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

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Neal McBride
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1 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 fund in the schlyard. (Migrate, stay active, hibernate, lay eggs and die.) Understand hw birds and ther animals survive cld weather. Discver fd, water and shelter available fr animals that spend winter in the schlyard, Explre fr tracks, scat, and ther signs f animals. PREPARATION: Schedule walk fr January r early February, befre vacatin. Walk first thing in the mrning befre ther classes cme ut fr recess. If yu g ut several days after a new snw the kids can find mre tracks. Walk shuld last abut 30 minutes. Winter walks are always shrter than spring and fall nes. Dn't stay ut lnger than the cmfrt level f the children allws. Children need bts and warm clthing. (Teacher shuld send reminder t parents night befre walk) On the day f walk leaders shuld g ut befre they lead children. Yur steps will lay in a path thrugh the snw t leads t any tracks yu bserve. Kids shuld fllw this path n their walk. MATERIALS: Clipbard and pencil, Winter Walk Observatin Reprt fr walk leaders; Cmmn Winter Birds, Tracks, and Scat ID sheets. 1 set f tngue depressrs fr each grup: " fd, water, warmth, air, shelter". Hand lenses apprximately ne fr every 2 children. (ptinal) ACTIVITIES Explre the wds, edge f the marsh, and wet meadw, bserving and identifying animals, signs f animals tracks and scat and surces f fd, warmth, and shelter. Walk leader fills ut Winter Walk Observatin Reprt during walk.

2 2 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 PRE-WALK ACTIVITIES: TO BE LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Science cnnectin: Investigating Light and Shadws. If yu are teaching the Investigating Light and Shadws unit, ask if the children have a lnger r shrter time t play utside nw after schl cmpared t the beginning f the schl year. Nte that the sun, the surce f warmth fr the Earth, is lwer in the sky and the days are shrter, s the air is cler. 2. Encurage the children t think abut their fall Big Backyard walk. Ask: What did yu discver in the fall? What was the weather like? Hw have these things changed? What d yu expect t see nw? 3. Science cnnectin: Organisms. Review the basic needs f all animals. Ask children t help yu t list the things animals need t survive. Pst these n chart paper r the bard. Fd Water Shelter Warmth Air 4. Ask: What animal fd surces and shelter did yu find in the fall in yur Big Backyard? (Berries, nuts, seeds, leaves including grass.) What d yu expect t find nw? Why might they be different nw than in the fall? Hw have the wds, edge f the marsh, and wet meadw changed? (Water may be frzen; leaves have fallen and flwers have died, nuts and berries may have been eaten already.) 5. Discuss prper clthing fr a winter walk. Wearing thick layers helps. A hat keeps in heat frm yur head, (yu can lse 1/3 f yur bdy heat thrugh yur head and neck!), and mittens keep hands warm. Bts with an extra pair f scks can help t. If yu dn't have extra scks r bts a small plastic bag inside yur she (ver yur scks) is a gd insulatr frm the wet and cld. 6. ON THE DAY OF THE WALK, BEFORE GOING OUT: Review the ways in which animals survive ver the winter with its lw temperatures and limited fd and liquid water supplies: a) Migrate. Animals leave the area and return in the spring. b) Lay eggs and die. Insects and spiders may d this. (Remember, Charltte the spider laid eggs and died!) Insects may als verwinter as pupae (ccns r chrysalises), r even as adults. c) Stay active. d) Hibernate. Animals bdies slw dwn: their bdy temperature drps, they dn't breath very ften and their heart desn't beat very ften. In the fall, animals that hibernate get ready fr winter by eating extra fd and string it as bdy fat. They use this fat

3 3 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 fr energy while hibernating. Ask the children: Can yu name sme furry animals that hibernate? (Many will say bears!) Scientists tell us that there are nly three true hibernating mammals f New England: the wdchuck, jumping muse, and brwn bat. Bears, skunks, raccns, and chipmunks becme inactive and sleep fr part f the winter, but they dn t really hibernate. Insects, reptiles and amphibians, all cld blded, als slw their bdies dwn in the cld when they cannt eat t use less energy. Hibernatin exercise: a) Ask the children t breathe as they always d but t cunt silently every time they take a breath. Have them start when yu say "g" and time them fr a minute. Usually the cunt is 15 t 20, but accept whatever they cme up with. b) Tell them that a wdchuck breathes nrmally abut 30 times a minute, but when it is hibernating it breaths nly nce every 6 minutes! c) Ask children t see hw lng they can hld their breath. Again time them. Often the best they can d is 45 secnds. This helps them t understand what hibernating means--that an animal s bdy just slws dwn. 7. ON THE DAY OF THE WALK- (BY TEACHER OR BIG BACKYARD VOLUNTEER) Say: Think abut the animals that are active near the schl in the winter. Make a list f animals, including birds, yu think are active. Pssibilities include squirrels (red, gray, and flying), rabbits, deer, raccns, skunks, pssums, fxes, rabbits, muskrats, Eastern cyte, and several species f mice. Then there are the birds: the seed-eaters such as chickadees, sparrws, juncs, blue jays, and cardinals, as well as crws, wdpeckers, hawks and wls. Smetimes even rbins are seen in winter flcks. (Jurney Nrth wants reprts f these in February: On yur winter walk yu will lk nt nly fr animals and signs f animals, but fr fd surces and shelter. Are sme animals fd fr ther animals? (Yes.) D sme animals have t hide while they search fr fd? (Yes, mice ften tunnel under grass r snw as they lk fr fd. This way hawks can t see them against the snw.) TRACK BLANKET: Bring ut the track blanket but hide the names f the animals n the bttm. Try t get the children t guess hw tall the animal is by hw far apart the steps are, t guess which animals are large r small, t guess which track was a bird's ft, a hf, a paw. Can they find a track made by a tail? Stress these bservatins are mre imprtant than prperly identifying the specific animal that made a track. Shw hw clse the rabbit and the squirrel track are in appearance. Shw names after these bservatins.

4 4 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 NATURE WALK: TO BE LED BY BIG BACKYARD VOLUNTEER 1. Observe changes since fall. Walk utside and lk slwly arund. Ask the children: Hw has the schlyard changed since last fall? Pssible answers include: Air: clder. Water: frzen. Wildflwers: mstly cvered by snw, a few seeds abve the snw. Trees: leaves gne. Insects: gne Sun: lw in sky, lnger shadws, fewer hurs f sunlight. Grund: frzen hard and (may be) cvered by snw. 2. While walking, ask hw d animals spend the winter? Migrate: They travel t ther places where the weather is warmer r they can find fd. Many birds and sme insects (ntably mnarchs) migrate in the fall. Stay active: Changes take place in their bdies r behavir. Grwing thicker fur helps sme animals stay warm. Animals that have fur are called mammals. They may gather extra fd in the fall and stre it, r eat different kinds f fd. Hibernate: Their bdy slws dwn, their bdy temperature drps, they dn't breath very ften and their heart desn't beat very ften. In the fall, animals that hibernate get ready fr winter by eating extra fd and string it as bdy fat. They use this fat fr energy while hibernating. Ask the children: What mammals hibernate? (Many will say bears!) Scientists tell us that there are nly three true hibernating mammals f New England: the wdchuck, jumping muse, and brwn bat. Bears, skunks, raccns, and chipmunks becme inactive and sleep fr part f the winter, but they dn t really hibernate. Lay Eggs and Die (especially true fr sme insects) 3. While walking, discuss what mammals, insects, and birds, need t survive: Fd, water, shelter, warmth, air Ask: What d all animals need in rder t live? (Fd, water, shelter, warmth, air.) If it is warm enugh, take ut the sticks with these wrds n them and hand each t a child wh mentins a need n the stick. Sme children can't yet read, but this helps dramatize the infrmatin and invlve the children. Ask: Hw d the changes f winter affect the birds and ther animals that live near the schl? (Make it harder t find fd and liquid water, make it harder t stay warm.)

5 5 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 Ask: Where can active animals find these things, especially fd, water, and shelter frm winter s strms and cld? Ask: What kinds f fd might an animal find? (Berries, nuts, seeds, larva, dead animals, etc.) Ask: What kinds f shelter might an animal find? (Burrws, hles in trees r in the grund, brush piles, nests, stne walls, etc.) Nte that sme animals cme ut f their shelters at night t lk fr fd. Ask: What animals are active here nw that it is winter? Which have yu seen? Sme animals nly cme ut at night but we can see their ft prints r tracks. (Mammals include squirrels--red, gray, and flying--rabbits, deer, raccns, skunks, pssums, fxes, rabbits, muskrats, Eastern cyte, and several species f mice.) If we walk in a line, in yur walk leaders tracks, we will nt step n the animal tracks we are trying t lk at. 4. Explre the wds, meadw, and edge f marsh lking fr fd and water surces and shelter. Recrd discveries. Fd surces: Larvae in galls and tree bark are fd fr birds. Oak branches and leaves ften have galls. Wdpeckers make hles in trunks t eat larvae in tree bark Dried berries, nuts, seeds, acrns and pine cnes. Break pen a multiflra rse hip and shw children that it is all hard seeds inside. Birds and ther animals eat them in the winter when ther fd is nt available. Lk fr twigs bitten ff at a 45 degree angle by rabbits. Shelter: Lk int tree tps fr bird nests and perhaps a squirrel nest. Hles: in the grund, stne walls, in trees, in brush piles Lk fr meadw muse tunnels under the snw. Mice build tunnels and travel under the snw. Ask: What might happen t them if they were n tp f the snw? (Many predatrs--hawks, wl, fx-- hunt meadw mice.)

6 6 Grade 1 Winter Hastings Lk fr signs f animals: Tracks. (See supplemental sheets.) Recrd discveries. On a surface f fresh snw, ask children t make ftprints f a persn: walking. jumping. running. Ask: If yu didn t see the persn making the tracks, what culd yu tell abut the persn and hw they were mving? (Size f the persn frm the size and depth f track, type f bts frm the pattern f track, type f mvement frm spacing f tracks.) If yu find animal tracks in the snw, draw a circle in the snw arund interesting tracks and ask children nt t g inside yur circle. Ask: What animal might have made the tracks? What makes yu think s? (Ask children t supprt their ideas with evidence, rather than accept wild guesses.) Was the animal running, leaping r hpping, r walking? Hw d yu knw? Which way was it ging? What makes yu think that? (Lk fr tes r tenails n the frnt f the paw print this is nt always clear, hwever.) Fllw the tracks. What was the animal ding? Rabbits and squirrels put their frnt feet dwn and then place their rear feet ahead f them as they leap. The frnt feet make smaller tracks than the back feet in these animals. It can be hard t tell which way these animals are ging unless yu see their te prints! Rabbits: Grund leapers put frnt feet dwn ne at a time. (A rabbit's frnt feet are usually placed ne ahead f the ther, diagnally.) Squirrels: Tree leapers put frnt feet dwn side by side tgether. (A squirrel's frnt feet are usually placed side by side.) Their track pattern lks like tw exclamatin pints. Mice: Muse tracks lk like tiny versins f squirrel exclamatin pint tracks, and may have a tail drag line between the tracks. Ask them t bend ver n all furs and hp r leap like a bunny r squirrel. Challenge them t mve their back legs arund and in frnt f their frnt (arms) legs as they hp like a rabbit.

7 7 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009

8 8 Grade 1 Winter Hastings Lk fr signs f animals and recrd discveries: Scat (see supplemental sheets) and wl pellets. Lk fr animal scat. Cmmn scat can be fund frm rabbit, fx, dg, deer, squirrel, muse (in grass tunnels), raccn*, and cyte,. Children shuld nt tuch scat. Yu may use a stick t see if there are bnes r fur in scat (fx and cyte scat have bnes and fur). *Dn t d this if raccn scat is very pwdery, as it may cntain parasites that can be breathed in. Occasinally an wl pellet may be fund under a tree. This is usually an val shaped ball f fur and bnes frm mice r ther small animals. It has been regurgitated frm an wl s muth, s it is nt cnsidered scat. 7. Identify cmmn mammals, birds, and insects seen n the walk and recrd discveries. Cmmn mammals may include: Squirrels, dgs, and rabbits. Cmmn winter birds may include: Chickadees, blue jays, sparrws, Dwny wdpeckers, crws, Canada geese, red-tailed hawks, juncs, starlings, and cardinals. On a warm winter day, yu may even see flying insects r snw fleas, an insectlike animal jumping n the snw surface.) 8. Wrap up. Snw Fleas are nt fleas at all, but a type f insect called a springtail. They d jump like fleas, thus the name. Snw Fleas are dark blue and abut 1/16 inch lng. On warm winter days, Snw Fleas will becme active and lk fr fd. They may be seen in large numbers, like black pepper, n the snw surface. ( Walk back t the schl. Give the Winter 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 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 POST-WALK CURRICULUM INTEGRATION OPPOPTUNITIES: TO BE CHOSEN AND LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Language Arts cnnectin: Nn-fictin writing. Encurage children t talk abut hw difficult it is fr birds and ther animals t manage t find fd, shelter and warmth in the winter in Lexingtn. Make a class list f fd surces, shelters, and signs f animals they fund n their Big Backyard walk. Ask children t write an illustrated accunt f what they saw n their walk. Have them use wrds n the list. 2. Art and Science cnnectin. Cllect pictures f lcal animals in winter frm magazines, r use children s artwrk, t make a mural f the schlyard. Have children draw the habitats near the schl. Be sure that the habitat includes fd surces and shelters. Ask children t put the pictures f the animals n the mural in the crrect habitat. 3. Language Arts cnnectin: Nn-fictin reading. G t the library and read bks abut animals in winter. Sme gd selectins: a) Arnsky, Jim. Musekin s Wdland Hme. b) Bancrft, Henrietta. Animals in Winter. (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) (Paperback). c) Brett, Kam. The Mitten. (Putnam, 1989 ISBN X. Grades PreK and up.) d) Bunting, Eve. Red Fx Running. (Clarin, 1993 ISBN Grades PreK and up.) e) Dendy, Leslie A. Tracks, Scats and Signs. f) Every Autumn Cmes the Bear. (Putnam, 1993 ISBN Grades PreK and up.) g) Jhnsn, Jinny. Animal Tracks and Signs: Over 400 Animals frm Big Cats t Backyard Birds. h) Lewis, Rb. Henrietta's First Winter. (Farrar, 1990 ISBN Grades PreK and up.) i) Miller, Edna, Musekin s Wdland Sleepers. j) San Suci, Daniel. Nrth Cuntry Night. (Dubleday, 1990 ISBN X. Grades PreK and up.) k) Selsam, Millicent Ellis. Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Fllwing Animal Prints (Revised). l) Ylen, Jane. Owl Mn. (Philmel, 1987 ISBN Grades K and up.)

10 10 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 Walk Leaders Winter Walk 1Observatin 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:

11 11 Grade 1 Winter Hastings 2009 NATURE WALK EVALUATION (Please leave in Big Backyard Rm) Walk Leader: 2Grade and Teacher: Date: Children in Grup: 1. What parts f the walk interested the children the mst? (check all that apply) Animal tracks Animal signs The wds Scat Hles in grund r trees The wet meadw Seeds and nuts Seeing animals Edge area Galls Identifying birds Nests Other: 2. What parts were nt successful? (check all that apply) Animal tracks Animal signs The wds Scat Hles in grund r trees The wet meadw Seeds and nuts Seeing animals Edge area Galls Identifying birds Nests 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:

BOWMAN GRADE 1 WINTER NATURE WALK Animals and What They Need to Survive

Grade One Winter Page 1/14 BOWMAN GRADE 1 WINTER NATURE WALK Animals and What They Need t Survive OBJECTIVES: Observe seasnal changes in schlyard since fall. Learn what happens in winter t animals typically