A very exciting week!

Last Friday the Eagles (2-4) and Crows (5-6) visited a piece of land in Winters that was affected by the wragg fire. We stopped by Lake Solano Park on the way to the burnt site to show the kids some of the native plants and animals that live in this area.  At the burnt site we set up two study areas (one at a mountain, the other by the creek) that we will study throughout the year.

Students observing their surroundings at first stop

Students setting up study area at burnt site.

This Wednesday Tabatha Yang (Peregrine parent and Education and Outreach Coordinator at Bohart museum - UCD) brought hundreds of insects for the kids to see. I have never seen the kids this excited before. We learned a lot from Tabatha.

Tabatha teaching owls the difference between butterflies and moths!

This Friday Dylan Cook (Peregrine parent and postdoctoral researcher at Center for Neuroscience - UCD) talked to the kids about the brain and eyes. He also brought sheep brain and cow eyes for the kids to see. The kids had a lot of fun playing with optical illusions, learning about different eyes, looking and touching (with gloves) eyes and brain. The owls and crows learned a lot and were very excited about Dylan's lesson.

The eagles also had an exciting Friday. They have been studying the plants, insects and birds around our school, and we had a discussion about loss of habitat for wildlife. I told the kids about the Schoolyard habitat project and asked them if they would be interested in preparing a proposal for this project so that we can try to get money to make it happen. I couldn't have imagined a better response from the class. The kids are very excited about the project.

Students looking at the book from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that describes the steps that we need to do in order to ask them for money for the schoolyard habitat project.

The kids formed a line to sign a paper that says "I want to create habitat for wildlife at Peregrine school"

The kids in my after school class are responsible for one of the schoolyard habitat projects. They have been working really hard on the front of the school which will be a butterfly garden.

Pulling weeds

Pulling weeds and building a grid to help us map the area

Making a rain gauge

First three weeks

We started the year with a focus on our local environment. The kids have learned a little about some of the native plants that we have at the school (bay, oak, red bud, yarrow, milkweed and toyon). And we are just finishing an insect unit. The kids learned different methods that entomologists use to catch insects and created an inventory of the insects that live at the school. My goal was to estimate the number of species this year as a baseline, and repeat this activity after the native areas establish. All classes collected insects, looked at them under the microscope and had time to do detailed drawings. The owls (K-1) also spent sometime in the outdoor classroom collecting natural materials and playing. The eagles (2-4) and crows (5-6) completed short research projects on insects.

Owls collecting natural materials from the garden to use in the outdoor classroom.

 

Insect collection

Crows teaching owls  about native plants

Crows and owls drawing insects

Eagles study native plants.

Insects study - collecting, observing and drawing.

 

Crows studying insects

At the Bohart museum

Eagles taking a closer look at insects.

Reading about insects.

Drawing insects