This week turned out to be a triple-threat of great natural science field trips! On Monday we were able to visit Rocky Point Bird Observatory on the next to last day of their banding season.
Because it was so windy there actually hadn't been any nets set up to catch birds earlier this morning, but the volunteers unfurled one for us so that we could see how they usually net the birds.
Since we were there on the next to last day of the season we were able to see almost a complete tally of the birds (and other wildlife!) they were able to observe throughout the March-October season.
Andrea and Christian demonstrate proper bird handling techniques with plasticine models that the kids were able to practice on. It was a windy and wet morning, but a very cool place to visit and learn more about birds. Maelle has written a report on this trip that she will be putting in a scrapbook - a new way for her to track some of the highlights of what she is learning.
On Tuesday we went with another group of home learners to a class at the museum: Predators or Prey? We learned about the different characteristics of prey animals and predators. The kids were able to examine a number of different specimens.
Groups were sent off with specimens to search for the animal they belonged to on display in the museum.
Maelle's group were given this webbed foot, which they quickly determined belonged to a...
Trumpeter Swan!
We compared the beaks of the water fowl with that of this Blue Heron. Different type of food, different type of beak.
All of this learning about birds inspired us to stop in at the library and borrow a selection of books on the topic.
On Friday we went to the Centre for the Salish Sea for their Science Day event. The kids were enthralled by the presentations and stayed for three in a row. Two hours of solid learning here! The first session was all about plankton - what they are, what they eat, what eat them, and then a bit of a physics demonstration in which different plankton models were raced against each other to see which would float or sink the best.
After racing ones the staff had made, the kids were able to make their own models to race. Maelle called hers "The Blue Dude".
Session number two was about ocean acidification. First a brief video to demonstrate how too much CO2 in our atmosphere is overloading the oceans and causing PH levels to rise, leading to harmful effects on sea creatures, especially shellfish.
The teacher demonstrates how brittle and weak the clam shells she had soaked overnight in a vinegar solution had become.
Smelling a jar containing a vinegar solution.
Three jars - one water, one 50/50 water & vinegar, one pure vinegar. What will happen to the chalk when it's dropped in each one?
The one in water stays whole, the one in the solution begins to disintegrate, the one in vinegar quickly dissolves. How can we help the oceans and prevent acidification? Walk, ride a bike, find ways to lower our carbon footprint.
The last session was about Orca identification. This was a good follow-up to the whale watching tour we were able to do last summer.
The different ways that scientists identify orcas: their dorsal fins (straight = male, curved = female), notches and bumps on the dorsal fin, saddle patch marking, and even scars.
The kids search through a number of images to match the whale displayed on the screen.
A visit to the touch pool to round out the trip. Lots of hands-on learning this week!
