 2005. Wonder in Water. Annick Press, Limited.

Tresselt, A.R. 1990. Rain Drop Splash. HarperCollins Publishers.

Waldman, N. 2003. Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story. Millbrook Press.

Wells, R.E. 2006. Did a Dinosaur Drink This Water? Albert Whitman & Company.

Weininger, B. and A. Moller. 2003. Precious Water. North-South Books.

Wyler, R. 1990. Puddles and Ponds: An Outdoor Book. Silver Burdett Press.

Links

Investigating Water

http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/eecd/Domains%20of%20Child%20Development/Science/Investigating_water_508checked.pdf

Water Play – Better Kid Care

http://betterkidcare.psu.edu/angelunits/onehour/waterplay/waterlesson.html

Explore Water

http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/guide/pdf/peep-guide-water.pdf

Science in Early Childhood Classrooms: Content and Process

http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/beyond/seed/worth.html

Let’s go Camping!

This weekend is the Great American Backyard Campout!  On June 23^rd all across the country families will be camping out in their backyards. Explore the wonderful world of camping with young children either as a family or in your classroom.

For families:

Join the Great American Backyard Campout June 23^rd and pitch a tent in your backyard. Play games, stargaze, and connect with each other and with nature. First time camping? Your backyard is a perfect place to start. It is familiar and close to bathrooms (and beds if needed!). Experienced campers? The backyard is still fun! Children love when the ordinary becomes extraordinary! Pitch a tent, build a campfire, and watch their eyes shine.

For the classroom:

Can’t take your class camping on June 23^rd? That’s okay! You can go pretend “camping” in your schoolyard! Pitch a tent or tents, gather camping supplies and go camping for the day. If you can, have a campfire and roast marshmallows, make s’mores or hobo packs, sit around and tell stories. If you can’t have a real fire, build a pretend one to sit around and share stories. Ask kids to share if they have ever gone camping. What did they do? Where did they sleep? What did they eat? Talk about what camping is. Provide backpacks, binoculars, fishing poles (no hooks) and other camping gear and activities. Let their imaginations take them on a wonderful adventure!

Backyard camping ideas (backyard and schoolyard!):

*Go on a scavenger hunt

*Sing campfire songs

*Watch for wildlife (what lives in your backyard? Schoolyard?)

*Gaze at the stars

*Watch the clouds

*Catch fireflies

*Make explorer walking sticks (cover stick with doubled-sided tape, children stick objects they find to it)

NWF: The Great American Backyard Campout

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout.aspx

10 Tips for camping with toddlers

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Outdoors/Archives/2010/Camping-with-toddlers.aspx

NWF: Campfire Songs

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout/Get-Ready/Songs-and-Stories/Songs.aspx

NWF: Camping Recipes

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout/Get-Ready/Recipes.aspx

NWF: Campfire Safety

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout/Get-Ready/Tips/Campfire-Safety.aspx

NWF: Pitching a Tent

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout/Get-Ready/Tips/Pitching-a-Tent.aspx

The Forest of S.T. Shrew

Habitat is where an animal lives. It is the food, water, shelter, and space that are needed for the animal to survive. Within habitats there are many smaller microhabitats. Microhabitats are areas where the conditions vary slightly but importantly for the animals living there. For example, a fallen log is a microhabitat within the larger habitat of the forest. The fallen log provides food, water, shelter, and space for the small animals and microorganisms  living there.

Use Project Learning Tree’s “The Forest of S.T. Shrew” to take students on a “journey” to the forest floor from the viewpoint of a tiny forest shrew. The activity can be found in the Project Learning Tree guide or at: http://www.nsta.org/elementaryschool/connections/200704HainesConnection.pdf

Before you read “In the Forest of S.T. Shrew” to students, ask them: What is a forest? Have you ever been to a forest? What did you see while you were there? Did you enjoy the forest?

Show them a picture of a shrew and tell them a little about shrews and the other animals featured in the story. Have they ever seen any of these animals? Where? What did they look like?

As you read the story have the children do an action each time they hear a particular animal, i.e. each time they hear the S.T. Shrew they wiggle their fingers by their face like whiskers. When you have finished the story have the children draw pictures of a part of the story or one of the characters in it.

Finish by taking the children on a walk through the woods. Look for microhabitats such as a fallen log, tree bark, leaf litter etc. Are there other microhabitats that are near your school? In your schoolyard? Go on a “microhabitat hunt” and see what you can find!

Book List

Arnosky, J. 1997. Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Arnosky, J. 1979. Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs. Penguin Group (USA).

Canizares, S. 1997. Who Lives in a Tree? Scholastic, Inc.

Costian, M. 2001. Life in a Tree: Focus, Habitat. Tandem Library.

Fleming, D. and D. Powers. 1996. Where Once There Was a Wood. Henry Holt and Company, Inc.

Fonte, I. 2007. Animals of the Forest. Barnes & Noble Books.

Galko, F. 2002. Forest Animals (Animals in Their Habitats). Heinemann Library.

George, L.B. 1998. In the Woods: Who's Been Here? HarperCollins Publishers.

Giogas, V. 2007. In My Backyard. Sylvan Dell Publishing.

Hunter, A. 1999. What's Under the Log? Houghton Mifflin Company.

Krupinski, L. 1997. Into the Woods: A Woodland Scrapbook. HarperCollins Children's Books.

Lindeen, C.K. 2003. Life in a Forest. Capstone Press.

Magellan, M. 1990. Home At Last. Humanics Children's House.

McGehee, C. 2006. A Woodland Counting Book. University of Iowa Press.

Nail, J.D. 1994. Whose Tracks Are These?: A Clue Book of Familiar Forest Animals. Rinehart P.

Pascoe, E. and D. Kuhn. 2003. The Ecosystem of a Fallen Tree. Rosen Publishing Group.

Pfeffer, W. and R. Brickman. 1997. A Log's Life. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Pyers, G. 2004. Forest Explorer. Raintree Publishers.

Rutten, J. 1998. Forests. Child's World, Incorporated.

Ryder, J. 1989. A Chipmunk Song. Lodestar Books.

Ryder, J. 1988. Snail's Spell. Penguin Young Readers Group. 

Silver, D.M. 1997. One Small Square: Woods. McGraw-Hill Companies.

Birds and Worms

Many animals are “color coordinated” or camouflaged with their surroundings. Camouflage helps animals blend in and hide. Camouflage is an important survival strategy in the animal kingdom. Both predators and prey animals are camouflaged.

To do this activity gather about 50 small, colored objects consisting of various colors. For example, a bag of skittles, m&m’s, or fruit snacks work well because they are small and have various colors including green. Various colored small toys work well too. Start by asking children why they think bullfrogs are green and polar bears are white? Ask if they know what it means when animals blend in with their surroundings? Show them pictures of animals that are camouflaged with their surroundings. Ask them how their coloration might help them?

Take the children outside to a grassy location. Scatter the objects/food around the grass in a designated area. Tell the children that they are hungry birds and that there are “bugs” and “worms” scattered in the grass for them to find. Give each child a cup or basket to put their “bugs” and “worms” in as they find them. Describe what the bugs and worms look like so the children know what to look for. When you say “Go!” tell the children to “fly” over the area and pick up the first “bugs” or “worms” they see. Have them take turns or go in small groups. When children are done “flying” over the area have them sort the objects in their baskets by color. Record the colors and numbers that the children have. Create a graph to show your results. Is there a pattern to the order in which the bugs and worms were found? Which color was found the most? The least? Why were some colors harder to find than others? What type of bug or worm had the best camouflage for the grass?

Try repeating the activity on another surface, such as concrete, sand or wood chips. How does it change the results?

Book List

Arnosky, J. 2000. I See Animals Hiding. Scholastic, Inc.

Dell, P. J. 2006. Why Do Tigers Have Stripes? A Book about Camouflage. Capstone Press.

Fredericks, A. D., and K. Povelite. 2000. Clever Camouflagers. T&N Children’s Publishing.

Gilpin, D. 2010. 3-D Close Up: Animal Camouflage. Advantage Publishers Group.

Heller, R. 1992. How to Hide a Butterfly: and other insects. Penguin Group Inc (USA).

Heller, R. 1995. How to Hide a Meadow Frog: and other amphibians. Penguin Group Inc (USA).

Helman, A., and G. Jecan. 2008. Hide and Seek: Nature’s Best Vanishing Acts. Walker & Company.

Kalman, B.  2010. How do animals hide? Crabtree Publishing Company.

Mettler, R. 2001. Animal Camouflage. Moonlight Publishing Co.

Otto, C. and M. Lloyd. 1996. What Color is Camouflage?. HarperCollins Publishers.

Pledger, M. 2004. Hiding in the Woods: A Maurice Pledger Nature Trails Book. Silver Dolphin Books.

Tildes, P. L. 2000. Animals in Camouflage. San Val.

Whitehouse, P. 2003. Hiding in a Forest. Demco Media.

Wood, A. J., and N. Palin. 1996. Hidden Pictures: Find a Feast of Camouflaged Creatures. Lerner Publishing Group.

Links

National Geographic KIDS: Animal Camouflage

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/gallery/animal-camouflage/

BrainPOP Jr – Camouflage

http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/animals/camouflage/grownups.weml

PBS Kids - The Cat in the Hat: Exploring Animal Camouflage

http://www.pbs.org/parents/catinthehat/activity_exploring_animal_camouflage.html