The many ways that animals are unique is incredible! Just look at the variety of noses, eyes, tails, feet, coverings, and ears. A fun way to compare these differences is with the following series:
There are so many other ways that species differ, including habitats, diet, and reproduction. Animals also discard wastes in multiple ways! Biologists can identify an animal through its scat, and they will examine it, a non-invasive method, to determine an animal’s health, movement, and diet.
The following book shows the animal’s tracks, as well as its scat, and challenges you to identify the animal using both clues. Owl pellets are distinguished from scat.
When we visited Yellowstone, I came across this book. Watch a preview of the story below.
I was visiting my daughter in an urban area of Chicago for Christmas. Yes, it was frigid and snowing, but pigeons were still surprisingly active. Before landing on rooftops, synchronized flocks swooped across the sky. Doesn’t this appear to be a black and white photo? However, it was just a gray day with barely a hint of color. I was drawn to the monochromatic palette.
As I watched the behavior of pigeons, I wondered how they have adapted to life in the city. They are certainly amazing birds and I have a greater respect and interest in them after further study!
Some facts: There are hundreds of species of pigeons, and they are related to doves.
They historically nested on coastal cliffs which is why feral pigeons have easily adapted to living on city buildings.
Highly social animals, they are often seen in flocks of twenty to thirty birds.
Pigeons mate for life and both sexes care for their two chicks. They average eight broods a year.
Young are fed nutritious crop milk which is regurgitated from their parents.
Pigeons are selectively bred for racing, show, and in some cultures for pets.
They can fly up to 600 to 700 miles in one day at speeds averaging 78 mph.
Pigeons are known to be highly intelligent and can recognize themselves in a mirror.
Do you remember the scene in which the Banks children in Mary Poppins want to feed the pigeons for tuppence a bag?
Integrate history into your study of pigeons by investigating passenger or homing pigeons. There are many theories about how pigeons find their way home. They may use the sun and visual cues or Earth’s magnetic field (magnetoreception). Other studies indicate that infrasound (low frequency sound waves) or olfactory navigation guides them back.
Noah may have been the first to use a homing pigeon. He sent out a dove who returned to the ark:
“He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So, Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.” (Genesis 8:10-11)
Mo Wilhelm has a popular picture book series about pigeons for young children. Teach dialogue and character traits through the series. These humorous tales can also be used to instruct persuasive writing and types of sentences (commands, statements, exclamatory and questions).
Search for additional monochromatic examples in nature, in your home, or in clothing. Such a great assignment to teach observational skills! Task your students or children with creating a realistic or abstract monochromatic painting. For additional fun, ask them to dress in a monochromatic scheme.
Your sense of smell lets you know that you have reached the Low Country! South Carolina has the most marshland of any East Coast state and the Low Country is known for its rich, nutrient filled pluff (plough) mud. This critical ecosystem supports a plethora of wildlife.
But why do the marshes smell? The gooey decomposing matter releases a distinct sulfur odor, similar to rotten eggs.
I snapped the following photo at Huntington Beach during a trip last fall.
Click here to view full screen. Are you familiar with this Civil War story?
Cardinals are a familiar songbird. They bring back sweet memories of my grandmother. She decorated her home with a blue and white theme but used pops of red (often cardinals) throughout the rooms. I often saw her sporting a red cardinal pin.
Cardinals also remind me of the holidays with their striking red feathers. Males are more colorful than females. Why? During my research, I discovered that cardinals are named after the Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church who wear red robes.
Christmas cacti, native to Brazil, are popular because they bloom during the holiday season and come in an array of colors.
Use Christmas cactus to teach children about propagation. Follow these simple directions and watch the video below for additional information.
Break off segments where two leaves meet and be sure that each cutting has three or more segments. You can place the segments into soil immediately, but you may have more success if you allow the segments to dry for two days out of direct sunlight, so they will callous. Try both methods and compare the results.
Fill a medium sized pot with soil. Water the soil. Christmas cacti are succulents, so be sure there is a hole in the bottom of your pot for water to drain easily.
Add several cuttings. Insert the cuttings, so the node is about 1/2 inch below the soil.
Place the pot where it will receive indirect light. Do not overwater. Be patient!
The weather in Atlanta has been unusually warm and rainy this December. Consequently, mushrooms are appearing which is certainly not a usual sight for this time of year! Why do mushrooms grow when it rains?
I recently discovered this beautifully illustrated and informative book. Watch a preview below.
Read Mushroom in the Rain on a rainy day and then hunt for mushrooms. Observe a mushroom over a week and journal about the changes. Click here to view full screen.
Retell the story to practice sequencing. It’s also an easy tale to dramatize. Click here for full screen viewing.
My annuals have died with the onset of cooler weather, and I’ve missed the colorful flowers that donned my deck and yard.
I waited to prune my bushes, so I could use the cuttings to refill the containers. Then I foraged for seed pods. cones, and grasses. Christmas tree vendors gifted me the bottom branches trimmed off of evergreen trees. After gathering these natural items, I inserted them into the potting soil where the annuals have died or around the remaining perennials. The result brings me joy!
Last time, I filled these containers, the branches lasted weeks, some even months. A few of the cuttings even began to propagate! I also added some sprigs of holly and a few evergreen branches to indoor plants. Be cautious if you have pets.
It has rained all week, but when there was a pause in the showers, I walked through my neighborhood and discovered nature’s art on the sidewalks.
When leaves stick to the porous concrete overnight, the leaf tannin is transferred to the sidewalk, and the result is lovely ecoprints of fall leaves.
Tannins are responsible for the brown color in deciduous leaves and appear once chlorophyll and carotenoids disappear. It is a waste product of a tree’s metabolism and has protective properties. Among other uses, tannins are found in tea and wine and used to tan leather.
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” Albert Einstein
My husband and I both noticed cuttings from the Leyland Cyprus on the ground and assumed that the other had pruned the tree. We discovered however that neither of us had touched the tree. Hmmm. After removing them, more branches appeared on the ground the following day. I did see a pair of crows on the top of the Leyland a week ago, but no other wildlife since then. What do you think?
“You’ll never know the answer to the question you don’t ask.” Sid O’Bryant
When my daughter was young, she would help me search for snails for my second-grade students to investigate. It began our appreciation for these gastropods, and it’s always fun when we find a snail gift for one another.
I discovered this snail when I was raking leaves and I took him inside for a photo shoot.
I recently added this book to my library. Click here to view full screen. Compare people and snails. How are they alike and different?
Learn more about snails on Scishow Kids. Click here for full screen. Compare snails and slugs.
What is wrong with this snail? I see this mistake too often!
Click here and here for previous snail labs. The first lab includes a snail craft.
What a beautiful way to integrate art into a unit about snails! Click here to view full screen.
Love the illustrations in this informative book about snails. An ideal book to teach descriptive words, as well as positional concepts, such as through, into, over, and up. Click here for full screen.
Another fun book with snail characters to introduce prediction and the concept of perseverance. Click here for full screen.
No video for this fun story that blends math concepts with facts about snails but add it to your library if you are a fan of snails, like me.
Snails have spiral shells. Click here for a previous post about spirals.
