{"id":9361,"date":"2020-04-06T22:15:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T03:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?page_id=9361"},"modified":"2021-04-19T06:03:43","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T11:03:43","slug":"nature-school-week-4-early-april-adventures","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/?page_id=9361","title":{"rendered":"Spring Nature School Lesson 4 – Early April Adventures"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fungus on a log – April 5
Photo by Carol Wade<\/p><\/div>\n

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Did you miss any of the first three weeks of Nature School? Click here<\/a> to see links to the previous lessons: Winter Birds, Forests in Early Spring, and Signs of Spring.<\/em>\u00a0 Also, isn’t it time to make your nature notebook?<\/h2>\n

If you want to make your own deluxe nature notebook, ArtStart in St. Paul has a creativity kit available for $30 (plus $3 shipping). Go to: http:\/\/www.artstart.org\/product\/creativity-kits\/<\/a>. Scroll down to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It says it is not available yet, but Carol Sirrine, the owner, says she has the kits ready to go now! When you order, say that you are from the Nature School and request 30 additional pages.<\/p>\n

We are continuing to build on our experiences from the previous week and look for new signs of spring<\/em>. You will have a chance to write a three word poem, <\/em>build a fort and take a twenty minute hike.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em> Also, guest artist, Karen Anderson, will teach an advanced lesson in drawing birds.\u00a0 Be sure to share a nature note, a poem, a photo, or something you experienced at the bottom of the post.<\/h2>\n

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\nSafety Alert: With the warmer weather, ticks are active.\u00a0 Stay on walking paths. Do not walk on deer trails. You can wear shorts or pants. If you choose to wear pants, pull your socks over the pant leg so you can see if ticks are crawling up your leg. Do frequent tick checks. At home, do a thorough tick check.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to Mark Storck, Janine Pung, Karen Anderson, Stephen Bolles, Cindy Eyden, Heather Holm, Ron Spinosa and Carol Wade for contributing to Nature School this week.<\/p>\n

1. Nature Sounds<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Early Spring is a great time to learn different sounds that creatures are making in our forests and ponds. Naturalists, Heather Holm and Cindy Eyden sent the following nature sounds:<\/p>\n

Chorus Frogs<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/ChorusFrogs.m4a<\/a><\/audio>\n

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Chorus Frogs and the “clucking” of Wood Frogs – See if you can tell the two frogs apart.<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/oldnaturalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/WoodFrogs.m4a<\/a><\/audio>\n

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What to Do:<\/strong>
\na. Using your phone, Ipad or tape recorder, record sounds that you hear while you are on your nature hikes. Try to identify the creature who is making each sound. Send the “Old Naturalist” the recording if you are not sure what it is.<\/p>\n

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Male Wood Duck April 3<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Bird Beaks as Tools<\/strong><\/h2>\n


\n<\/strong>An adaptation is a specialization of an animal’s body to help it survive. A bird’s beak is an adaptation to help it catch or eat food. In many ways, the beak is like a tool.<\/p>\n

What to do:
\n<\/strong>a. Download and print the page ( see link below)
\na. <\/strong>Using the list below match the tool description to each bird beak. Write the name of the tool beneath the picture. After you complete the page, put it in your nature notebook.
\nb.During the week, observe the beaks of birds you see. Write down your observations in your nature notebook.<\/p>\n

Tool Descriptions:
\nPliers Beak<\/strong> \u2013 Stout and pointed for digging up insects in the ground.
\nInsect Net Beak<\/strong> \u2013 A small beak that can open wide to grab flying bugs.
\nSpearing Beak<\/strong> \u2013 Long, slim, strong and pointed for spearing fish and frogs.
\nNut-cracking Beak<\/strong> \u2013 Thick and stout beak for cracking seeds.
\nStraining Beak<\/strong> \u2013 Comb-like strainers to filter out bits of food in the water.
\nChisel Beak<\/strong> – A stout beak that is used to chisel into wood.
\nKnife Beak<\/strong> \u2013 Sharp and hooked for tearing flesh.
\nStraw Beak<\/strong> \u2013 A long and thin beak for sucking nectar from flowers.<\/p>\n

To download and print the page below: click here<\/a>. Put the page in your nature notebook.\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

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3. Three Word Poem<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What to Do:
\n<\/strong>a. Take five, calming breaths.\u00a0 Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
\nb. Walk slowly for 2-3 minutes on a forest or wetland trail. Listen and look.
\nc. Stop and write 2-4 words that describe what you experienced or felt. This will be the first line of your poem.
\nd.\u00a0 Now you are ready to start your second line. Repeat (b) and (c) at least three times.
\nExample:
\n<\/strong>I feel the wind<\/em>
\nChickadees in trees<\/em>
\nWoodpecker drumming<\/em>
\nI feel connected<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Twenty Minute Hike<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Turn Around Hike
\n<\/strong>a. Take five, calming breaths.\u00a0 Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
\nb. Walk slowly for five minutes on a forest or wetland trail observing nature.
\nc.\u00a0 Then turn around and go back the same way you came.
\nd. Write 10 new things you did not see\/hear (before you turned around)\u00a0 in your nature notebook.<\/p>\n

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5. The Importance of Forts
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Crawling into a fort gives a person a sense of place and safety in the world. There is also the creative aspect of building something and having the satisfaction when it is done. If you have no sticks, look for a special place in the forest, such as under an old tree, or near a river. If you can\u2019t get outside, you can always build a fort in your home.<\/p>\n

Rules of fort building<\/u><\/p>\n