Animal & Nature Studies

What to Do If You Spot a Baby Wild Animal

Spring is a time when many wild animals are born, and it is important to know how to respond safely and appropriately. For example, if you find a baby or young bird on the ground and it does not appear injured, the best thing to do is usually to leave it alone. Parent birds often return to care for it as it continues learning to fly.

If an animal is injured, there are trained wildlife rehabilitation centers that can help.

What Students Explored This Month

4th & 5th Grades – Microscopic Anatomy of Plants and Animals

• Modeled animal cells and compared their organelles to buildings in a city.
• Extracted DNA from strawberry cells while following the scientific method.
• Explored the levels of the human body, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and the body as a whole.

2nd & 3rd Grades – Human Anatomy and Physiology

• Found examples of phenotypic plasticity in our barnyard animals, such as our cow shedding a winter coat and our grasshopper growing and changing from green to brown.
• Modeled different organ systems, including the digestive system and respiratory system.
• Investigated body systems, adaptation, and extinction through interactive activities.

1st Grade – Animals’ Form and Function

• Compared poison and venom.
• Explored different kinds of flight in the animal kingdom.
• Created scientific names for imaginary creatures and designed paper gliders based on animal physiology.

Kindergarten – Zookeeping and Animal Observation

• Deduced that positive reinforcement is one of the best tools for animal training.
• Led a miniature donkey on a walk around campus.
• Learned to observe and record different kinds of animal behavior.

Preschool & TK – Animal Husbandry

• Trained Charlotte the sheep to hit a target with her nose.
• Gave enrichment to different barnyard animals.
• Played and fed a bunny, brushed the miniature donkeys and cow, and played a migration game.