Autrey Mill Nature Preserve, only a few miles from home, has resident goats. I visited the preserve during their Earth Day celebration, and watched children feeding them magnolia leaves, which I consequently discovered is their favorite treat! Watch the goat below push the other goat away from the leaves.

In this post, let’s focus on a goat’s eyes. What do you observe and wonder?

How would it benefit a goat to have horizontal pupils? Scroll under the photo below to find the answer.

Goats are herbivores and need to be able to spot predators approaching along the ground. Horizontal pupils improve peripheral vision, so they can see on either side of them without turning their heads. Click here for the Safeshare link.

The two videos below present additional information about goats. Click here for the Safeshare link.

Click here for the Shafeshare link.

After studying goats, read The Three Billy Goats Gruff, a traditional folk tale about three brothers who need to avoid a troll as they cross a bridge to reach the pasture. A folktale is a fictional story that was originally passed down orally. Many folktales have animals as characters, magical elements, and teach a lesson. A common theme is good vs. evil.

It is fun to compare different illustrators’ interpretations of the story. The author will always be unknown. This is also an easy story to dramatize with sound effects. I used a rectangular school table as my bridge. The goats could safely walk across the table with the troll underneath. You may also have a bridge on your playground.
Click here for the Safeshare link.

My youngest scientists brainstormed alternative ways the goats could have safely reached the other side of the river. When one of them suggested a boat, my response would always be, “Let’s make boats for the goats!” Click here for the repost of this STEM lesson.

A lesson about absorbency would be a good place to begin. Click here for a simple lesson that will build background knowledge.

To learn more about animal eyes, click here for the Safeshare link.

Spring and fall come with a plenitude of seeds on trees and other vegetation. They disperse in a variety of ways. My favorite are the winged seeds that you find on maple trees. They are called samaras. Look carefully at the samaras below. What do you observe?

Click here for the Safeshare link. This is fascinating!

I just added this book to my collection of nature books. On the last page there is a list of downladable resources.

When engineers are inspired by nature to solve problems, it is known as biomimicry. Click here for more information about biomimicry. My second-grade scientists studied maple seeds prior to engineering rotocopters. Click here and here for information about that science lab.

Some additional activities to do with your scientists:

• Record the time it takes a samara to fall with and without the wing.
• Use the slow-motion selection on your camera to record a samara falling.
• Pull the samara apart and find the seed.
• Use a magnifying glass or a camera to look closely at the wing.
• Carefully observe and draw a samara. Paint your drawing with watercolors.
• Do samaras look the same on the tree and on the ground?
• Is there diversity among the samaras you collected (size, shape, or color)?
• If you find a maple tree, walk in all directions to discover how far the samaras have traveled.
• Can you sprout maple seeds?
• Learn about and taste maple syrup. Click here for the Safeshare link.

Can you identify a maple leaf? Click here to watch a video to learn more.

Include this fiction picture book in your study of maple trees. Click here for the Safeshare link.

Click here and here to visit NASA to learn about the James Webb Space Telescope and track its progress.

In this humorous story, Peter attempts to build the tallest possible tower to search the stars. Use this tale to springboard a tower engineering challenge. Ask your students to use available materials to build the tallest (or a given height) freestanding tower. Click here for the Safeshare link. After the story, identify the real and make-believe elements (characters, setting, problem, and resolution).