Hastings Grade 1 Spring 3/09. GRADE 1 SPRING NATURE WALK What Animals Need to Survive

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Hastings Grade 1 Spring 3/09. GRADE 1 SPRING NATURE WALK What Animals Need to Survive"

Baldwin Barnett
5 years ago
Views:

1 GRADE 1 SPRING NATURE WALK What Animals Need t Survive OBJECTIVES: Observe seasnal changes in schlyard since winter. Discver hw seasnal changes affect animals. Learn abut rbins and ther birds.

1 1 GRADE 1 SPRING NATURE WALK What Animals Need t Survive OBJECTIVES: Observe seasnal changes in schlyard since winter. Discver hw seasnal changes affect animals. Learn abut rbins and ther birds. Discver fd surces and cmpare with ther seasns. Explre the schlyard, wds, and wet meadw fr animals and signs f animals. PREPARATION: Schedule this walk fr mid May, early in the mrning. Walk shuld last abut 45 minutes. Classrm rganizers: Remind teachers t ntify the schl nurse ne week ahead f the walk s the nurse can check fr allergies in the classrm. Gather materials befre walk. Check t see that there are enugh Rbin Eyes s each child in yur grup has ne. MATERIALS: Tngue depressrs labeled: fd, water, warmth, shelter, air. Rbin Eyes and yarn wrms. Clipbard and pencil, Spring Observatin Reprt, Nature Walk Evaluatin. Cmmn Bird and Bird Silhuettes ID sheets. Bug bxes and hand lenses apprximately ne fr every 2 children. ACTIVITIES: Observe birds and lk fr bird nests. Watch rbins hunting wrms; use Rbin Eyes; discver wrm castings. Explre changes in the schlyard, wds, mwn and the tallgrass. Explre and recrd animals, animal signs, water and fd surces, and shelter. Walk leader fills ut Spring Walk Observatin Reprt during walk. AFTER THE WALK: Leave Spring Observatin Reprt with the teacher. Fill ut Nature Walk Evaluatin and leave in BBY rm. Return all materials t BBY rm.

2 2 Map: Spring walk 1. Lk and listen fr birds; bserve rbins; use Rbin Eyes, catch yarn wrms n the mwn grass. 2. Explre the edge f the field 3. Explre the wd path. 4. Explre the tall grass 5. Explre the Garden and Hedge fr bird signs

Kids will hld this uncut end up t their eyes.

3 3 Cut the bttm ut f tw dispsable 5 z. cups (plastic is mst durable) Hw t make a Rbin's Eyes Gggle Hinge tw cups tgether at the tp (wide end) using duct r strapping tape. Kids will hld this uncut end up t their eyes. Spread the tw narrw ends apart and anchr them n a wden tngue depressr using duct r strapping tape, as wide apart as pssible Punch hles n the utside f the cups clse t the rim. Cut a 16-18" piece f thin (1/8 t 1/4 inch wide) stretchy elastic Put elastic thrugh each end and tie with secure knt. Kids wear these t understand the difference between ur sterescpic frnt-riented visin and a bird r a muse's mre peripheral side-riented visin.

4 4 PRE-WALK ACTIVITIES: TO BE LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Curriculum Cnnectin: Science Organisms. Ask: What seasn is it nw? Are yu happy t see spring and warmer weather? Why r why nt? What changes des spring bring fr the animals in ur schlyard? Review the fur ways animals survive winter. Ask: What d yu think is happening t animals in each grup? Hibernate: They have wken up with the warm weather and are HUNGRY. Stay active: They dn't have t wrk s hard t find fd and shelter, and t get different kinds f fd in their diet. Die and leave eggs r larvas: The eggs are hatching int new larvas and the larvas are emerging frm their ccns r pupas as adults, all lking fr fd. Many f these will be fd themselves fr ther animals. Migrate suth: They are cming back nw that plants are grwing and insects and ther mini-creatures are available fr dinner. Ask: Hw d yu think the schlyard, wds, and wet meadw will have changed? Will there be birds r ther animals there yu didn't see in the winter? What animals? Why? D changes in weather affect animals and plants? Hw? 2. Curriculum Cnnectin: Science--Organisms. Review what all animals need t live and grw. A habitat is a place where rganisms find all these things. Ask: Is spring a better time t find things that animals need t live and grw than winter? Think abut tday's weather. Hw has the weather changed since winter and early spring? (Mre sunlight, warmer air, rain instead f snw.) Hw have habitats fr birds and ther animals in the schlyard, wds, and wet meadw changed in springtime? Are there mre fd surces? Is there better shelter bth fr prtectin frm strms and frm predatrs? (Trees have leaves, many wildflwers are grwing.) Water: The snw and ice have melted, there is mre liquid water t drink. Warmth: Lnger hurs f sunlight means warmer temperatures in the sil and air. Air: The air is warmer. Fd: Mre fd surces as plants begin t grw, and insects and wrms becme active. Shelter: Shelter will be better when mre leaves grw.

5 NATURE WALK: TO BE LED BY BIG BACKYARD VOLUNTEER 1. Observe changes since winter. Walk utside and lk arund. Ask the children: Hw has the weather and the schlyard changed since winter?

5 5 NATURE WALK: TO BE LED BY BIG BACKYARD VOLUNTEER 1. Observe changes since winter. Walk utside and lk arund. Ask the children: Hw has the weather and the schlyard changed since winter? Is it easier fr birds and ther animals in the schlyard, wds, and wet meadw t make a living? Why? Pssible answers include: Air: warmer easier fr animals t stay warm. Water: rain instead f snw; there is water t drink. Warmth Sun: higher in sky, mre hurs f sunlight. Grund: warmer, maybe muddy. Fd: mre fd surces as plants begin t grw and insects and wrms becme active. W Wildflwers (including grass): many are grwing. Trees: trees have leaves. Shelter: Better shelter, especially when mre leaves grw. 2. Lk and listen fr birds. Write bservatins n wrksheet. Walk twards the wds and meadw and lk fr birds. Lk fr rbins, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, sparrws, blue jays, crws, tree swallws, and hawks verhead. Ask: Sme f these birds spent the winter in the suth where is is warm. Why have they returned nw? (Warmer days bring better shelter and prtectin, mre fd surces, including insects as well as seeds, fruits, and nectar in flwers.) Listen fr birds. Ask: Why are they singing? D yu hear these sngs in winter? Can yu tell the different calls? (Sme sngs are t help them find a mate s they can have baby birds. Sme calls warn f danger r t sh away anther bird frm their territry.) Ask: Wuld yu like t be a bird? Why r why nt? What d yu suppse the schlyard r wds lks like frm up in the sky? Can birds d things we can't d? (Build a nest with their beak, see behind them, sing thse beautiful sngs, fly.) 3. Observe rbins. (Especially seen in early spring) Observe rbins hpping arund in the grass, lking fr wrms. (If there aren't any rbins, encurage children t talk abut their bservatins f rbins.) Ask: What are they ding? Why d they tip their heads t the side? What are they lking fr? Where are their eyes? Where are peple's eyes? (Rbins are ften seen lking fr fd. Rbin eyes are n the side f the head, human eyes are in the frnt. A rbin tips its head s that it can see better. Fd might be wrms and insects.)

6 Use the tngue depressrs t remind the children what rbins need t survive. (Warmth, fd, water, shelter, air.) Lk fr wrm castings/wrm pp (little black piles f extruded dirt in the grass). 4.

Let children pick up wrms with their hands, then ask: D birds have hands? Discuss where a bird's beak is lcated (right between its eyes!).

Better peripheral visin) Ask: What ther animals have eyes n the side f their heads? (Rabbits, mice, etc, animals that are typically lw n the fd chain, and are prey.

Cllect the eyes and yarn wrms. 5. Explre the edge areas, the tall grass and garden area. Write bservatins n wrksheet. Explre the edge f the schlyard lking fr evidence f animals and insects.

6 6 Use the tngue depressrs t remind the children what rbins need t survive. (Warmth, fd, water, shelter, air.) Lk fr wrm castings/wrm pp (little black piles f extruded dirt in the grass). 4. Use Rbin Eyes Gggles Say: We are ging t pretend t be a rbin. Shw the children hw t put n the Rbin Eyes. Let children just have fun lking with them fr a few minutes. Scatter the yarn wrms n the grund. Let children pick up wrms with their hands, then ask: D birds have hands? Discuss where a bird's beak is lcated (right between its eyes!). Discuss the advantages f having eyes n the side f yur head like a rbin. (Early warning fr danger, seeing behind and abve better than we d with eyes in the frnt. Better peripheral visin) Ask: What ther animals have eyes n the side f their heads? (Rabbits, mice, etc, animals that are typically lw n the fd chain, and are prey.) Try it again: Have children hunt fr their dinner using their fingers like a beak in frnt f their nse. Ask them t ntice whether they need t tip their head t see the yarn wrms. Cllect the eyes and yarn wrms. 5. Explre the edge areas, the tall grass and garden area. Write bservatins n wrksheet. Explre the edge f the schlyard lking fr evidence f animals and insects. Ask: Why are birds and ther animals drawn t this habitat? (Plenty f fd surces, water and shelter.) Make a list f fd surces, water, warmth and shelter. Yu may find: Fd r signs f eating: Seeds and berries, nectar in flwers. Small branches bitten ff (rabbit r deer). Insects r insect eggs (including ants and ant hills). Galls (pictured at right, many varieties). Wrm castings. Hles dug in dirt made by skunks hunting grubs. Scat: Rabbit, deer, fx, dg. Hiding places: Meadw muse tunnels. Squirrel nests and bird nests.

7 7 Lk fr bird nests. Rbins, red-winged blackbirds, and crws build nests in early spring. Many chse evergreens fr prtectin because they can hide in the needles and deciduus trees ffer n prtectin frm predatrs. Rbins use grasses and mud, with sfter grasses in the center. Crws use grasses and twigs. Sme birds use milkweed fluff r ther sft plant material. Mst birds build a new ne each spring. Sme birds build nests in lw shrubs clse t the grund, but nly after the leaves have cme ut. Nest are mre like a crib than a huse. As sn as the babies can fly they will nt return t their nest. Baby birds can fall ut f their nests. Babies ften jump ut f the nest just befre they learn t fly. Well-meaning peple smetimes take them hme t rescue them. The best thing t d if yu find a baby bird is t leave it where it is. If a baby bird has feathers it will prbably survive ut f the nest. The bird parent will mst likely cme t feed the baby. (If cats are in the neighbrhd, it is als OK t place the baby in a bx and put it up in a bush r tree fr the parent t find mst birds can t smell, s they wuld nt knw that a human tuched the baby. Dn t frget t wash yur hands with sap and water afterward.) Why can t we raise a Rbin? It is very hard t take care f baby birds. A baby bird eats every 10 minutes sun up t sun dwn. If a human baby grew as fast as a baby Rbin it wuld g frm being an infant t a fifth grader in 10 days. (1000% grwth rate r fr a human, frm 7 lbs t 70 1bs in 10 days). Birds feed their babies with wrms and insects mre than 100 times a day! 6. Explre the wds. Write bservatins n wrksheet. What signs f animals, r surces f water, shelter, and fd can children find in the wds? Wdpecker hles. Galls, tent caterpillar and ther insect egg cases. Chewed green leaves, mushrms and acrns. Many seeds and berries. Deer, fx, and rabbit scat. Animal tracks. Stne wall has hles - entrance t raccn and skunk hmes muse and chipmunk hles in the grund fx hle dug near stne wall (as yu exit wd path near tall grass) wdchuck hle (ask yur trainer).

8 8 7. Wrap up. Walk back t the schl. Give the Spring Walk Observatin Reprt t the teacher. Return all materials t the Big Backyard rm. Fill ut a Nature Walk Evaluatin and leave it in the Big Backyard rm.

9 9 Walk Leaders Spring Observatin Reprt (Please give t teacher after walk.) ANIMALS SEEN (including birds and insects)/activities OF ANIMALS: SIGNS OF BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS: HABITAT: FOOD SOURCES: HABITAT: SHELTER: Things that interested the children and questins they asked:

10 10 NATURE WALK EVALUATION (Please leave in Big Backyard Rm) Walk Leader: 1Grade and Teacher: Date: Children in Grup: 1. What parts f the walk interested the children the mst? (check all that apply) Identifying birds Animal signs The wds Rbin Eyes Hles in grund r trees The wet meadw Nests Seeing animals Edge area Fd surces Other: 2. What parts were nt successful? (check all that apply) Identifying birds Animal signs The wds Rbin Eyes Hles in grund r trees The wet meadw Nests Seeing animals Edge area Fd surces Other: 3. This walk was: (circle ne) TOO LONG JUST RIGHT TOO SHORT 4. The children seemed adequately prepared: (circle ne) YES NO 5. This was a gd wrking grup: (circle ne) YES NO 6. I felt adequately prepared t lead this walk: (circle ne) YES NO Other cmments r suggestins:

11 11 POST-WALK CURRICULUM INTEGRATION OPPORTUNITIES: TO BE CHOSEN AND LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Curriculum Cnnectin: Language Arts. Have each child pretend t be an animal in their schlyard and draw a picture f the schlyard as it wuld lk t that animal. They culd chse t be a rbin, a crw, a skunk, a grasshpper, an ant, a squirrel, a rabbit, r any ther animal that lives in the meadw r wds near the schl. They culd be in their hme r ut lking fr fd. Fr example: If yu are an ant, the blades f grass may lk like trees, many times bigger than yu are, but the dr f yur shelter will be just the right size. Or imagine that yu are a hawk saring ver the schlyard lking fr a muse. After ding the drawing, have each child write several sentences abut their animal and hw it lives. Include the animal's shelter, fd and water surces. In small grups have children share their drawings and written sentences with their friends. Pst all reprts in the rm. 2. Curriculum Cnnectin: Art/Language Arts. Fld a piece f drawing paper in half twice, then pen it up t make fur sectins. Label the sectins Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Have each child chse a bird r ther animal and draw their chice with its shelter and fd surces in each seasn. Then have the children write a shrt stry abut hw their animal lives in each seasn. Share their drawings and stry with a friend. 3. Curriculum Cnnectins: Library Research. Ask children t chse a favrite schlyard animal. Invite them t tell what is special abut that animal. Challenge students t make a list f questins abut their animal. Guide them in using library resurces r the Internet t answer these questins. Tell students that this is anther way scientists learn abut the wrld. They wnder abut things, ask questins, and try t find answers. 4. Curriculum Cnnectins: Science--Fd chains. Hand ut tngue depressrs labeled leaves, caterpillar, rbin t three children and ask them t read their stick and then take the hand f what they eat. They ve made a fd chain! Give grass, rabbit, hawk t three ther children and have them make a fd chain. Suggest that children make up ther fd chains, just verbally r using blank sticks. Acrn, squirrel, fx culd be ne. Culd they make up a fd chain fr the tree swallws r ther birds that they bserved n their walk? Lastly shw children tngue depressrs labeled seeds, chicken, peple. Are they part f a fd chain?

12 12 5. Reflectins: Thinking abut animals living in the schlyard and the Grade 1 Nature Walks. Say: We have made many discveries abut the animals in ur Big Backyard this year. What did yu like mst abut yur Nature Walks this year? Were yu surprised t learn hw many birds and ther animals live in the schlyard, marsh, and wds near ur schl? Did yu enjy learning hw these animals live? Hw can yu learn mre abut animals near yur hme r the place where yu g n vacatin? What tips wuld yu give smene wh wants t d this? (Lk fr fd surces, walk quietly, bserve clsely, etc.)

1 Grade 1 Winter Hastings GRADE 1 WINTER NATURE WALK Animals and What They Need to Survive

1 Grade 1 Winter Hastings GRADE 1 WINTER NATURE WALK Animals and What They Need to Survive 1 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 OBJECTIVES: GRADE 1 WINTER NATURE WALK Animals and What They Need t Survive Observe seasnal changes in schlyard since fall. Learn what happens in winter t animals typically