At the beginning of the month, we began predicting when we would see our frog and turtle friends again (we miss them greatly). Many of us were hopeful for a mid-April return from hibernation!

Ms. Paige asked us where the living things in these ecosystems get their energy. We replied, “their food!” So what do these critters eat? If they are carnivores, they eat other organisms. If they are herbivores, they only eat plants. If they eat both, they are omnivores. (Humans fall into this category, though some people might choose to be herbivores!) Then, we got to wondering… where do plants get their food?

We talked a bit about winged things today! We got a chance to pass around the bat skeleton from the Nature Center. We noticed that bats have bones that look like fingers, but they are really long and make up their wings. We also noted that bat wings look different from bird and butterfly wings because they are covered in skin rather than feathers or scales.

Now that it is spring, we hope to see frogs emerging around the Nature Center soon! Click this link to see and listen to common Michigan frogs. We will hear lots of bullfrogs and green frogs along our trails this spring and summer!

To get our minds in the zone, we brainstormed words that are associated with water - we all came up with some very creative responses. We zoomed out for a bit and observed how much water is on earth compared to land. By tossing the globe around to one another, it became a game.

We have had a couple great weeks together! On March 9th, we decided to enjoy the spring weather by hiking farther than usual–where Robbins’ Creek meets the Boardman River.

We have had a rockin’ couple of weeks spent together at the Nature Center!

We have had so much fun the past two Mondays! The spring-ish weather seems to avoid us when we are together, but we do not let the cold and clouds stop us from exploring.

By the frog boardwalk, we noticed a set of prints that looked almost like mini human hands. At first glance, we thought they might belong to a raccoon, but after researching a bit further, they could be opossum tracks–notice how they are placed one after another rather than side by side.

We learned that some animals live in a special world beneath the snow–one full of tunnels and burrows and that the snow acts like a blanket to keep the animals warm. We discovered that some small animals can be beneath our feet, under the snow, as we play on top!

We also listened to the book About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill. It taught us all about characteristics of birds, including what they look like and where and how they live. It showed a neat picture of different types of bird beaks and sources of food, which led right into our activity outside at the pavilion.

We learned some new facts about trees:

• Maple trees are shaped like eggs

• Beech trees keep their tan leaves over winter

• Birch trees form the letter V with their trunks

• Syrup is made from sugar maple sap

• Hemlocks and other evergreen trees have cones like pine trees

We learned how to be real nature detectives by using clues to identify animals around us–even if we cannot see them during class. They leave behind tracks, scat (poop!), feathers and fur, and even pieces of food.

To start our afternoon, we brainstormed the things we would want if we had to survive a night in the wilderness–tents or shelter, fire-making materials, warm clothes and boots, a first aid kit, a compass and map, food, and water.

On our walk, we tiptoed over the patches of ice. It reminded us of the game The Floor Is Lava! We asked questions like, “How does ice form?” and “How does it melt?” Our friends helped answer these questions for us as we made our way to the Playscape.

We learned that some animals live in a special world beneath the snow–one full of tunnels and burrows. The snow acts like a blanket to keep the animals warm. When the top layer of snow begins to melt, we can sometimes see these subnivean (“below the snow”) tunnels!

Trees have the most growth in spring and early summer, which forms a light-colored ring. As growth slows in late summer and fall, a thinner, dark ring is produced. We can identify these varying years of growth by looking at cross sections of trees. Starting from either the center circle to the bark, or vice versa, we count either the light or dark rings.

To see how [blubber] works, we tried a little experiment. We put vegetable shortening between two plastic baggies and put our hand inside like a glove. Then, we stuck that hand in a bowl of freezing cold water, but it did not feel cold! The vegetable shortening acted like a layer of fat, insulating our hand.

We enjoyed one final adventure together this fall…or should I say winter? Everyone was so excited to play in the snow today! We began the afternoon with snowball fights and snowmen building. We formed groups and challenged each other to roll the biggest snowball. If it had not been snowing the entire time, we probably would have run out of snow.

Our day began with the question “where do animals live in the winter?” Ms. Paige read the book, Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, which showed us the secret winter world of animals.