This week we turned our focus to Raptors. Thanks to the Teton Valley Regional Land Trust, we were able to borrow educational "trunks" full of cool hands on artifacts. We were able to see real, but stuffed birds. We have ospreys, kestrels, owls, and hawks in our room. We held a Trumpeter Swan skull and saw the difference between a raptor beak and that of a bird who does not eat meat. On Tuesday, we looked more closely at owls. We read the classic, Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen. Then we each dissected an owl pellet. Inside we found unharmed bones of various rodents. We discovered skulls, jaws, feet, leg and rib bones. Wednesday,we ventured to the Raptor Center where we met Justin and Megan and several special birds they keep in captivity, after they rescued them. We met a great horned owl, a red-tailed hawk, kestrel, and osprey, golden eagle and a falcon. We learned details about their diet, life span, and if they are migratory. Some of the birds at the center get equipped with cameras so we can see what it is like when they fly, as well as GPS devices, so their distance and location can be tracked. Amazing! At the end of the week, we learned the three components that make a healthy habitat for birds - food, water, and shelter - and used our frog tank as an example of a good habitat. We started to brainstorm things that we can include in our habitat on campus that the birds will need to survive (nests, pond, plants, etc).

This was a busy week for our project. At the beginning of the week, we each selected a coloful bird photograph and then recreated a still life watercolor. They are currently displayed outside of our classroom, come and check them out! On Wednesday, grandparents and special friends came into our classroom, so we thought, what would be better than to dissect more owl pellets with them?!? Once again, we found many intact bones from small vertabrates. On Friday, we were able to watch a small video of global birds, not just birds of Teton Valley. We learned there are more than 10,000 species!

This week was a little special. We started a new mini-project when we visited the Jackson Hole Children's Museum. This mini-project was working together in small groups to plan, develop, test, and make modifications to marble runs using everyday materials. The students enjoyed working together to work though this creative project.

We also continued our project on the birds of Teton Valley by having a visitor form Teton Science Schools Conservation Research Center, Morgan Graham. He discussed songbird habitats and how different birds make different types of nests for different reasons. We also incorporated birds throughout the day during our Centers time.

At the beginning of the week we continued on the topic of habitats and reviewed the different types of freshwater habitats. At the end of the week, we got more specific about our bird habitat at school. We decided as a group that it would be a good idea to get some practice creating bird nests if we were going to create a whole habitat at TVCS! We began by reviewing the different types of nests and why birds pick certain materials to build their nests. Some materials are used for warmth, some for foundation and sturdiness, and some are just convenient for the birds. Some birds even build cavity nests in trees, cacti, and more! Then, we pretended like we were birds and collected different types of manmade and natural materials for our bird nests. We ended our week by constructing our nests and putting them around campus for local birds to use. We can't wait to check them next week and see if anything is living in them!