We all have needs...

Last week in Science we were so busy. We began our week learning about what pets need in order to survive. The following day we learned that wild animals need the same things that our pets do. We played a great game called Oh Deer where we learned how the population of an animal is dependent on the amount of its resources. We also learned through this that we humans can impact the survival of animals if we take away its needed resources. One example discussed was how we cut down the trees in our area to make room for stores and homes. We used this information to lead us to many discussions. The next day we learned that ocean animals have the same needs as land animals. They too need water, food, air, and space/shelter. We were able to see a live lobster, hermit crab, and starfish! It was so cool. Then we watched a lot of video clips of these animals as they caught their food and found shelter. We also learned how all these animals breathe under water. Finally we discussed what we can do to help the animals in our area meet their needs (specifically birds). We decided to make bird houses from miscellaneous items. They turned out GREAT! We will be finishing them on Monday and eventually putting them out in the trees around our school.

We had a great week and I hope that the students went home to tell you each day what we were learning. Our standards board this month showcases the whole week. Our birdhouses will be hanging in the hall this week as well. I hope that you can find time to run by our classroom and see the great work we did. Here are some added highlights of our week.