PAY IT FORWARD

SURVIVAL and the SENSES.

The Woodpeckers have been exploring the 5 Senses for quite a while. To expand on their learning, they were provided with an opportunity to visit the Edmonton Valley Zoo and learn about animal senses. The field trip to the zoo was a wonderful way to expand their knowledge of the animal kingdom, but also to learn about how they can be animal heroes for the animals they learned about.

Before we went to the zoo, our class had the opportunity to investigate how human impact through noise pollution among many things can get in the way of these animals survival. We played a game which explained how bats use echolocation to travel and hunt. As our class took turns being the bat among trees, they were able to experience the important that trees have in the survival of bats and what we can do to protect them.

Although we did not meet any bats during our zoo trip, we were able to explore animal enclosures and learn about how other animals use their senses for their survival. For example, a lizard named Pepperoni uses its large blue tongue to smell the air as well as scare predators; and we met an owl who uses its large eyes to see at night as well as its acute sense of hearing to listen for small animals that might be its source of food. The Woodpecker friends left the Zoo with a lot of memories and learning about their Environment and Community Awareness as well as new vocabulary.