What an amazing day at the zoo we had this week! Thank you again to all of the parent volunteers who joined us and helped make the trip so successful...you are all very much appreciated! Not only was it a beautiful day, but it was also a great chance for us to see many of the Canadian animals that we had researched for our brochures and also included in our migration stories!
During our Arctic Adventure program with our facilitator Tom, we talked about the different animals that live in Canada's Arctic region. We learned about adaptations, like large polar bear paws, their three layers of fur, caribou antlers, how long seals can hold their breath, the prickly stem on arctic poppy, muskoxen's thick heavy fur, and the difference between animals with eyes in the front of their heads and eyes on the sides of their head. We learned about permanent and temporary ice, as well as the divergence of ice in the spring due to warmer weather and the convergence of ice in the winter due to colder temperatures. Tom read us a story about our beloved polar bear, Siku, and how he came to the Calgary Zoo from Winnipeg. It was also very exciting to get to touch all the neat artifacts like a polar bear tooth, a caribou antler and the fur from an arctic fox, polar bear and muskox!
Learning Intentions: (Science: Living Systems)
- understandings of the living world, Earth, and space are deepened by investigating natural systems and interactions
I Can:
- discuss ways to respect plants and animals while interacting in various environments
- explain positive and negative impacts of human behaviour on plants and animals
