This morning we discussed several snakes that are found in our area - we used the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Reptile page. I also learned that there are 6 different species of rattlesnakes in Utah - I love learning new things! Then we focused on Garter snakes and I read from the Handbook of Nature Study. My kids have seen live garter snakes in our neighborhood a few times (which I didn't know about until they shared their stories with me this morning :) ). Afterwards we headed to a local pet store to look at their snakes. In addition to several other breeds, we were excited to see a garter snake.
When we came home I had the kids narrate their experiences to me and I wrote this in their nature journals. They chose to color pictures instead of drawing their own, so we printed some out from Enchanted Learning-Snakes. I was a little disappointed at how the pictures are so much alike, and not really like the individual species, but they worked. N picked the Bull Snake.
A picked the rattlesnake
We also watched part of a video about Garter Snakes I remembered seeing on PBS - Parental Warning: the first 2 minutes are about the garter snakes hibernating together and swarming out in the spring, however, be aware that the remainder of the video is about their mating habits. It shows a live birth around 4:15.
I think you did an excellent job with this study of snakes, a field trip too! You are another snake mama!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to print out the snake coloring pages from Enchanted Learning. I think turned out great.
Thanks so much for the wonderful snake entry.
Great Study! I love turning these "outdoor challenges" into mini unit studies. :) The boys have a great time too. Looks like y'all had fun!
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