Bursting Buds

It’s spring!  Tree buds are opening, flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the days are getting longer.  It’s time to explore the fascinating world of buds and plants with children!

Weather permitting, take children outside for story time and read My Mother Talks to Trees by Doris Gove.  After you have read the story ask the children: Do your parents or other family members ever do anything that surprises them?   Take children on walk to look for buds on trees, and shrubs.  Follow the spirit of the story by walking up to trees and shrubs and talking to them.  Talk about the things that are unusual, beautiful, and remarkable about each.  Questions to ask: Do any of the plants have new leaves or flowers? Do any of them have buds? What do they look like? Describe them (color, texture, size). What do you think the buds will grow into? What do you think they will look like?  

Make plans to periodically return to the plants that have unopened buds over the next few weeks to watch for new growth. While you are outside, look for other signs of spring such as birds, insects and frogs.  Have the children close their eyes and “smell spring” in the air and feel the warmth of the spring sun on their faces.  Questions to ask: What do you smell? What does the sun feel like on your skin? What colors do you notice outside that you haven’t seen all winter?

Collect twigs with buds from plants that have been pruned.  Using plastic knives encourage the children to take the buds apart.  Provide magnifying glasses.  Provide other plants materials, such as twigs from various kinds of trees and shrubs, bulbs, flowers, and seeds, for the children to explore as well. Questions to ask: Do you think any of these things can grow into plants? Flowers? Leaves? What do you think would happen if we planted them in soil? Or put the twigs with buds in water? What do the plant materials smell like?  Feel like? Describe the inside of the buds.

Try putting some of the twigs in water and watch the buds open in the classroom.  Apple, forsythia, maple, oak and pussy willow are good choices.  Change the water frequently and recut the stem ends if needed. Check the buds daily and have the children make observations about what they see.  Questions to ask: How are the buds changing? Do you think they will develop into leaves or flowers? Why? Describe what you see.

For snack time make “sunshine sandwiches”.  Spread cream cheese on English muffins.  Put sunflower seeds in the center and arrange mandarin oranges around the center to form the sun’s rays.  Enjoy!

For more great ideas use Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood’s “Bursting Buds”.

Book List

Baylor, B. 1997. The Other Way to Listen. Aladdin.

Behn, H. and J. Endicott. 1994. Trees. Henry Holt & Company, Inc.

Berger, S., M. Sweet, and P. Chanko. 2001. It’s Spring! (Hello Reader! Series). Scholastic, Inc.

Bernard, R. 2001. A Tree for All Seasons. National Geographic Society.

Blackaby, S., and C. Delage. 2003. Bud and Blossoms. Coughlan Publishing.

Bourgoing, P. 1992. The Tree. Scholastic First Discovery Books.

Burnie, D. 2005. Plant. DK Publishing, Inc.

Burns, D.L. and J.F. McGee. 1996.  Berries, Nuts, and Seeds (Take-Along Guide). T&N Children's Publishing.

Burns, D. and L. Garrow. 1998. Leaves, Trees and Bark (Take-Along Guide). NorthWord Books for Young Readers.

Canizares, S. and P. Chanko. 1997. Look At This Tree. Scholastic, Inc.

Charman, A. 2003. I Wonder Why Trees Have Leaves and Other Questions about Plants. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Davis, R.F. 2006. Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book. Capstone Press.

Dixon, M. 1998. Plants around Us. Smart Apple Media.

Downden, A.O. 1984. From Flower to Fruit. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.

Eckroat, L. W. 2009. The Life of Bud. Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC.

Evans, L. 1999. Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic. Houghton Mifflin Company.

Florian, D. 2006. Handsprings. HarperCollins Publishers.

Fontes, J.K. 2002. Signs of Spring. Mondo Publishing.

Fowler, A. 1991. How do you Know it's Spring? Scholastic Library Publishing.

Gerard, V.J. 2002. Spring: Signs of the Season around North America. Capstone Press.

Gibbons, G. 2002. Tell Me Tree: All About Trees for Kids. Little, Brown Young Readers.

Gibbons, G. 1984. The Season of Arnold’s Apple Tree. Voyager Books.

Glaser, L., R. E. Glaser, and S. Swan. 2002. It’s Spring!. Lerner Publishing Group.

Gove, D. and M. H. Mallory. My Mother Talks to Trees. Peachtree Publishers.

Hewitt, S. 1999. Plants and Flowers. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Johnston, T. 2005. The Whole Green World. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Lyon, G. 1996. ABCedar: an Alphabet of Trees. Scholastic Inc..

Orie, S. De Coteau. 1996. Did You Hear Wind Sing Your Name? Walker & Company.

Orme, H. 2003. Why Do Plants Grow in Spring? Gareth Stevens Audio.

Posada, M. 2004. Robins: Songbirds of Spring. Lerner Publishing Group.

Raczka, B. 2007. Spring Things. Albert Whitman.

Roca, N., R. M. Curto. 2004. Spring. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

Royston, A. 2001. Plants, Flowers, Fruits and Seeds. Heinemann.

Saunders-Smith, G. 1997. From Bud to Blossom. Coughlan Publishing.

Schwartz, D. M., and D. Kuhn. 1998. Plant Blossoms. Creative Teaching Press, Inc.

Worth, B. 2006. I Can Name 50 Trees Today!: All about Trees. Random House Publishing Group.

Wiggling Worms!

Explore the fascinating world of worms! “Earthworm” is a general term used to describe many different species of worms that live in the soil.  While they do not have an obvious head or tail you can identify the head by which way the worm crawls.  And did you know that worms absorb oxygen through their skin?  Explore the world of worms with young children with this activity!

For this activity dig worms from your backyard or schoolyard to bring into class.  If you are unable to find worms on your own purchase them from a local bait shop.  (Note: Worms that are purchased must not be released into the local environment.  Non-native worms can disrupt the local ecosystem.) 

Place the worms in a container and cover with soil. Show children the container of soil that contains the worms (the worms will likely be hiding in the soil) and ask them what animal might eat this soil for lunch? After they have guessed dig into the soil so that they can see the worms.  Next put a damp paper towel in front of each child and place a worm on each paper towel.  Allow the children a chance to observe and touch the worms (remind them to use gentle touches).  Give them a chance to share their observations.  Questions to ask: How does the worm move? What color is it? What does its skin feel like? What does its skin look like? How does the worm move?

Take children outside to look for worms.  Bring small shovels or old spoons and allow the children to help dig.  Ask them where they think worms might live.  Dig there.  Try several places.  Questions to ask: Do you think worms prefer wet or dry soil? Why? Do you think they prefer shade or sun? Why? How deep in the soil do you think worms live?

For snack time make “worms and dirt”: crush chocolate sandwich cookies and mix with chocolate pudding or low fat chocolate yogurt.  Spoon into small cups  Serve each with a few gummy worms. Yum!

For more information and for craft ideas use Growing Up WILD’s “Wiggling Worms” activity!

Book List

Bailey, J. 2006. Worm. Heinemann.

Bial, R. 2001. A Handful of Dirt. Walker & Company.

Bourgeois, P. 1990. The Amazing Dirt Book. Kids Can Press, Limited.

Bourgeois, P., M. Newbigging, and K. Vanderlinden. 2008. The Dirt on Dirt. Kids Can Press, Limited.

Brendler, C., and A. Hoyt. 2009. Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer. Farrar, Strau and Giroux.

Bryant-Mole, K. 1996. Soil. Steck-Vaughn.

Coleman, G. and T. Gibbons. 1997. Worms. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Cronin, D. 2003. Diary of a Worm. Harpercollins Childrens Books. 

De Bourgoing, P. and G. Jeunesse. 1995. Under the Ground. Scholastic, Inc.

Fredericks, A. D., and J. DiRubbio. 2001. Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs and other Ughs. Dawn Publications.

French, V., and J. Ahlberg. 2010. Yucky Worms. Candlewick Press.

Glaser, L. 1994. Wonderful Worms. Lerner Publishing Group.

Heinrichs, A. 2004. Worms. Coughlan Publishing.

Holmes, K.J. 1998. Earthworms. Coughlan Publishing.

Loewen, N., and R. Peterson. 2005. Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard. Coughlan Publishing.

Oxlade, C. 2002. Soil. Heinemann Library.

Pfeffer, W. 2003. Wiggling Worms at Work. HarperCollins Publishers.

Richardson, A.D. 2001. Soil. Capstone Press.

Woodman, N. 2007. Dirt. National Geographic Society.

Grow As We Go

All living things grow and change in their lifetime.  Some animals, people included, start off life looking the same as or very similar to adults.  Other animals look very different from the adults when they are young and change significantly over the course of their lifetime.  Frogs and butterflies are examples of animals that change, or metamorphosis, during their life. 

For this activity have children and educators bring in a picture of themselves as a baby and as they look now.  Gather pictures of baby and adult animals - include animals that have young that look similar to adults, and animals that have young that look different than the adults. 

Lay the pictures of people out on a table and as a class guess which baby pictures go with each person.  Ask: In what way do babies and adults look different?  The same?  Was it hard to match baby pictures to children/adults?  Why or why not?  How do our bodies change as we grow?

Share the animal and baby pictures of familiar animals that do not change much over their lifetime such as dogs and cats.  Match up the babies with the adults.  Ask: Has anyone watched a pet grow from a baby into an adult?  How do these animals change as they grow?

Now share the pictures of animals that change significantly from baby to adult.  Try to match up the baby pictures with the adult pictures.  Ask: Was it harder or easier to match these animals? Why or why not? How do these animals change as they grow?  Go over the life cycle of a frog, butterfly or similar animal. Show pictures of how the animals change, you may introduce the names of the animal stages such as tadpole, caterpillar etc...Give each child a picture of a stage of an animal and have them find their matches with each other.  Have them share with the class what they are and if they are a baby or an adult.

Take a walk outside to look for baby and adult animals.  When you find an animal have the children decide if it’s a baby or an adult.  Did you find more babies or more adults? What did the children notice about the animals that you found?

If possible, raise a small animal(s) from a baby to an adult in your classroom.  Tadpoles or caterpillars can be obtained from nature supply stores.  Or borrow an incubator and hatch chicken or duck eggs.

For more information and for snack and craft ideas use Growing Up WILD’s “Grow As We Go” activity!

Book List

Anderson, H.C. 1999. The Ugly Duckling. HarperCollins Publishers.

Arnosky, J. 2002. All About Frogs. Scholastic, Inc.

Boring, M. and L. Garrow. 1999. Caterpillars, Bugs, and Butterflies. NorthWord Books for Young Readers.

Carle, E. 1994. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Penguin Group (USA).

Coleman, G. and T. Gibbons. 1997. Butterflies. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Fisher, A. 2001. You Don’t Look Like Your Mother (Bowmar Nature Series). Economics Pr.

Goor, R. and N. Goor. 1990. Insect Metamorphosis: From Egg to Adult. Simon & Scuster Children’s Publishing.

Heiligman, D. and B. Weissman. 1996. From Caterpillar to Butterfly. HarperCollins Publishers.

Kalman, B. 2007. Animals Grow and Change. Crabtree Publishing.

Kalman, B. 2008. Animal Life Cycles: Growing and Changing. Crabtree Publishing.

Kottke, J. 2000. From Egg to Robin. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Lionni, L. 1998. An Extraordinary Egg. Dragonfly Books.

Lionni, L. 1974. Fish is Fish. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Marzollo, J. and N. Sheehan. 1998. How Kids Grow. Scholastic, Inc.

Moignot, D. 1998. Frogs: A First Discovery Book. Moonlight Publishing.

Nelson, R. 2003. From Egg to Chicken. Lerner Publishing Group.

Pfeffer, W. and H. Keller. 1994. From Tadpole to Frog. HarperCollins Publishers.

Wallace, K. 2000. DK Readers: Wild Baby Animals (Level 1: Beginning to Read). DK Publishing, Inc.

Waring, G. 2007. Oscar and the Frog: A Book About Growing. Candlewick Press.

Show Me the Energy!

Ask children if they have eaten any sunshine today.  You’ll probably get giggles and “no’s”.  Share with children various food items, such as apples, whole-grain bagels and orange juice.  Serve the snack and tell them that the food we eat contains energy that helps our bodies move, grow, and live. This energy originally came from the sun.  Ask them where the various foods items came from.  Create a graph together showing where the food items came from.  If children say, for instance, apples came from the store, keep asking questions that challenge the students to consider the origins of our food, animals, plants and energy from the sun.  Create a simple food chain for each snack item. 

Discuss other foods that children eat and ask them where those food items come from.  Ask children about their favorite animals; what do they eat and where does their food come from? 

Take children outside to sit in the sun and feel the warmth on their skin.  Ask them if they can feel the sun’s energy.  Look around for plants growing, and animals eating plants.  Create a food chain based on what you observed outside.

For more information and for snack and craft ideas use Growing Up WILD’s “Show Me the Energy” activity!

Book List

Bradley, K. B. Energy Makes Things Happen (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2).

Godkin, C. 2006. Wolf Island. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited.

Jenkins, S. 2001. What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You? Houghton Mifflin Company.

Hickman, P. 1997. Hungry Animals: My First Look at a Foodchain. Kids Can Press Ltd.

Johansson, P. 2004. Wide Open Grasslands: A Web of Life. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.

Kitchen, B. 1994. When Hunger Calls. Candlewick Press.

Lauber, P. 1995. Who Eats What?: Food Chains and Food Webs. HarperCollins Publishers.

Maestro, B. and G. Maestro. 1993. How Do Apples Grow? HarperCollins Publishers.

Mckinney, B.S. 2000. Pass the Energy, Please! Dawn Publications.

Relf, P. 1996. Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book about Food Chains. Scholastic, Inc.

Rosenfeld, D. and R. Lyampe. 2002. Where Does Food Come From? Hachai Publishing.

Sayre, A.P. and K. Endle. 2008. Trout Are Made of Trees. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Aqua Charades

Every molecule of water that was present when the Earth’s oceans were formed millions of years ago is still present today.  That means the water you drink is the same water dinosaurs drank!  All living things need water: plants, animals and people. Water is important to us for many purposes such as drinking, bathing and growing our food. 

Set up stations for children to explore water.  Supply scoops, cups and other tools for filling, dumping and exploring. Supply cold water, warm water and ice.  If possible, boil water to show children water in its gas form – steam. Ask children: Do you use water?  How do you use water?  Who else uses water?  Do animals use water? Plants? Where is there water?  At your home?  Outside? What do you like about water?  Invite children to think of different words that describe water such as wet, cool or splash. 

Collect items from outside on your playground such as rocks, sticks, leaves or seeds.  Which do they think will float?  Which do they think will sink? Allow children to experiment with each item in the water.

Create water collages.  Have children look through magazines for pictures of water or people and/or animals using water.  Let them cut out the pictures they want and glue them to a piece of paper.  You could also incorporate the letter W into the collages.

For these and other ideas use Project WILD’s Growing Up WILD “Aqua Charades.

Book List

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.

Cole, J. and B. Degen. 1988. The Magic School Bus At the Waterworks. Scholastic, Inc.

Curry, D.L. 1999. The Water Cycle. Capstone Press.

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

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

Falwell, C. 2001. Turtle Splash!: Countdown at the Pond. HarperCollins Publishers.

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

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.

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

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

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.

Yolen, J. 1995. Water Music: Poems for Children. Boyds Mills Press.

Place-Based Education Mini-Grant Opportunity 

The Aquatic Education Program is awarding five $500 mini-grants to schools to implement a place-based approach to learn about local aquatic resources/issues in coursework. The grant application is a SHORT, easy to follow 2-page form.   

Requirements are:

·         Have at least one staff member trained in Projects WILD, WILD Aquatic, and Learning Tree as a member of the integration team. (Other conservation/environment/nature resources may also be utilized.)

·         Implement a place-based approach for local aquatic resources/issues in coursework with a specific group of students using Projects WILD, WILD Aquatic, and Learning Tree during 2010-2011 and/or 2011-2012 school year. For example: 4th grade classes in fall of 2011; 7th grade students in spring of 2011, with follow-up as 8th graders fall 2012 **Note: Programs that are more fully integrated into curriculum over a longer period of time will score higher.

·         Evaluate participant achievement related to standards and benchmarks for content/skill areas of the selected subject area(s) and grade level.

·         Complete online surveys (teacher and student) before and after implementation of the place-based approach.

·         Complete progress and final reports outlining accomplishments of the grant, results of formal assessments, and an accounting of expenditures by June 15, 2011.

 

For more information and for grant application contact the Aquatic Education Department at: AquaticEd_Info @dnr.iowa.gov

Bird Beak Buffet

All birds have beaks that they use for grasping and eating their food.  Bird beaks are all shapes and sizes which enable them to eat certain kinds of foods.  Seed and nut eaters usually have short, thick beaks for cracking open seeds.  Nectar feeders have long slender beaks for reaching into flowers.  Other birds have beaks that are suited for meat eating, filtering, spooning, chiseling, or pinching.  Bird beaks are an example of an adaptation.  Adaptations are a special feature or behavior that allow an animal to survive in its environment.

For this activity gather a set of eating utensils (spoon, fork, chopsticks and toothpicks) for each child as well as a variety of shapes of cooked pasta (be sure to have round ones, as well as long thin ones), and sunflower or pumpkin seeds.  Begin by asking children what kinds of food they like to eat and how they eat these foods.  Why do they eat some foods with a fork and others with a spoon or even their hands?  Ask children what animals use to eat their food.  Have they ever seen a bird eat?  What does a bird use to eat its food?  Allow the children to use the different utensils to try and eat the various kinds of pasta and seeds.  Which utensils worked best for which food?  Have the children sort the foods by the utensil that worked to eat that food.

Next use various “tools” to imitate bird’s beaks, such a cup for a pelican’s pouch, a turkey baster for a hummingbird’s long slender beak, tongs for the long, thin beaks of shorebirds, and tweezers for the strong, pointed beaks of woodpeckers.  Allow each child to try out the different bird beaks at various stations that contain different bird “foods” such as bowl of water with plastic fish for the pelican, a tall vase of water for the hummingbird, plastic worms in sand or soil for the shorebirds, and rice tucked into the bark of a log for the woodpeckers. After each child has had a chance to explore the different stations ask them: Which bird beak worked best for each food?  Why?  What kind of food might each bird eat?  Why do they think so?  Can looking at a bird’s beak help us guess what it eats? 

For this and other great ideas use Growing Up WILD’s “Bird Beak Buffet” and the included supplemental materials.

Looking for an extension of this activity?  February 18-21 is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count and everyone can participate!  Visit their website at http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ for more information.  Bird feeders are a wonderful place to observe and count birds.  If you are lucky enough to have a bird feeder outside your classroom window observing and counting birds there would be a wonderful way for children to participate in the GBBC.  If not, you can create bird feeders as a class using clean, used milk cartons or jugs or even pinecones.  The feeders can be hung outside where they are easily observable from the classroom.

Feeding and Observing Birds:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/catinthehat/activity_feeding_observing_birds.html

Milk carton bird feeder:

http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=667:activity-milk-carton-bird-feeder&catid=137:greenthumbactivities&Itemid=434

Pinecone bird feeder:

http://www.enviro-explorers.com/pinecone_web_page/pineconefeederindex.html

Feeding wild birds:

http://www.osweb.com/kidzkorner/feeder.htm

Edible ornaments for birds:

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Activities/Cook-and-Craft/Make-Edible-Ornaments-for-Animals.aspx

Book List

Arnosky, J. 1997. Bird Watcher. Random House Children's Books.

Arnosky, J. 1993. Crinkleroot's 25 Birds Every Child Should Know. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Arnosky, J. 1992. Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Bailey, D. 1992. Birds: How to Watch and Understand the Fascinating World of Birds. DK Publishing, Inc.

Bushnell, J. 1996. Sky Dancer. HarperCollins Publishers.

Collard, S.B. 2002. Beaks! Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Garelick, M. 1995. What Makes a Bird a Bird? Mondo Publishing.

Herkert, B. 2001. Birds in Your Backyard. Dawn Publications.

Latimer, J. et al. 1999. Backyard Birds (Peterson Field Guides for Young Naturalists). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Oppenheim, J.F. and B. Reid. 1987. Have You Seen Birds?. Scholastic, Inc.

Pascoe, E., et al. 2000. How and Why Birds Use Their Bills (How and Why Series). Creative Teching Press, Inc.

Rabe, T. and A. Ruiz. 1998. Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library). Random House Children's Books.

Rockwell, A.F. 1992. Our Yard Is Full of Birds. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

Sill, C.P. 1997. About Birds: A Guide for Children. Peachtree Publishers.

Weidensaul, S. and T. Taylor. 1998. Birds (Audubon Society First Field Guide Series). Scholastic, Inc.
Yolen, J. 1999. Bird Watch: A Book of Poetry. Putnam Juvenile.  

Zim, H.S. 1989. Birds. St. Martin's Press.