This is going to be the last of the mammal Outdoor Hour Challenges....we made it through many, many animals this time around. I expect at some point we will focus on mammals again in the future.We will be skipping some stories in the Burgess Animal Book for Children again this week but you can share them when you have time in the weeks to come.
Here is a video from National Geographic about raccoons...very short. I want to warn those that have sensitive young ones that this video shows the raccoon eating crocodile eggs and babies...briefly. You will want to preview.
Raccoons
"None other of our little brothers of the forest has such a mischievous countenance as the coon. The black patch across the face and surrounding the eyes like large goggles, and the black line extending from the long, inquisitive nose directly up the forehead give the coon's face an anxious expression; and the keenness of the big, beady, black eyes and the alert, "sassy" looking , broadly triangular ears, convince one that the anxiety depicted in the face is anxiety lest something that should not be done be left undone; and I am sure that anyone who has had experience with pet coons will aver that their acts do not belie their looks."
Handbook of Nature Study, pages 247-148
Outdoor Hour Challenge
#52 Mammals-Raccoon
1. Read pages 247-250 in the Handbook of Nature Study about the raccoon. If you want to share some additional resources, there are some listed at the end of the challenge.
“The raccoon lives in hollow trees or caves along the banks of streams. It sleeps during the day and seeks its food at night. It sleeps during the winter.”2. Supplemental reading in The Burgess Animal Book for Children: Read Story 31. Use the illustration on page 206 to prompt some simple narrations from your child.
3. Spend 10-15 minutes outdoors on a nature walk. Raccoons hibernate in the winter so there will be little chance of actually observing one this week. Instead, look for any animal tracks in the snow or mud. Keep your eyes out for any mammal that comes your way this week.
4. Record in your nature journal any interesting objects you found this week.
Did you see a bird or a mammal to record?
It might be fun to make a list of all the mammals you have seen during our focus on mammals over the last eight weeks.
Complete a mammal notebook page(see link below) for the raccoon to record interesting facts you learned and want to remember.
If you have not completed the Winter Weather Observation notebook page or the Seasonal Tree Study notebook page, you could use those in your nature journal this week as well.
5. Share your blog entry on Mr. Linky as a way of encouraging our families in their nature study.
Additional resources for this challenge:
Raccoon coloring page
Another coloring page
Raccoon notebook page on Enchanted Learning
Raccoon information:
Online book with audio about raccoon
Raccoon tracks
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Thanks to Tina at Jetihoja Academy for the special mammal challenge notebook page. You can find it along with all the other notebook pages here:
Outdoor Hour Challenge Notebooking pages
Thanks Tina!
