Winter Fun!

Dan Keto, Kalamazoo Nature Center, and my class

Off to check out the trails in winter

This winter has included lots of outdoor fun and exploration at North Shore Elementary School!  Every fourth grade class went out snowshoeing with Dan Keto from the Kalamazoo Nature Center (funded by our local Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum).  He gave us a quick lesson on the relative size of the earth compared to the sun (upper photo) and the reason for the seasons.  He also taught us several animal and plant adaptations for survival in the depth of winter.  Students had the added fun of learning how to walk in snowshoes while checking out the backyard woods in the winter!

The following week, my class had the great privilege of birding with Russ Schipper, from the Kalamazoo Audubon Society.  Russ came to our class earlier this year and taught us all sort of cool facts about birds.  We have been studying them on and off all year in preparation for the annual Backyard Bird Count through Cornell University.  Students went out in small groups and listened and identified birds with Russ.  We submitted our findings online to Cornell University.  Learning about birds has included nonfiction reading, charting and math skills and it has sparked a great deal of interest in our fine feathered friends!

A big thank you to Russ, Dan and the Museum!  No doubt Liberty Hyde Bailey is smiling down on these fun and educational projects!