Things have seemed to slow down around the Outdoor Hour Challenges lately....not sure if you are all hunkered down for the winter or if you are not following along with mammals. Either way jump in where you want and I will come visit your entries on Mr. Linky.How about some beaver videos to get some interest started for your Outdoor Hour Challenge?
YouTube Video with Beaver Information:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZVbKwDmr-o
YouTube Video on Beaver Lodges:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMRDZbrdXc
YouTube Video: Beavers in the Snow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgAux-KaaMk
We found what looks like a beaver lodge on our walk a few days ago. This one isn't as large as the one that we observed before but it was still exciting to see in real life. If you look closely, you may be able to see where something has been going in and out. It may be that this is an old or abandoned beaver lodge and something else has taken up residence...not sure.
Outdoor Hour Challenge
#48 Rats and Beavers
1. Read pages 219-223 in the Handbook of Nature Study. As you read, highlight or underline some facts you can share with your children. Share some interesting facts about the muskrat with your child.
You may wish to share what makes a rodent different than other mammals. Here is a link to read with them about rodents.
What is a Rodent? (information and activity page)
2. Supplemental reading in The Burgess Animal Book for Children: Read Stories 12-14. After you read each story, pause and let your child narrate back some facts they learned from the reading. Pages 60, 73, and 79 show illustrations for the animals discussed in this week’s challenge. Use these illustrations if needed to help your child narrate some facts about the animals in this week’s challenge.
3. This week during your 10-15 minutes of outdoor time, look for any mammals in your neighborhood or in a near-by park. Many of us do not have muskrats or beavers in our region but we can still take this opportunity to spend time outdoors with our children. If you are fortunate enough to have access to an area with muskrats, the observation ideas in the Handbook of Nature Study suggest looking for muskrat tracks in the mud along a creek, pond, or marsh. The book also suggests looking to see what kind of mark the muskrat’s tail makes in the mud and snow.
You can also use this week’s walk to use all of your senses. Challenge yourselves to touch, observe, smell, listen, and perhaps even taste something while on your nature walk this week. (Caution your children about tasting anything without asking you first.)
4. For your nature journal you can sketch something you observed during your outdoor time or you can complete a mammal notebook page for the muskrat or the beaver. You may wish to sketch the simple diagram on page 220 showing how a muskrat makes his burrow. You could also do some additional research and find two different kinds of rats to learn about and then record what you learn in your nature journal. Another idea would be to compare and contrast a muskrat and a beaver in your nature journal.
5. Make your journal entry and share on Mr. Linky. All the challenges are listed in the sidebar of the Handbook of Nature Study blog.
Additional resources for this challenge:
Common Muskrat-more information
Muskrat information on Enchanted Learning
Fact Sheet on Beavers: NatureWorks.com
Desert Woodrat
Kangaroo rat
More information on the Kangaroo Rat and a notebook page
Texas Kangaroo Rat coloring page-you will need to scroll through to page 7
Rat Notebook Page
Rat coloring Page
Beaver information on Enchanted Learning
Beaver coloring page for younger children
Another great beaver coloring page
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
