Fantastic Flight

We had lots of fun today learning about a truly amazing adaptation: flight. We started with an outside game of spiders and flies, and then came inside for morning circle. Our greeting was a challenging one: we tossed one, two then three bean bags to friends across the circle, saying good morning.  Kids had to pay attention because as soon as they tossed one, they had to catch another! It was silly but fun.

 Kids shared some interesting home projects about camouflage. They remembered our password from last time, warning coloration, and another type: disruptive coloration.

 

Our stretch was a raptor stretch: we “flew” around the room, pretending to be different kinds of hawks in flight.

Our morning activity was all about designing a flying contraption using only paper. Some kids made paper airplanes. Others cut out bird shapes. Then we took them outside for a test flight, checking them for how aerodynamic they were.

We spent lots of time playing at one of our favorite spots, behind Frog Pond. We bounced on the trampoline tree, collected black walnuts and climbed the ladder tree.

 

Then we headed through the woods to the hibernaculum. Sure enough, the garter snakes were out sunning themselves, and just about everyone who wanted to got a turn holding them. After saying goodbye to the snakes we went to the pond to see what we could see. Lots of robins looking for worms, insects swimming, and even a dead fish!

 

After lunch kids worked hard on their journals, thinking about how the adaptation of flight could help humans make the world a better place. We discussed feathers and how well adapted they are for bird flight. Then we projected the live red tail cam that Cornell University has up on its campus. You can check it out at home here. We got a good look at the mom and dad red-tail hawks and their three eggs! They are expected to hatch in a month or so, so we will be sure to keep tabs on it. 

 Last we read Gertrude McFuzz, a story about a bird who wants to get more feathers so she can look pretty. But then she gets greedy and grows so many feathers that she can’t fly anymore! 

Next week we're heading to UMASS for a reptile and amphibian field trip! We'll be taking the PVTA bus so please keep lunches extra portable (Diana and I will be carrying them) and send sturdy shoes for lots of walking.

Clever Camouflage

My oh my!  Spring has sprung for sure this week!  We had a 75+ degree day yesterday for our second homeschool class of the session, and signs of spring were everywhere!

 

We began with a good healthy dose of Fishy Fishy Cross My Ocean, then we came inside for morning circle. Seal LaMadeleine joined us for the day as a helper, which was great because Diana is off on spring break this week! We shared our names and then greeted each other with the roll the ball greeting. 

We shared home projects next. Kids did a wonderful job thinking at home about how plants and animals look and WHY. For example, a dragonfly has a long abdomen that could help it balance. And flowers have leaves that extend past their petals so they can still absorb sunlight.

 

We sang a silly song about an animal who was most definitely NOT camouflaged: an “elegant” elephant, riding a bike in the air! 

 

We read the schedule and morning message and began a discussion about the daily theme: camouflage. Turns out there is a lot more to camouflage than just blending in with your surroundings. We learned some other ways animals use coloration to survive, including our password of the day, warning coloration. Then for our morning activity kids went around the room and found examples of the different kinds of camouflage. I was so impressed with their creativity!

 

  

Matching color is the traditional meaning of camouflage: blending in with your habitat to not be seen by a predator.

Disruptive coloration is when an animal has a seemingly distinct pattern but it actually serves as camouflage because it makes the outline of the animal’s body harder to see.

 

Warning coloration is pretty much the opposite of camouflage: standing out with bright patterns or colors to let a predator know that you are poisonous or taste bad.

 

Mimicry is when one non-poisonous animal mimics a poisonous one to send the same message to predators.

  

Countershading is when an animal is darkly colored on top or back and lightly colored on the bottom or belly. This keeps them from being seen from above because the dark blends in with the ground. And it keeps them from being seen from below because the light blends in with the bright sky. Lots of underwater animals use this technique but many birds do as well.

 

Masking is when an animal “decorates” its body with objects from its surroundings to blend in.

After snack we embarked on our outdoor adventure – many of us in t-shirts and shorts! First, kids walked the “un-nature trail” a series of objects I had placed on the trail in the morning. They spotted many of them, but some blended in well with the woods!

 

We got lots of practice hiding from each other too. Kids had worn their best camouflage clothing and everyone got turns hiding and blending in with their surroundings. Check out the photos below: yes, there are children in them!

 

After playing camouflage, we went to the hibernaculum to find garter snakes. Sure enough, there were many of them, at least seven! Most homeschoolers who wanted to got a chance to hold them! 

 

 

We checked out the praying mantis egg cases, but they didn’t seem to have hatched yet. Kids did find frogs though and we spotted some snails and insects swimming around in the pond. Funny – wasn’t there a snowstorm just two weeks ago?

 

 

At journal time, kids brainstormed about how camouflage could help humans or the Earth. Each class we will be returning to this idea of how humans can learn from animal adaptations to make the world a better place.

 

Last of all, Seal and I put on a play about animals camouflaging themselves for a surprise birthday party. It was a hoot!