04/30 Gray Squirrel

This week we learned about the Gray Squirrel.  They are mainly found in trees and eat nuts, seeds, berries, and insects. 

We watched a video that two Squirrels were squeaking or "talking" to each other.  We also watched a video with Squirrels doing lots of funny things.  The kids really enjoyed this.



This will be our last animal class.  The 7th will be the zoo trip, the next week the kids want to participate in the cardboard city activity and the following week is Field Day.

04/23 Geoduck

This week we talked about the Geoduck (pronounced like gooey-duck), which also happens to be the Evergreen State College mascot.

The Geoduck is a clam that can be found right here on our Washington beaches.  It can live 150+ years!  The Geoduck burrows down in to the sand and stays there for its life.  The siphon (or neck) can be over 3 feet long and will extend up to the top of the sand and retract when it senses danger. 

The kids enjoyed watching video clips of people digging up Geoducks.  It is a messy time consuming job.  We also watched some clips from the show Dirty Jobs which showed us a local Geoduck farm and how they harvest the clams and also how they are prepared and eaten. 

04/16 Marbled Murrelet

The Marbled Murrelet is a bird that is found near the coast of the Pacific Ocean and actually spends the majority of its life out at sea. 

For our class we read a book about the mystery behind the Marbled Murrelet.  They were considered a mystery for a long time because nobody could figure out where the birds lived.  It has been discovered that most of their life is spent at sea.  When tending for an egg or chick they will travel up to 50 miles inland and make their "home" (they do not make nests) on large moss covered branches in old growth forests.

04/09 Opossum

This month we are learning about animals that we are able to find here in Washington. 

The Opossum is the only marsupial in North America.  The kids were very fascinated with the babies in the pouch.  Opossums are also very good swimmers, so we watched a video with a baby who found his way into a swimming pool.  The other fun thing we talked about was that they "Play Possum" or play dead.

03/26 Amazonian Manatee

This week we learned about the Amazonian Manatee, also know as sea cows.  These Manatees are found in the Amazon River and are the only fresh water Manatee.  We looked at a picture with the different types of Manatees, which showed us that the Amazonian Manatee is the smallest kind at up to 9 feet long.  One interesting fact is that people used to believe that Manatees were very old because of the wrinkles on their skin.

We talked about that Manatees are hunted for their 400 pounds of meat and also their bones, fat, and skin.  The kids expressed some concern for the welfare of the babies left behind.  The video that we watched showed some of these babies at an Amazonian Manatee orphanage.  The babies were very playful and very cuddly. 

03/19 Capybara

The Capybara is the largest rodent in the world and can reach 175 pounds!  In a native language Capybara means "master of the grasses", probably because they eat over 6 pounds of grass in a day.  They are found near swamps, water holes, rivers, and love to lay in the mud.  The Capybara is an excellent swimmer and has webbing between the toes and fingers to help them paddle.  The kids really liked the fact that the Capybara can sleep underwater with just their nose poking out in order to hide from predators. 

Because the Capybaras are very shy and tame creatures people also keep them as pets.  We watched a video of a person with a pet Capybara and listened to the soft squeaky noise they make.

We finished off class by coloring a picture of a Capybara.

03/05 Armadillo

During the month of March we will be learning about animals that live in South America.  The first animal we talked about was the Armadillo.  Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning "little armored one".  This is because of the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail.  Only the 3-Banded Armadillo can roll into a complete ball.

We looked at pictures of different kinds of Armadillos.  The class enjoyed the pictures of the baby Armadillos!  There was also a neat picture of an Armadillo skeleton that had a great view of the bony plates.

We watched a video clip of an Armadillo digging a tunnel.  We liked watching the dirt fly out of the hole! 

We also read a book that showed a variety of animals in South America. 

02/26 Indri

The last animal from Madagascar that we covered was the Indri.  The Indri is the largest of the lemurs at about 3 feet tall.  They spend their lives in the trees.

We watched video clips highlighting unique characteristics of the Indris.  The first clip showed their ability to leap up to 30 feet between tree branches in the forest.  In the second we heard how they communicate.  Their wail sounds similar to whale song and can be heard miles away.

02/19 Chameleon

During this class time we learned about the Chameleon.  Most of the worlds Chameleons live on Madagascar.  The Chameleon's long tongue can move 13 mph and ends in a suction cup, both of these things help to catch insects to eat.   Also, one of the most interesting things we talked about is that contrary to popular belief the Chameleon does not change color for camouflage.  The Chameleon changes color to communicate mood, defend territories, or show off for a potential mate.

We looked at pictures and watched a video clip that highlighted many different types of Madagascar Chameleons.  The kids really enjoyed watching a clip that showed dinner time for a group of Chameleons.  We got to see lots of long, fast tongues finding their food.

For our project we made a color changing Chameleon with paper plates.

02/12 Aye Aye

This week in class we learned about the Aye Aye from Madagascar.  The kids learned about their BIG eyes, big ears, big bushy tail, and long finger that digs out grubs from trees.  The Aye Aye is nocturnal and lives in the trees, rarely coming to the ground.

The kids looked at pictures of the Aye Aye, watched a short clip of the Aye Aye in it's environment, and read a book called "Mission to Madagascar" about a child's adventure to find the Aye Aye in Madagascar.  They also colored a picture of an Aye Aye.

02/05 Giant African Millipede

For this class we learned about the worlds largest millipede - the Giant African Millipede.  We learned that they eat decaying plant matter, roll into a ball if feeling threatened, can protect themselves with a stinky smell, and have lots of feet!  We talked about the differences between a millipede and a centipede and learned that millipedes are okay to pick up, but centipedes are not. 

We watched a video to highlight how slowly they move and how their feet move in a wave-like motion.  We looked a pictures of Giant African Millipedes in the wild and kept as pets or in a zoo.  The kids especially enjoyed the picture of the millipede mustache!  We read parts of a book called "Millipedeology".

01/29 Tufted Puffin

This week we learned about Tufted Puffins.  They are one of three types of Puffins.  We looked at pictures of them swimming, eating fish, and flying.  We watched a video clip of a Puffling (baby Puffin) hatching out of it's egg.

For our activity, we made Puffin masks:

01/22 Snowy Owl

For this class time we learned about the Snowy Owl.  We looked at pictures of the Snowy Owls highlighting interesting facts of the owls, like the large wingspan, the Lemmings they eat, their nests, and their ability to hide by blending into their surrounding.  We watched a video clip to see them flying and hunting.

We then did a project of making our own Snowy Owl with white "feathers" and yellow eyes.

01/15 Caribou

Today we talked about Caribou, aka Reindeer.  We looked at pictures showing things like the tundra, antlers, the enormous herds, the types of food they eat, how domesticated Reindeer help people, etc.  We watched two short video clips, the first showing general info about the Caribou in the wild, the second about Reindeer racing! 

We did a project constructing a Caribou.

We read a story called "How Snowshoe Hare Rescued the Sun".  It is a story shared among the Yuit people of the Siberian tundra.

01/08 Musk Ox

This month we are focusing on animals who live in the very cold areas of the world called the Tundra. 

Today we learned about the Musk Ox.  We watched a short video on Musk Oxen that showed us the environment they live in, their fur, and how the males headbutt to impress the females.  We also read a fun book called "A is for Musk Ox", that related letters of the alphabet to Musk Ox facts.  We finished by coloring a Musk Ox and gluing yarn strips to the picture to resemble their long, thick, soft fur.