Who Lays Eggs?
4/28/2018
This week we learned another big word: oviparous - an animal that lays eggs. We also learned that animals who have live births are called mammals. We went on an egg hunt in our classroom and when we opened the eggs we had found there were different egg laying animals inside. We discovered that birds, bugs, fish, turtles, frogs, and snakes are all oviparous. We did more hands on learning with our egged animals by sorting them into groups based on where they lay their eggs, land or water, and then made a graph. This lead to a discussion of nests and how animals protect their eggs. After feeling and describing actual bird nests our Explores built nests out of clay. This activity required them to use problem solving skills because their nest had to safely hold one of our model eggs. They reworked their nests to be wider, taller, deeper, or more stable depending on the design. We got the very exciting opportunity to learn about fish eggs by dissecting a real fish. A parent arranged for us to have a female herring shipped up from the fishery. Before we began we discussed how scientist (and us) learn a lot about animals by knowing what is inside them; just like our egg dissection. What we learned about the herring was that the eggs where cream colored, very tiny, gooey, and contained in two large sacs. The Explorers were also excited to learn about the herring's gills, jaws, and eyes, as well as to see inside the fish. As a teacher I love being able to show my students the real world objects, systems, and processes we are studying. I also love teaching them that they can learn and investigate their world in the same ways as scientists, even as preschoolers. Spring Trip to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Our spring trip to the AWCC was wonderful; filled with learning, excitement, and discovery. Our guide, Miss Jen, taught us about the animals, their adaptations to living in Alaska, where they came from, and how what they needed to survive. We learned how wolves say hello to each other, what a wood bison feels like, how a musk ox skull let's the animal live in the arctic, and how an owl's ears work. We also discussed which of the animals we saw were oviparous. We were treated to an up close encounter with Snickers the porcupine. The Explorers were ecstatic and amazed to watch the porcupine move around on the table in front of them, see his orange teeth, padded feet and claws, to watch him eat, and hear him make his noises. Miss Jen showed us the three types of fur a porcupine has and answered all our questions. I was proud to watch our Explorers on this final field trip, to hear their insightful questions and watch them make observations and discoveries. They have become confident and exuberant learners. Comments are closed.
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April 2021
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