Amazing Amphibians!

3rd and 4th graders have been studying amphibians, and spring is a GREAT time to learn more about these amazing creatures that live both in water and on land. This is the time to look for frogs and salamanders. Look for them in ponds or near creeks, and under rocks and logs in the woods near a water source.

Vernal pools, which are ponds that form in the woods in the spring and dry up by summer, are another great place to find amphibians.

The Vermont Center for Ecostudies has a whole page about vernal pools, including where to find them and how to report one to their vernal pool mapping project if you find one, and a page about the species of amphibians you can find around here as well. You can help conserve vernal pools and help VCE collect data about amphibians as a citizen scientist!

Check out iNaturalist, an online resource where you can share your own observations, get help identifying plants and animals you might see (you can download an app where you can take a photo of a plant or animal you see that you want to know the name of, and iNaturalist will make some suggestions about what it is), and find out how to help scientists.

Have you heard about Big Night? 

It's the first warm, rainy night in spring when amphibians begin their massive migration to their breeding ponds and pools. Sometimes people set up "salamander crossings" and go out to help these amphibians make it across road ways. Here is an interesting news story from NHPR all about Big Night!

During Covid19, my kids and I have been doing a lot of exploring in our woods and pond, and many of their classmates have been doing the same. Online school has its challenges, but one thing I am really appreciating is the extra time we have to spend outside exploring! We have seen so much more of the natural gifts spring has to offer than we usually do.

Below are some examples of the MANY amphibians students have found on their outdoor adventures!

Green frog found in our pond. Green frogs are what I think of as "classic" frogs. They are green, about the size of a baseball and make the familiar "twanging" ribbit, kind of like someone strumming the strings of an out of tune guitar.

A Red Eft found by a classmate. Red Efts are actually the juvenile stage of the eastern newt. Red efts are land dwelling, but the adult stage of the eastern newt is aquatic.

Spotted salamander found by a teacher (we are getting outside more too!). The spotted salamander is common in eastern north America, and is frequently found in vernal pools in spring.

Owl Pellets!

Yesterday, I found an owl pellet in the woods near my house.

What is an owl pellet?

Owls swallow their prey (mice, moles, shrews and small birds) whole or big chunks, but they can't digest bones, fur or feathers. These indigestible parts are compacted into a ball and spit back out. This ball of bones and fur or feathers is called an owl pellet.

It can be an interesting project to dissect an owl pellet and find out what it ate. I decided to dissect the owl pellet I found. Here are the steps I took:

1. To disinfect the owl pellet, we wrapped it in tin foil and baked it at 325 for 45 minutes to kill the germs.

2. While it was baking, I collected the tools we would need: gloves, tweezers, a tray to put the bones in and a bone sorting/identifying worksheet.

3. Once the owl pellet cooled off, we unwrapped the tin foil and used the tweezers to carefully remove the bones from the fur.


4. We collected all the bones in a tray, and used the sorting chart to identify the bones.

Here is a video of us getting ready to dissect the owl pellet
Here is a video of us looking at and identifying the bones we found

Animal Adaptations

ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS

3rd and 4th graders at Westshire are learning about animal adaptations!

There are two types if animal adaptations:

Behavioral-these are things an animal does to help it survive, like hibernating or migrating in winter, or playing dead or being totally still and silent when its predator is nearby.

Structural-these are things an animal has as a part of its body that help it survive, like a beak, claws or fur.

Today, students watched an interesting video about animal adaptations, and then made up their own animals. To do this yourself:

WATCH THE VIDEO

MAKE AN ANIMAL

1. Pick an environment (the north pole? A swamp? A desert? A Caribbean island?)
2. Make up an animal
3. Give it a structural adaptation (something it has as a part of its body that will help it survive in the environment you chose)
4. Give it a behavioral adaptation (something it does to help it survive in the environment you chose)
5. Give it a name to match its adaptations
6. Draw a picture of it!

Have fun!

Details and instructions for the Cross Rivendell Trail COVID19 Family Hike Challenge!
www.rivendelltrail.squarespace.com/covid19

It has been a long time since I updated this blog, but since I won't be seeing students on field trips for the next while, I am going to start posting some ideas for families to do at home and take advantage of this time to spend LOTS of time outside! Going outside has so many benefits for us right now, including:

1. Fresh air and sunshine! Some studies show that sunshine and fresh air are natural disinfectants.

2. Clearing your head. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Going outside and be like hitting a reset button for your brain.

3. Exercise! If you go outside you are more likely to move around a lot, which is great for your body and also releases endorphins which can help you feel better. We can't go to any indoor places to exercise right now, so outside is a great option.

4. Going on a walk with your family or even doing yard work together can give you the opportunity to connect with each other and process your thoughts and feelings.

5. Learning. You can use sticks or stones to practice math, find lots of interesting science things to do, sit and write or read under a tree, etc.

At least once a week, I will post some things for you to do outside with your family.

Stay tuned to find out about the Covid19 Hike Challenge, starting soon on the Rivendell Trail!

Yesterday, 4th graders from SME and WES braved the coldest day of the year so far since last winter and hiked from the Parker Rd trailhead in West Fairlee to Patterson Mountain in Vershire. This was the first 4th Grade Teambuilding field trip, and the students participated in a variety of games and activities in which they all had to work together to achieve a goal. SME P.E. teacher Ryan LaBella joined us and provided some fun and active teambuilding games to keep us moving and staying warm! Below is a group poem they wrote together at the end of the trip. We had a great time despite the chilly weather. Pictures coming soon!

4^th Grade Adventure: Fun in the Snow

Middle cold teamwork 

layers challenging extraordinary cold

Rough terrain;

Contagious new friends

Snowing, tiring fun

Interesting cold and amazing

Active freezing, freezing trees

Cold snow

Teambuilding, not-falling adventure

Teamwork seeing my best friends

Meeting new people

Awesome!

Good!

Field trips on the Trails...

Fall is a busy time for elementary school students on the Rivendell Trail! Here are some images from some of our fall field trips on the trail, including the annual All School Hikes and grade level science and nature field trips.