Education Room Connection 32
A Message from our Education Director, Hannah...
Week 1
Last week, Miss Ashley had noticed some new cheery-voiced friends right outside her front door! We believe that it is a family of House Finches! The male has a brilliant red color in the head and chest, and the female has a light brownish-grey . They have cone-shaped bills which helps them easily consume seeds along with, buds, berries and occasionally aphids (small insects that drink the saps of plants). Their favorite treat are sunflower seeds and they will often look for hummingbird feeders to have some sugar-water. House Finches are very bouncy fliers and have a cheery chirping voice . Originally found in the Southwest, House Finches now often located in many regions of the United States and Northern Mexico.
While watching this new finch family out her front door, Miss Ashley noticed that the male seemed to be feeding the female , how curious! Upon closer watch, she noticed that the female, while not leaving the nest often, was sitting upon some new eggs! In order for the new chicks to properly develop, the eggs should be kept at a proper temperature. Many female birds control this by incubation. When sitting on the eggs for an extended period, she not only can control the temperature, but ward off threats of other predators as well. The female will incubate the eggs for about two weeks until they hatch, and then they will spend another two weeks caring for the new hatchlings until they leave the nest. Check back in for updates on this cute finch family!
If you want to learn more check out the Audubon Guide to North American Birds and The Cornell Lab All About Birds Identification Guide where you can check out more pictures, videos, and audio of song calls!
Wind Powered Cars!
Join our Education Director, Hannah, this week in creating your own wind powered car! Change the sail type to see how it impacts the speed and stabilization. Test it out with a fan or hairdryer and race your family and friends!
ACTIVITY:
Check out this fun activity book full of different puzzles, word searches, and activities while exploring why Hawaii’s Ocean is important!
STEM:
Some of you might remember using Earth Null School to check out currents, wind, temperature, and more. Remember to click on the lower left hand “Earth” icon to expand and change different variables to view!
Speaking of temperature, if it is adjusted too much, we might affect our corals! Play this game to see how storms, temperature, and water pollution might affect coral bleaching.
If you’re interested in learning more about Coral Reefs, check out this fun virtual program on Coral Reef Ecosystems from Reef Relief. You can follow along with the provided worksheets for extra fun!
LITERACY:
Read and color along while learning about sea turtles and what makes them so special!
HEALTH & WELLNESS:
Relax and practice your origami skills while making different sea creatures. Check out a few of my favorite seahorses, a clam shell, and an octopus!
Quick tip: some of these might have you start with a ‘frog base’ – check out those instructions here!
LEADERSHIP:
To all of our Torch Club members, with parental guidance, check out Canva.com to create your own informational poster on your very own marine topic. You can explore topics from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) from learning about Marine Life, Climate, Weather, and more!
For a prompt, check out the following brainstorming questions:
- If you were to break down your topic to a sibling in 3rd grade, how would you explain it?
- Has your topic been featured in current events lately?
- What can you or your community do have (or lessen) an impact on this topic?
- Why did this topic interest you?
Be sure to check out the elements tab to find cool graphics to add to your piece!
After, if you send your creation to wbgc.virtual @gmail.com, it will be posted in the Ed Room for other members to admire!
ADVENTURE CORNER:
Did you know you can dive our marine sanctuaries virtually!? Check out some of my favorite places from sea lions in kelp forests of Monterey Bay to a massive “Big Momma” coral head in the American Samoa.
If Monterey Bay caught your attention, you can also check out the live cameras at the Monterey Bay Aquarium to see jellyfish, sharks, tropical fish, penguins, and more!
With parental supervision, join the Ocean Institute in a free week of exploring sharks! You can sign up for a free Shark Week to gain access to activities, interviews with professionals, and more!
For an extra trip, check out David Attenborough’s Virtual Tour of the Great Barrier Reef!
