A quick update

The owls had fun learning about animals around Davis and exploring different habitats. They saw animals in their habitats during field trips and around the school. Last week the kids learned more about owls and made a class poster summarizing the information they learned. They were really excited to dissect owl pellets and find numerous bones (pictures below).

The magpies have been busy learning about plants and taking care of the garden. They are currently working on a (each student is making their own) plant book. They have learned about and looked at seeds, roots, stems, leaves, stomata and flowers. They also learned the biological definition of fruits and vegetables and dissected a few samples in order to classify them. Some kids were surprised to learn that zucchini and pumpkin are fruits and that potato (a vegetable) is the stem of a plant.

The hawks are enjoying their geology study. The kids used an online dichotomous key to identify rock samples and then each student researched their favorite rock. Last week we had a fun hands on activity. I made a sedimentary rock cake and a metamorphic rock cake. We started by reviewing how these rocks are formed and the kids took core samples (with clear straws) of the rocks. We also talked about the age of the layers, and looked for fossils. Next week they will learn more about plate tectonics.

 The hawks are also learning about native plants. During our field trip to Winters they had a great opportunity to see some plants that are native to our area. We also started talking about ethnobotany and will continue this discussion in "gardening" classes.

The crows are studying human impact on the ocean. They are currently watching videos, reading articles, books and webpages in order to learn more about their specific topic. The kids will be working in groups to make and present a poster summarizing a topic (there are 4 topics: coral reefs, overfishing/fisheries, polar ice and pollution - oil and plastic in the ocean).

The crows have been really helpful in the garden. They have placed the stepping stones in the garden area, they took care of the weeds, helped with the compost, planted grains (oats, wheat and barley) and peas, and analyzed the soil (pH, N, P, K). Below are some pictures of the kids getting work done!