WE SPY!
We Spy with our four little eyes this animal that lives on the prairie! This member of the canine family is found not just on the prairie, but across North America. Can you guess who we spy?
mammals
MANATEE APPRECIATION DAY!!
MANATEE APPRECIATION DAY!!
It’s Manatee Appreciation Day! We love these gentle marine mammals! We have visited them in places in Florida before. We’re going to share some fun facts about the fabulous animals and a great craft you can make too!
- Manatees are also called sea cows.
- They live in coastal waters and rivers in the Southeastern U.S. and Central and South America.
- They have strong flat tails.
- Their nostrils sit on top to help them breathe air.
- Manatees are herbivores. They eat algae and grasses.
- They have no natural predators.
- Manatees are slow moving.
- They can weigh up to 1,300 lbs.
- Manatees are endangered.
- Their closest relatives are the elephant and the rock hyrax. Hey- they’re related to Ellie!
Manatees are endangered due to things like boat strikes and pollution (they get caught in fishing nets). Many people are working to protect these beautiful gentle giants. A great way to help them- Never put trash in the ocean or rivers! Human’s pollution is devastating on our wild animal friends. Also check out Save the Manatee Club– they work very hard to protect manatees!
You can also make our great manatee bookmark and share your love of these animals with your friends or color our manatee with a cup of tea coloring page!
NARWHALS! NARWHALS!
NARWHALS! NARWHALS!
We visited our local aquarium the other day and we reminded how much we love the unicorns of the sea! These amazing creatures are often thought of as mythical creatures, but trust us they are not! Come learn all about them with us!
MEET THE NARWHAL!
Range/Habitat: Arctic/Arctic Ocean
Diet: Carnivore: cod, mollusks, crustaceans
Length/Weight: 13-20 ft/ 2000-3,500 lbs
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Fun facts:
- The Narwhal is often called the unicorn of the sea.
- They have the most northerly range of any mammal on the planet.
- Narwhals have a modified upper incisor tooth that grows up to 9ft long.
- This tooth looks like a horn. It grows through the upper mouth and is seen mostly in male Narwhals, but females can have small tusks. Scientists aren’t completely sure what the purpose of the tusk is, but think it might be for attracting females.
- The long tusk is made of ivory, just like an elephants tusks! Tusks are spiraled.
- Narwhals have a thick layer of blubber, like other arctic animals that help keep them warm in the cold water.
- Narwhals swim in groups called pods. Pods can include as many as 1000 individuals.
- Narwhals are very communicative and use a wide range sounds, including clicks and whistles.
- They suck food through their powerful lips and tongue.
Narwhals are amazing animals! They survive in very cold waters and grow this awesome long tusk that makes them look unique! If you could pick a crazy adaptation like tusks what would it be? We’re still deciding on what we would like! Look for our narwhal Christmas ornament craft later this week too!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, oceans, science, wildlife
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WE SPY!!
We’re ready to share the animal we spy this week! We’re just leaving you the picture with no clue! Can you guess who we spy?
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
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WE SPY!!
WE SPY!!
We spy with our own little eyes an animal in Southeast Asia. This animal has a prehensile tail and smells like popcorn! Do you know who we spotted?
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
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WE SPY!!
WE SPY!!
It’s time for We Spy this week! We spotted this animal in the alps of Europe! This wild member of the goat family has some mad climbing skills! The males are known for their large horns! Can you guess who we spy?
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife
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SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!
SCIENCE WORD OF THE WEEK!
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!
Can you spot us on the map? We’re heading to the Rocky Mountains tomorrow!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, vocabulary, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, mammals, nature, science, vocabulary, wildlife
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Happy Happy Hippos!
Happy Happy Hippos!
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!
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.
- 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!
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!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife
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WE SPY!!!
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?
HEDGEHOGS!!
HEDGEHOGS!!
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!
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.
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!
Categories: adventure, Animals, Children, conservation, education, Environment, mammals, nature, science, Uncategorized, wildlife
Tags: adventure, animals, children, conservation, education, environment, nature, science, wildlife
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Today’s Post
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 