Summary

Understand the habitats of small, local creatures and create an environment to house one of the creatures for a day.

Materials

• Natural setting (backyard, park, pond, seashore)
• Clothing that protects your arms and legs (long sleeves and long pants, tucked in socks, to prevent scratches from plants and insect bites; a hat if walking in sunny weather)
• Collecting supplies: thick plastic bags or plastic containers; rubber band; small net with fine mesh (such as kind used with an aquarium)
• Pad of paper and pencil
• Material for animal's temporary home: clear plastic jar with breathing holes poked in cover
• Adult, to supervise the trip, and serve as a resource

Related Video Clip

Dinosaur Train: Campout and Family Scavenger Hunt (1 minute 16 seconds)

Procedures

1. Ask students to discuss what small bugs and animals they might expect to see if they visited a nearby forest or park. Write down a list of all suggestions. Then ask students to describe the natural homes, or habitats, where some of these animals live. What might happen to these animals if their environment in nature were changed. For example, how might a blue jay be affected if the tree in which it lived were knocked down in a storm, or cut down for lumber? Ask students to discuss: "What basic things do ALL animals need to survive?" Answers include food, water and shelter.
2. Show students a video clip (above) in which Pteranodon kids are exploring the beach.
3. Explain that today they are going to do what Buddy and his family do in their time period—go: on an expedition (an adventurous trip) to learn something new. Their goal is to try to collect a small animal from their backyard/schoolyard so that the animal isn't harmed, and then make it a temporary home for one day. They will need to do everything they can to learn about the animal's natural habitat (where it normally lives) so that they can create similar living conditions. Before you go outside, make sure to discuss what kinds of animals are okay to collect for a few hours – and which ones should be left alone.
   • SAFE ANIMALS TO COLLECT
     • insects such as ladybugs, beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, butterflies
     • earthworms
     • small frogs or toads
     • small fish (as long as they are put in water immediately)
     • snails
     • slugs
     • crawfish
   • NOT GOOD ANIMALS TO COLLECT
     • flying insects such as bees, hornets, wasps
     • spiders (except Daddy Long Legs, which are harmless)
     • birds
     • bats
     • raccoons
     • snakes
     • turtles
4. Discuss their mission. IMPORTANT: Remind stduents that once they take any animal out of its natural habitat, they are responsible for taking care of it. Remind them that animals that normally live in water, for example, won't live long if they are removed from it (and vice versa for animals that normally live on dry land). Point out that animals that live in salt water will die if transferred to fresh water (and vice versa).
5. Dress appropriately for a nature hike (see guidelines above). Go to a local natural area (park, backyard, pond, seashore) and look for a possible animal to collect. When students find an animal they might want to collect for the day, have them use the pad to sketch a picture of the animal's nature home. What kinds of plants live there? Can you tell what foods the animal eats?
6. Help students collect a wild animal, using appropriately ventilated plastic bags or small plastic containers to hold it, with or without water as necessary.

Extensions

If you’d like to find other ways to explore nature with young children, here are some non-profit organizations to consider:

• Let's Go Outside (U.S. Fish and Wildlife) - http://www.fws.gov/letsgooutside/
• Children and Nature Network - http://www.childrenandnature.org/
• Nature Rocks - http://www.naturerocks.org/
• Hooked on Nature - http://www.hookedonnature.org/
• Nature Activities (California State Parks) - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25025
• EEK! Environmental Education for Kids - http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/eek/