Walking on the Wild Side: Our Zoo Day!

What an incredible way to kick off the week! Our Grade 1 classes enjoyed a fantastic day of learning and discovery at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. The sun was shining, the students were curious and engaged, and the adults were just as excited for the adventure!

Our morning was spent participating in the "Animal Movers and Shakers" program, which connected with our Science Energy Unit, helping us explore how things move. As we travelled through the zoo, we discovered the many ways animals move and the reasons behind their movements, from swimming otters and soaring birds of prey to prowling carnivores, slithering snakes, and swinging gibbons. Along the way, we learned about the unique adaptations that help animals survive and thrive in their environments. A special highlight was meeting Pepperoni, a blue-tongued skink, who is an omnivorous lizard with some remarkable adaptations. And yes, we got to see Pepperoni's blue tongue!

After lunch, students explored the zoo in small groups alongside our incredible volunteers. These smaller groups gave students the opportunity to spend extra time with the animals that captured their interest most. It was a wonderful way to follow our curiosities, deepen our learning, and enjoy an awesome afternoon together. 

One fact we were amazed to learn today is that the peregrine falcon, one of the birds of prey we saw, is the fastest animal on Earth, even faster than a cheetah! Even more surprising, though, was the fact that not a single student fell asleep on the bus ride home. Truly shocking!

Our students were incredible ambassadors for our school. Our zoo interpreter even reached out to express how genuinely impressed she was, sharing that our students were "some of the best behaved, most engaged and active participants" she has ever had! 

We're not surprised! These kids are incredible!

Arbor Day Adventure

 Today we spent the morning at Strathcona County's Arbor Day Celebration!

We were in awe of the arborists! We learned that they are "tree doctors". We saw several of their special tools, including the chain saws! We met several arborists who gave us an amazing demonstration!

To keep our energy up, a quick cookie hit the spot! 

Trees have birthdays too! We learned to count the rings on a tree "cookie" and learned how drought and the seasons affect the rings. We even got to practice on our own little "tree cookie":

Our hearts were pumping at the "Nature-cize" obstacle course:

We planted our very own seedling in biodegradable cups, so that the cup can be planted along with the tree. Trees will come home next week. We also met Bertie Beaver, Alberta's fire prevention celebrity and mascot!

We headed towards a treed area to build "fairy houses" with dead material (e.g. sticks on the ground, fallen pine cones). What a collaborative, creative activity!

We learned about the importance of fire safety. We were strongly cautioned that fires are dangerous and never to be played with. We were, however, surprised to learn that forest fires are a natural part of the forest ecosystem and can play a role in maintaining a healthy forest. 

We each received reusable lunch bags filled with snacks and we settled in for an interactive performance by Crescendo Music Studio's musician Laurelle!

Strathcona County put on a fabulous Arbor Day for us and we had so much fun learning about trees! We are called to care for all God created and learned more about being stewards for our big, beautiful earth!

TaleBot Coding Adventures!

This past week, we went on a coding adventure! Simply put, coding is creating instructions. A fleet of little TaleBot robots joined our class and we learned how to have them follow our directions. 

We met the TaleBots and worked in pairs to learn how to use their comand buttons. The commands allow the TaleBots to move forward and back, turn left and right, and even dance! 

First, pairs were challenged to code the TaleBot to move around a block or two. There was lots of trial and error (and squeals of joy!) as we problem solved, discussed, and corrected our code. The spaces on the mat helped us count out our commands. 

Then we examined a zoo-themed coding mat and were challenged to write a story all about the zoo! 

The stories are about TaleBots who visit the zoo. What animal do they want to see at the zoo first? Next? Last? 

Once our zoo stories were written, we got back into teams. Using our story, we coded the TaleBot to retell our very own stories!

What a fantastic day of learning! You'll be able to see how your child codes their TaleBot at our upcoming Student-Led Celebrations of Learning!

Our Wintry Wilderness Adventures

We spent a spectacular day learning at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre!

Indigenous First Families Program

Our morning kicked off with the Indigenous First Families program, led by the wonderful Nadine. We stepped back in time to explore how the Inuit of the Arctic, the Plains First Nations, and the Woodland First Nations of Eastern Canada thrived long ago. Without stores like Costco, survival relied on expert hunting and a deep sense of community, where families shared everything from food to childcare.

While children didn’t attend formal schools, they were always learning! They learned hunting, cooking, and sewing from their elders. It was a life of responsibility and teamwork. Every job helped the family survive.

❄️ The Inuit: Life in the North

In the Arctic, the Inuit survived the cold by living in igloos and making tools. We got a close look at ring seal fur, used to create warm clothing and kamiks (shoes). One student even tried on a cozy seal fur parka! We learned how tough, creative and resilient the Inuit were.

🌾 The Plains First Nations: Hunters & Celebrators

The Plains First Nations followed the buffalo, living in tipis that could be moved. Nadine shared their vibrant culture of celebration, particularly the "powwow." We heard an elaborate fan that sounded like birds flapping. One lucky student dressed in traditional regalia, including a bone-and-bead choker, moose moccasins, and a protective breastplate. We even saw a replica headdress, where each feather represents a brave or kind deed.

🌲 The Woodland First Nations: Masters of the Forest

The Woodland First Nations lived near the Great Lakes, where they became incredible hunters and navigators. They used the birch trees around them to build canoes for traveling. After learning so many facts, the students were thrilled to handle the artifacts themselves. Feeling the silky furs and pelts was an absolute highlight!

Creativity and Play

To wrap up the morning, the students tapped into their own creativity! They designed fans decorated with nature-inspired scenes like rainbows and animals. We ended the morning with several traditional games. Though the rules were simple and the pieces were few, they were a challenging and high-energy hit!

Nature Scavenger Hunt

After a quick lunch, we bundled up and headed outside to experience God’s beautiful creation! Did you know we brought our own detective tools? Our five senses! Inspired by the book I Wonder, we set off on the trails, using our eyes, ears, noses, hands, and even our sense of smell to explore the world around us.

We shared a perfect day together! What a blessing to be able to take our learning beyond the classroom!

Duckling Joy!

Over the past few days, we've been blessed with the presence of seven adorable ducklings. Caring for them has been a delightful experience, filled with moments of wonder and gratitude.

Witnessing their rapid growth and observing their curious nature has been a testament to the beauty of new life. These little ducklings have taught us invaluable lessons in patience, compassion, and God's awe-inspiring work of creation!

We are thankful for this joyful experience and the cherished memories it has brought into our lives. Indeed, God's creations are truly marvellous.

Farewell, ducklings! 

EGG-citement in Grade 1!

Our week was filled with EGG-cellent learning!

Today Mrs. Junck visited us. We compared the eggs and feathers of a turkey and a duck, learned how an egg forms inside a mama, and examined the development of ducklings inside the egg. 

Today marks day 14 in our incubation journey. We are halfway through incubating our duck eggs, and in two weeks our ducklings should be hatching. We were able to candle a few eggs and saw the growth of the ducklings inside. We could even see movement!

Eggs are a symbol of new life, which is why eggs are a symbol at Easter. We spent the afternoon making Pysanky, traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs. This took lots of patience and creativity, and we did have lots of fun! We kept reminding each other that "everything new is hard at first". 

So much EGG-citement this past week! Have a blessed Easter!

Our Zoo Adventures!

Zoo School was an INCREDIBLE week of learning! We had demonstrations, up-close animal encounters, behind the scenes tours, and so much more! Come share in our journey!

TUESDAY

We jumped right into learning with animal observations! Tasked with sketching and labeling, we observed the cuddling lemurs ...

... and then the mischievous gibbon!

We began the challenge of Zoo Bingo! This became a weeklong task that we eagerly worked together on:

WEDNESDAY

Today was all about animal adaptations!

We observed several skulls, focusing on the teeth. We enjoyed predicting if an animal was a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore (like us!). Herbivore teeth tend to be flatter while carnivores teeth are sharp. We loved examining skulls from a beaver, tiger, owl, lemur, wolf, and even an elephant!

We met a milk snake named Nouvel, who eats mostly mice. She is a non-venomous snake with some interesting patterning. Her bright colouring mimics the patterns of a venomous snake to scare away predators. 

Next came Chutter, a burrowing owl. She spends most of her life on the ground, eating insects and mice. 

Meeting Frodo the tortoise was a highlight for many! He was surprisingly speedy and curious, and we were challenged to sketch such an active little fella!

We ended the day drawing comparisons between the adaptations of a tortoise and the adaptations of a sea lion! What a joy to experience these sleek swimmers! 

THURSDAY

Our focus today was training!

We learned about why the zoo trains animals to learn behaviours. We observed Hula the harbour seal and saw some of her trained skills. Her keepers even trained Hula to have her teeth brushed and receive eye drops!

We practiced training eachother using clickers and targets, much like animals at the zoo are trained. Trainers use positive reinforcement to teach behaviours that are helpful for the animal to know, especially behaviours used in feeding and health care. 

We visited the commissary, the kitchen that feeds all the animals at the zoo. We learned about carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and more! We were excited to see the foods the zoo uses to feed the animals, peek at the animals' menus, and examine the meat cart and fridge. Can you spot the primate "cookies"?

We crossed paths with Lucy, the Asian elephant. Being almost 50 years old, Lucy is fully retired and is not out on exhibit for public viewing. She does go for walks to exercise and we were lucky enough to catch her special stroll!

Mystery animal artifacts got our brains thinking! There was lots of wondering, discussing, observing and sketching. We saw an elephant hair bracelet, zebra fur, bald eagle talon, Lucy's baby tooth, a beaver tail, and Lucy's poop! 

FRIDAY

Off the bus and straight to finishing our Zoo Bingo! 

We had an encounter with the reindeer. Their adaptations are amazing! Can your child tell you about their hooves? It looks a little like the reindeer are wearing high heels. Their feet spread out and act like snowshoes!

Using snow and veggies, we made enrichments for the chickens in the Urban Farm. Enrichments stimulate the animals' senses,  challenge them to problem solve, and add to their quality of life. 

We were such wonderful ambassadors of our school that we were allowed a whirl on the newly restored carousel!

Zoo School was truly amazing, and we came home absolutely exhausted every day! Yes, all of the walking was tiring and we also got heaps of fresh air, but a huge part of WHY we were so tuckered was because of HOW we learned. We explored, wondered, compared, observed, problem solved, predicted, and learned so very much. 

As we prepare to return to our classroom, we are so thankful for the opportunity we had to learn at Zoo School. Thank you to all of the adult helpers to supported our week, the incredible zoo staff, and our students, who rose to the challenge each and every day!