Owl Study

With part of our winter bird observation we also included a small study on owls. We have spent a few days this week reading on various owls, enjoying some owl books from our own collection and the library. I also gave Holly the challenge to go through her Ranger Rick and National Geographic Kids issues to find any articles she could on owls... she found a couple of items. We also enjoyed this little clip from National Geographic Kids

Through our small study Holly learned about various owls who live in our region, the Pacific Northwest, such as the Northern Pygmy Owl, the Great Horned Owl, the Short Eared Owl, the Western Screech Owl and the Barred Owl. We read on their habitats, physical descriptions, listened to some sound footage of their calls, learned of their breeding habits, the young and their diets. With this we compared photos of the owls and discussed their body types and used a tape measure to see the size differences in some of then.

After reading several books and using the internet as a good tool Holly then created a little owl book using some of the knowledge she gathered. The book was a perfect project to bring it all together for her. We chose some topics of interest and a couple of items I wanted to bring in. The final product is adorable!!!

Tomorrow... we get to dissect an owl pellet - should be fun!

Tree Study & Changing Leaves

Holly did her tree study for Fall today. She went out with me and did a close inspection, recorded in her nature journal the changes that have happened, did a bark rubbing and a leaf rubbing. We had a good discussion to what changes she has found and then we talked about why those changes have happened.

We then read the book Why Do Leaves Change Color by Betsy Maestro. This was a great refresher and actually broke it down a bit further than we have before. This book included a diagram of a leaf and how it works along with discussing the richness of colors in leaves and how it relates to the amount of sugar the tree has.

After reading this book we took a walk around the yard to compare some of our trees. We looked at their colors to try and determine if they have a lot of sugar or not. As well, she collected a bunch of leaves. We brought them in and took a closer look at them and then did the classic leaf rubbings in fall colors.

This mini study came together wonderfully - she was able to make some bigger connections about the tree she is following for the year. Now we are watching closely to see how quickly her tree loses its leaves and become dormant for winter. What will winter bring be like for her tree?