The arrival of spring presents a great opportunity to observe nature in full bloom. Insects and many species of small animals are abundant. We have included the first activity of the schoolyard ecology series with this issue. It is geared towards elementary school students but can be adapted for middle school to help construct a fuller understanding of the concept of an ecosystem by focusing on the interactions of specific organisms within a particular habitat. These activities bring together a combination of science and mathematic skills as students compile information and construct concepts about the environment.
Students utilize several skills to measure, map, quantify and classify their findings.
For the older students, more depth may be added by incorporating scale, ratio and grids. We hope that by taking a step outdoors, students can observe the schoolyard come alive and see even the smallest spot is home to a multitude of life. On March 27 we successfully launched our online VET CHAT program. Students asked about feeding table scraps to pets, taking care of sick pets, dealing with the death of their animals and careers in veterinary medicine. All of us who were involved found the experience interesting, enlightening and fun.