Animal Nature
This theme ties a love of animals to a larger understanding of animals’ relationships to each other and their environments. Animal lovers get a more focused picture of types of species and the dichotomous key, behavioral traits, symbiotic relationships, and intricate relationships with ecosystems.
Hands-on projects introduce girls to the classification of species, social and behavioral traits in small animals, ecosystems, and food webs. Girls learn how animals rely on their natural habitats and how their habitats rely on them by creating worm composts and building their own bug habitats. They learn about animal tracks, distinguishing markings, important environmental factors, and social groups. Classroom critters and guest visitors add to the week’s events.
Favorite projects include stinky-beans dichotomous key, insect habitats, create-your-own-creature, investigations under the microscope and more. Using what they learn about species and traits, girls design their own animals and turn the classroom into an environment for their creatures.
