Spring Saturday SAVY, Week 2, Animal Connections (1st-2nd)
Greetings! This week, Animal Connections was really fun! We started by continuing to learn about plants and the importance of them to the whole planet! The kids designed plants that would fit in the habitat of their choice and shared their ideas with the group. We learned about unusual plants and even learned about kudzu. Did you know that scientists brought in kudzu from Asia to help with erosion in the south only to find it had no predators and would take over everything?
The role of humans in the environment is really important, and we learned about exhausting nutrients in the soil, the Dust Bowl and dust storms that occurred in the 1900s, and how we had to relearn how to grow plants and rotate crops to resupply the soils with nutrients to prevent future disasters.
We then read The Great Kapok Tree, which is about the Amazon rainforest, and we studied how the rainforest is like the lungs of the planet. We looked at maps showing what has been burned and cleared and had a wonderful discussion about the importance of the plants and animals that live there.
Since the weather was nice, we went outside and played a fun game called Squirrels in the Trees. It highlights how important the balance is for plants and animals and for predators and prey. Every child got to be a habitat, a fox, or a squirrel, and as we changed the numbers of trees, prey, and predators, we saw how it upset the balance of the ecosystem. They ran a lot (it’s like a game of tag), so they may have slept on the way home! However, they loved it and hated having to stop!
We then went inside and made dice, which will be used for an activity next week, and we learned about biomes and animals with unusual adaptations. We started with the oceans and the octopus family. They were mesmerized by the mimic octopus, which tried to camouflage itself as other animals! There is so much to learn about the oceans! Did you know we know more about the moon than our oceans?
Next week, we will be tying it all together. They have been such a great group! I can hardly wait to see what they come up with next Saturday! Have a wonderful week!
Dr. Mall