Our lesson started out with a short discussion about our community around us. I told the kids that we live in a house in our community. When we are hungry we go to the store to get food, and when we are thirsty we turn on the faucet to get a drink. I asked them if bird nests had faucets and they all thought I was really silly! We talked about what animals do to get food and water and also compared how we keep warm in our house to how animals keep warm in their nests or homes. We compared animal habitats to our community to see how things were similar and different and even realized that we have an animal habitat in our own backyards! It was a very good discussion and the kids were very good at answering questions and thinking about different animals and their homes.
Some new words for today were shelter, habitat, prey, and community.
This is a picture from the book we read by Bert Kitchen
After our short discussion, we read the book And So They Build by Bert Kitchen. The illustrations on this book are amazing and it really got the kids interested in finding out what different animal homes looked like. The book covers animals from birds to beavers, it is a great informational book about different, interesting, animal homes.
After the book, the kids did a worksheet and then a group activity to match the correct animal to their habitat, and then we had snack. I tried a new blueberry muffin recipe and it was actually really good. They gobbled up their snack, and then went on to draw animals of their own on paper and talk about what type of homes they lived in.
Then, we read one more book Over in the Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats (this is one of my favorite books, but my copy is starting to fall apart), and the kids played until everyone had to go home for lunch.
It was a great morning, except for the fact that Everett was having a bad time with his teeth, and VERY whiny… so he was tired, clingy and cranky most of the morning.
After everyone left, I really needed a break from a whiny baby, so I decided Everett needed a car ride to get a good nap. So we packed our lunch, hopped in the van, and drove to the Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge to look at some buffalo, elk and see if we could spot any interesting birds.
As soon as we pulled into the area where they let the animals roam, we spotted 12 elk, grazing right near the road. This was the first time I have ever seen elk there. They didn’t have any antlers, so at first I hesitated to tell Ethan they were elk. We sat there for quite a long time, windows down, enjoying watching them and eating our lunch. The buffalo were further away, so we didn't get a good view, but it was fun to sit and watch the elk.
Bufflao in the distance
Meadowlark
After the elk started to move away, we drove through the rest of the preserve and spotted a few birds we knew from our bird field guide. We sat in the van, windows down, a few times just to listen to the sounds outside. Then, while listening to a pretty song from a bird we couldn't spot, we finally saw it sitting on a branch and grabbed a picture. It turned out to be a Meadowlark. This was my first time seeing one.
We drove home and while we pulled into the driveway, Everett woke up from his nap. I was so thankful he had a nice, long rest.
