Kindergarten Field Trip

The kindergarten field trip was amazing!  I loved spending quality time outdoors with these wonderful children. They demonstrated over and over things that they've learned throughout the year.  They were observant and engaged.  They asked great questions and were very aware of their surroundings.  We ended up recording 36 species of birds for the day. A big thank you to all of you for having your child prepared and ready to go for the day.  Also, thank you to the parents that were able to come along and help out.  I really appreciate it!  

Here are some photos from our day.

We were all so happy to get going!

We began our adventure on the North Point trail where we heard and saw birds like:  Black-capped Chickadee, Lark Sparrows, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays and others.

This is a Lark Sparrow and we enjoyed hearing its song.

The kids loved finding pine cones, rocks, feathers 

and other interesting things on their hike.

We saw many webworms along the way.  I know 

that Yellow-billed Cuckoos love to feast on them,

 so they will be all set when they return to the area.

This is a Field Sparrow.  Its song is one of my favorites in the bird world.  The kids saw several "life birds", which means it was the first time they'd seen one in their life.

This Western Grebe was hanging out in the river.

We saw many Forster's Terns patrolling the water 

and occasionally dropping down to grab a fish.

The kindergartners loved playing in the sand and 

trying to skip rocks.  This was a fun time!

The playground equipment was very nice and the kids loved it!

I thought this was so cute as these two sat together and visited.

Everyone was hungry, so we had an early picnic.  

They seemed to love it!

Kids love picnics!

We loved watching the Barn Swallows zip around by us.  

I was impressed at how the kids could identify birds 

that they had only previously seen in books, flashcards 

or on my slideshow.

This nice playground was in the Tom Brokaw 

Park in Pickstown, which is right next to the 

Fort Randall Dam.  It was very nice!

The kids love the merry-go-round!

This was my favorite trail.  I love this area and we did 

see a few good birds here.  The Spotted Towhee 

was a highlight.

I did an activity with the kindergartners that I often do when 

I take teens birding.  We sat in nature for five minutes quietly

 listening and using our senses to hear and see what 

was around us.  It was pretty cute.

A couple of weeks ago, our story for the week in our 

Reading lesson was about beavers.  Today they got 

to see a real beaver dam and see the trees that 

beavers had cut down.

She found some heart-shaped fungi.

Then she found a heart-shaped rock!

Back to Brokaw Park for some kite-flying!

The weather was beautiful, the kids were 

well-behaved and happy! It was a very memorable day!

A Zoom Visit with Dr. Ranger Jen - A Scientist and Birder

The kindergartners were so lucky to talk with a Dr. Ranger Jen today! My friend, Jen, is a real scientist and birder! I thought it would be good for my kinders to talk to someone else who loves birds besides me. We had such a great discussion with her. She explained how science is everywhere in their life. She explained how important it is think about things and wonder. We encouraged the kids to get outdoors more and explore. Of course we also talked about birds. The kindergartners told her what kinds of birds we are seeing here: Chipping Sparrows, and lots of Franklin's Gulls and American White Pelicans flying over the playground. They told her that they know 337 species of birds and 51 birds songs. Then we talked about some of those birds that they like. The kids had a chance to ask her some questions too. She even found out who has wiggly teeth! It was a great 25 minutes!

Spring Concert Night

The elementary spring concert was wonderful!  The kindergartners sang a song about what was behind their mask.  Then they sang a jelly bean song about the order in which they eat jelly beans.  Lastly they sang a beautiful song in two-part harmony about a butterfly.

 

Dissecting Owl Pellets

 

The kindergarten scientists dissected owl pellets.  They pulled them apart and found the bones.  Then they compared them to the bones on the bone chart to see what the owl had eaten.  They used magnifying glasses for a closer look.  You could have heard a pin drop because they were so engaged in learning.  

Black Hill's Raptor Show

The Black Hills Raptor Show presented at the Armour School! It was a very good presentation by John Halverson. The students were engaged throughout the show. The birds were amazing as were the facts he told about each one. I can't think of a school where this show would be more appreciated, since we have so many bird-loving kids! We are thankful to have this presentation sponsored by the Armour 21st CCLC and the Nita M. Lowey Grant.

                                             

 

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