conservation

SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!

swow ruminant

Hello and welcome to class! I hope you enjoyed learning about hippos yesterday! Today we are talking about animals with funny stomachs! Let’s get right to it!

Today’s Science Word is Ruminant: an animal that has more than one stomach or a chambered stomach. Ruminants swallow their food and then regurgitate it and chew it again. Ruminants include cows and sheep!

I picked this word because we are quickly approaching the Lunar New Year and it’s the year of the sheep or ram! Ellie and Edmond wanted to celebrate by meeting some wild members of the sheep family- tomorrow they head to Rocky Mountains to meet some Bighorn Sheep- who are ruminants! Until then, enjoy a Bighorn sheep coloring sheet!

bighorn sheep coloring sheet

Can you spot us on the map? We’re heading to the Rocky Mountains tomorrow!

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Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, vocabulary, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Happy Hippos!

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Happy Happy Hippos!

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Yesterday was  International Hippo Day! We may be celebrating a day late but they are one of our favorites, so bring on the fun hippo happenings!

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Fun Hippo Facts:

  • Hippopotamuses means “river horse” in Greek.
  • They spend up to 16 hours a day in water!
  • Hippos are herbivores.
  • Hippos can hold their breath for 5 minutes.
  • Their nostrils,ears and eyes are located on top of their heads. They can be mostly submerged with their nose and eyes above water.

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  • Hippos sweat a pink liquid to help them keep cool and it acts as  a sunblock when they are out of water.
  • They can eat up to 80 lbs of vegetation a day!
  • They do have large incisors made of ivory.
  • Hippos are very territorial.
  • Hippos can run up to 30 mph on land!
  • There are two species, the hippopotamus and the pygmy hippo!
  • Hippos closest living relative is the whale!

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We just love these hippos! They have a reputation for being grumpy Guses, but they are just territorial! We especially love the pygmy hippo- small, round and plump! Enjoy a hippo coloring sheet and tell us why you love hippos!

hippo coloring sheet

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BUILD A NEST AND THEY WILL COME!

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

BUILD A NEST AND THEY WILL COME!

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and we wanted to talk birds! We met some birds who do some fancy building when they are looking for a mate! First up- the Bowerbird!

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  • Male Bowerbirds build large courtship sites.
  • They build a tunnel like avenue and courtyard called a bower!
  • Bowerbirds live in Australia.
  • A female will inspect the bower and decide if the male is worth mating with.
  • Watch this video by David Attenborough about these birds!
  • Scientists also think Bowerbirds make an optical illusion with their bowers! These birds are soooo cool!

 

Meet the Hammerkop

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  • Hammerkops live in Africa and Madagascar.
  • A pair of hammerkops build a nest together.
  • The nests can be up to 5ft across, can have many chambers and weigh up to 55 lbs.
  • They are wading birds.
  • They build the largest nest of any bird in Africa.
  • Abandon nests are used by many other species.

These two species of birds are quiet amazing! That is loads of work to attract a mate and have chicks! We are tired just thinking about all that nest building! Anyone out there planning on building a nest for their Valentine this year?

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, birds, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WE SPY!!

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WE SPY!!

binoculars-we spy

We were so excited when Professor Tamandua picked fossil for the Science Word! Today’s animal that we spy is often called a living fossil. There are fossils of this reptile that are 37 million years old. Can you guess the animal that we spot?

guess

WHO IS IT?

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SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!

swow fossil

Welcome back to class everyone! We’re talking about old things today! Are you ready to talk about fossils?

Today’s Science Word of the Week is Fossil: a fossil is a preserved animal or plant. A fossil must be 10,000 years old. There are two kinds of fossils- body and trace. A body fossil is the actual remains (ex. bones and eggs). A trace fossil is the remains of activity, like a footprint or imprint.

Fossils give scientist great information on ancient animals, plants and habitats! Scientists who study fossils are called paleontologists.

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One of our favorite fossils is Sue the T Rex at the Chicago Field Museum! She is the most complete T Rex ever found!

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, vocabulary, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WE SPY!!!

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

WE SPY!!

binoculars-we spy

After all the fun talking about groundhogs and hedgehogs, we decided to go exploring the woodland habitat where groundhogs live. We spied an animal is very destructive to the local habitat and it’s not humans! Can you guess who we spied?

guess

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HEDGEHOGS!!

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

HEDGEHOGS!!

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Well who read our history of Groundhog Day yesterday? If you missed it- you can catch up here.  Before there was a Groundhog Day, Romans used hedgehogs to help predict the weather. We thought because of this history we’d talk about hedgehogs today! Learn some facts and download a hedgehog coloring sheet!

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Hedgehog Fun Facts:

  • Hedgehogs are found throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.
  • Hedgehogs route in grasses, bushes and hedges in search of their favorite prey- insects and grubs.
  • They often make a grunting noise while routing around for their prey.
  • Hedgehogs have an excellent sense of smell and hearing.
  • Hedgehogs are nocturnal.
  • They are covered in spines that are made up of the protein keratin. The spines are semi-hollow.
  • Hedgehogs have around 7,000 spines.
  • Hedgehogs ball up when threatened.
  • Hedgehogs hibernate in colder climates and rest during hot, dry seasons in hotter climates.
  • Hedgehogs are generally solitary.

hedgie

We love hedgehogs for so many reasons! Many people love to have them around their gardens because they eat insects that can destroy their foliage. We know we would love to have one in our garden!

hedgie color

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Weather Predicting Woodchuck!

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

Meet a Weather Predicting Woodchuck…

Otherwise known as:

groundhog day UEE

It’s the day where groundhogs all around the United States predict the weather! This tradition goes back many years, so today I’m going to share some fun facts about these rodents!

groundhog

  • Groundhogs are also known as the Woodchuck.
  • Groundhogs live in North America in woodland and grassland habitats.
  • They are herbivore and eat seeds, fruits, grasses and the occasional insect.
  • Groundhogs are rodents and are the largest member of the ground squirrel or marmot family.
  • They are excellent at climbing and swimming.
  • Groundhogs burrow in the ground.
  • They gorge all fall to fatten up for their hibernation.

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  • Groundhogs hibernate in the winter.
  • They are known to whistle when threatened.

Groundhogs are great little creatures! Who knew they were related to squirrels? Do you have a famous groundhog where you live?  Get out your crayons and pencils class and enjoy this groundhog coloring sheet! -Professor Tamandua!

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Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This is Urchin…

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

This is Urchin…

Hehe! We just love a good pun! While we were exploring the kelp forests of Monterey Bay, we discovered these amazing creatures! They look like pin cushions, but they are live animals!

purple sea urchin

Range/Habitat: Southern Canada to Southern California/ coastal oceans, kelp forests
Diet: Herbivore: kelp, algae
Length: up to 3 inches in diameter
Conservation Status: vulnerable

Fun Facts:

  • Purple sea urchins are related to sea stars and sand dollars.
  • They have tube feet, pincers and purple spines. They use those tube feet to help move themselves.
  • Purple sea urchins call the rocky bottom of the kelp forest their home.
  • Sea otters and sunflower stars love to eat purple sea urchins!
Sunflower stars can swallow a purple urchin whole!

Sunflower stars can swallow a purple urchin whole!

Sea otters who consume large amounts of purple urchins have purple teeth!

Sea otters who consume large amounts of purple urchins have purple teeth!

 

  • Purple sea urchins can destroy a kelp forest if their numbers are not kept in check.
  • Young sea urchins have green spines!
  • Purple sea urchins breathe through their tube feet.

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Purple sea urchins are so cool! They are integral parts of the kelp forest habitat. They even have five segments, kind of like sea stars! We think we’ll stay away from those pointy spines though!

 

 

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SEA OTTERS!

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Ellie and Edmond ©

SEA OTTERS!!

e & e otter

 We know we are aware of how stinking cute otters are! These comical creatures have faced being endangered over the years, but with the help of conservationists their numbers are increasing. Come learn some fun facts about these ottertastic mammals!

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Sea Otter Fun Facts:

  • Sea Otters are members of the weasel family!
  • Sea Otters live in the Pacific ocean along the North American shore and the Northern Asian shore.
  • Sea Otters spend most of their time in water. They will occasionally come ashore to rest.
  • Sea Otters’ fur is water repellant and very thick. They can have up to 1 million furs per square inch.
  • Sea Otters role in order to trap air bubbles in their fur. The air bubbles help keep them warm.
  • Sea Otters are often found floating on the surface of kelp forests. They will even wrap the kelp around themselves to keep anchored while sleeping
  • Sea Otters groom themselves constantly. This helps keep their fur clean and waterproof. 
  • Sea Otters use rocks to break some of their prey, including crabs and sea urchins.
  • Sea Otters help keep the balance in a kelp forest. One of their favorite prey, sea urchins eat kelp; and without the otters to keep the urchin population in check, the kelp would be gone!

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There are so many reasons to love sea otters and to protect them! There are many organizations that are working hard to make sure otters have a future in our oceans! Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great sea otter program.

What do you love about otters?

Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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