Wildlife Encounters

On Tuesday, the entire second grade was treated to a very special treat! Krista Butts, of Wildlife Encounters, brought with her several animal friends that each contribute to our Earth's substrate. 

The first animal Krista introduced us to was Monster, the ARGENTINIAN BLACK & WHITE TEGU. Native to South America, this male has a bone-crushing jaw (although we quickly learned Monster was just a big cuddle-bug!). As tegus have this incredibly powerful jaw, they are able to eat mollusks with the shell and all! The shell is filled with nutrients, so when their meal comes out the other end, all those nutrients are given right to the soil. 

Monster kept sticking his tongue out---his way of smelling us!

The second animal that Krista shared with us was a HOGNOSE SNAKE. This endangered species is essential to our ecosystem as they mix up our soil by burrowing deep into the ground to find worms and bugs. While doing so, they bring air down into the soil while also adding fertilizer as they digest their food.

While resembling the venomous Copperhead Snake, this Hognose is perfectly harmless!

Up next was a BLUE AND GOLD MACAW. Birds (this one named like one of our own Owls, SOPHIE!) are essential for seed dispersal. Sophie eats fruit, quickly digests it as she flies, and then deposits the undamaged seeds into the ground. Krista informed us that fruit plants actually want to be eaten by the birds. That is why they cover their seeds with the yummy flesh to draw the birds in. Clever!

While Sophie can't talk, she can mimic what she's heard--if she's heard it again and again and again!

After Sophie, Krista introduced us to Rafiki (which means friend in Swahili), the AFRICAN PYGMY HEDGEHOG. Rafiki is a carnivore and she loves to eat all of the pesky insects that eat and destroy plants. In their homeland of Africa, many people put small shelters in their gardens to encourage the hedgehogs to stay there and keep their crops safe!

Krista showed us how a mother hedgehog would carry around her babies---she assured us this does not hurt the hedgehog (it's actually a source of comfort!)

Before bringing out her next animal friend, Krista told she was about to show us an animal that none of us (adults included!) had probably ever seen (or probably heard!) of: the WOYLIE. Also called Brush-Tailed Bettongs, Woylies are a critically endangered species native to Australia. Woylies are also friends to plants as they love to eat fungus! If a fungus is harmful to plants, they'll get rid of it by eating it all, but if a fungus is a good type of fungus, they'll eat just enough to make room so the fungus can regrow! So smart!

 The final animal Krista showed us was a THREE-BANDED ARMADILLO named Athena. Armadillos are found in warmer climates and are able to protect themselves from predators by rolling into a ball of their armor. These creatures, like the snake, help aerate the soil as they dig deep looking for bugs and worms. Soil also helps the armadillos with temperature regulation, providing a nice, cool place the shield themselves from the sun's powerful rays.

After meeting all of Krista's animal friends and learning all of this fascinating information, Krista allowed students to use a "two-finger touch" to pet the tegu, hedgehog, and hognose snake. So fun!

That SMILE! Monster seemed SO excited to see all these 2nd graders up close and personal!

Thank you Wildlife Encounters for bringing such a great presentation to add to our earth science curriculum!!

Second Graders Visit Strawbery Banke!

On Wednesday, we experienced our Strawbery Banke field trip! This was a first for SMS second graders and we had a GREAT time learning about how Thanksgiving traditions have changed throughout the years!

When we arrived, we were split into groups so we could start exploring. After watching a short introductory video, each group headed off on a guided tour into the houses of Strawbery Banke!

Our earliest stop, 1777, had us visit Pitt Tavern to see how children celebrated Thanksgiving (after they were done with their chores of course!). One thing the children often did, was play with dolls---corn husk dolls that is! We each learned how to make a doll out of two corn husks and some string. It was a little tricky, but we loved the end product!

Comparing activities and games played by children during Thanksgiving---there's a lot of things that were played back then that are still played now!)

Trying out a corn husk bed!

Staying in the same time period, we stepped over to the Wheelwright house and met Elizabeth Wheelwright. The Wheelwrights lived before electricity so it was very interesting to learn how they cooked and preserved their food. A favorite for many, second graders got to help Mrs. Wheelwright measure ingredients, string beans to dry, grate the spices, and mash the corn. 

Another stop had us visiting the Governor's mansion. Mr. Goodwin, Governor of NH in 1870, was not in, but his wife, Mrs. Goodwin gave us a tour of their home. 

The Goodwin's were very wealthy and Mrs. Goodwin stressed the importance of giving back to their community, especially around the holidays. Each student got to help create a charity basket for a family in need!

A final stop was a visit to Mrs. Shapiro's house. Students had to knock before entering and "brush the snow off their feet"---we were, of course, entering her home amidst the Thanksgiving snowstorm of 1919! Mrs. Shapiro is a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant who taught us about making Matzo balls. Students even got to help her crush the matzo crackers!

All in all it was a fantastic day filled with lots of great learning. A HUGE thank you to Sophie's mom and Madeline's dad for coming with us!

I encourage you to visit Strawbery Banke and visit this authentic outdoor history museum! Visit here to learn more.