tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70157411439787943142024-02-07T07:28:23.403-06:00A Plain and Simple HomeschoolAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-22276851365070741032015-01-12T13:42:00.001-06:002015-01-12T13:42:38.449-06:00Preparing and Using E-Books<p>I love using e-books in our schooling. there are just so many resources out there I would never have in my home library if it weren’t for e-books. Here are some tips from <a href="http://livingbookscurriculum.com" target="_blank">Living Books Curriculum</a> to help you prepare and use your e-books effectively…</p> <p> </p> <p>As we prepare for our 3-day 50% off sale of all digital books, including our grammar books and teaching guides starting Tuesday, January 13 at 5am... <p><i></i> <p>I thought this is a perfect time to give you some tips about how best to print ebooks. <p><i></i> <p>First, ebooks definitely have a place in your homeschool. I have used them for 15 years. They are no substitute for a library of "real books" but can be quite useful especially when stretching your budget for homeschooling. <p><i></i> <p><strong>1. Get a good, affordable laser printer</strong> <p><i></i> <p>I use a HP Laser Jet 1012 (the latest is 1020). This is a <em>very afforable </em>printer that will last a long time. I have had mine almost six years with constant use. I have the cartridges refilled for $35 and they last over 6-8 months. Don't try to print ebooks on your printer that has expensive replacement ink. The end cost is too high. You might be better to find a place that prints them for .08 each (or less) and save yourself the hassle. <p><i></i> <p><strong>2. Get copy paper</strong> <p><i></i> <p>Depending on how much you're going to be using ebooks, you may want to consider a case. Office supply stores often have good discounts. Half should be plain white and half three-hole punch white. I explain why below. <p><i></i> <p><strong>3. Three important items to have on hand</strong> <p><i></i> <p>Three important things to have on hand to make printing a snap: metal book rings in different sizes, brass fasteners in different lengths (I use 2-inch most often) and three-ring binders. Watch for sales to purchase the binders. It helps quite a bit if they have the plastic front where you can insert a cover page. <p><i></i> <p><strong>4. To bind at home or at the copy center--which one?</strong> <p><i></i> <p>Decide how you will use the books.If it is one of our subject guides that will be opened many times, then you would best print a copy and ask your local copy store to bind it (coil is best but comb is acceptable) and laminate the cover (title page). Then you will have a durable book that will last many years.<strong></strong> <p><i></i> <p>If it is a work of literature that is likely to be read only a few times then you can print it on three-hole paper and put it in a notebook, make a pretty cover page and slip it in the plastic front. To store the books so I don't have too many binders I use brass fasteners or metal book rings. <p><i></i> <p><strong>5. Storing ebooks</strong> <p>When your printed ebook is in a binder keep it in a bookshelf. You can purchase spine labels from and office supply store and label each book. It makes it soooo easy to find. If your keeping the books bound with rings or fasteners, store them in a clear plastic bin and label the contents so you can see at a glance. <p><i></i> <p>Now that you know how easy and useful it is to have a ebook library head on over to our ebook sale and load up on teaching guides, history, grammar, stories, poetry and more. <p>All the best, <p><i><img alt="Sheila Carroll" src="https://www.mcssl.com/content/223282/sheila_signature.jpg" width="163" height="58"></i> <p>www.LivingBooksCurriculum.com Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-54966123702081096032013-10-09T09:04:00.003-05:002013-10-09T09:04:56.001-05:00Term 2 on the horizon here...We will start on Term 2 officially Monday, but this week we are still working thru some math and English lessons for review, and finishing up some odds and ends projects yet. For us, the 'break' between Terms isn't as much a vacation as just a wrap-up week. <div><br><div>While the crew spends their day on their work, my work includes pulling Term 1 notes from my daily binder and replacing them into the file to a,me room for my Term 2 sheets and goodies. The daily file box will be reloaded with the Term 2 lapbook and notebooking components for science and history, I will put up our new map work work for World History, and the reading shelf will be reworked with our main Term 2 titles and videos. They kids are excited....we read Johnny Tremain again, and we have the DVD on the shelf as well. We will probably start our Liberty Kids series this term as well. Term 2 will also move us into Australia and Antarctica. I haven't lined up our reading for these yet, so a trip to the library will be forthcoming I'm sure. Let's just hope I can keep them fully dressed and not sporting aboriginal attire for our hiking trips :-D</div><div><br></div><div>Term 2 will be broken into 2 work sessions to accommodate Thanksgiving. The schedule will be 7 weeks (<a href="tel:10-7/11-22" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">10-7/11-22</a>) then a break for Thanksgiving preps, then we will finish 2 weeks (<a href="tel:12-3/12-13" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">12-3/12-13</a>) and take a 3 weeks break for the winter season and Christmas, starting our next term January 6th. We will have plenty to do, probably still working math and such off and on, utilizing more hands-on lessons and the ever-popular kitchen math while we bake and cook. </div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEkCkvcqk69WLaCz_5_9oMVaup4_moWjbPtl5wt4smtYjAmV-eEsd2qKZ2IBVFndMxgZbXXRHYjVyyPU5rtw6rdX55mNRBstbd0mvy5G9EIAjFQd1yR8ucxJO7vMERnag27IULXgJ-nY/s640/blogger-image--1698199407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEkCkvcqk69WLaCz_5_9oMVaup4_moWjbPtl5wt4smtYjAmV-eEsd2qKZ2IBVFndMxgZbXXRHYjVyyPU5rtw6rdX55mNRBstbd0mvy5G9EIAjFQd1yR8ucxJO7vMERnag27IULXgJ-nY/s640/blogger-image--1698199407.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I've had a few notes about how we seem to be on a roll, things moving along at a great pace. Someone even said they were a bit envious of our homeschooling progress because their own days seem to get so jumbled. I love reading about the homeschooling adventures and plans of others. I am always inspired and motivated to up the ante around here. I have big plans, but I rarely have the big results I envisioned with those plans. Sure, I have the entire year laid out and ready to go, but the truth of it is our days are <b>almost always </b>interrupted by Life here...kittens getting into the wrong area, goats taking woodland visits without our knowledge, the cow walking past the driveway as she wanders down the road, <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">fences that need unexpected repairs, chickens roaming about in need of better enclosures, an unplanned run to town or the Vet...there's always something</span>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><b>It's LIFE, and trust me, we definitely live it here</b></i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I try to plan, but Life just happens, and rarely works in tandem with My Plans. And, of course, we have those days where the weather is just <i>too enticing</i> and we throw out the schedule and hit the road for a drive, or head to one of the parks and go on a long hike. Or we pack up the school bags and spend the day at the park, soaking up our lessons alongside an impromptu picnic by a lake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What I'm saying is, don't believe our days flow on a smooth, even keel, or that we accomplish everything I already have laid out for school. We free form a great deal of our schooling. I should be more organized and strict in our scheduling, but I just don't roll that way. I try, but it's fighting an uphill battle. I'm just not hard-wired that way. My prayer is always that my free-ranging tendencies don't totally damage my children's future. I'm not worthy of homeschooling praises or followers. I'm just another homeschool mom swimming against the public school tide. Some days it works, some days we hit the rapids. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So, onward to Term 2....Revolutionary War battles, here we come!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div></div></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-80214194103173190272013-10-09T09:04:00.001-05:002013-10-09T09:07:33.851-05:00Homestead MeatballsI was asked about the baked meatballs I made a post or two back. They aren't anything special really, just a simple baked meatball to add to the stash. They are relatively plain, a sort of meatball base if you will, so you can season and tweak as you please, yet they are yummy enough to soak up our favorite spaghetti sauce or delicious soup flavor.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3# meat of choice....all ground beef, ground turkey, ground sausage, or any combination.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1-2 medium onions, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Minced garlic or garlic powder (I use minced, about 1 TBS)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3 eggs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1 1/2 cups Panko crumbs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3-6 TBS tomato paste (if you are tweaking spices, this could well be optional)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I don't use a mixer to blend these together. I did once, it produced a sort of 'baby food meat' texture I just didn't like baked. They did, however, fry up really nicely. I gave them a bit of fry time, then finished off baking in the oven. Not my favorite, but they were pretty good that way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">At any rate, I just dig on in with my hands and mash, and squish, and mix. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>If you can't have fun in the kitchen, what's the point, right?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZ5RKayh9lMViYz0MCI2CAKkpAYfBwt9XeoGu4MjpYfdZnNvfE77XDBYNKTExjSqQ6Xu5oj46x809qUPu4wrydatJf75olGugXIOA9QWXYQM9ZGPqYd6tKEUuZ8RXNm0AGGUr2M3_wgc/s640/blogger-image--1724493743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZ5RKayh9lMViYz0MCI2CAKkpAYfBwt9XeoGu4MjpYfdZnNvfE77XDBYNKTExjSqQ6Xu5oj46x809qUPu4wrydatJf75olGugXIOA9QWXYQM9ZGPqYd6tKEUuZ8RXNm0AGGUr2M3_wgc/s640/blogger-image--1724493743.jpg"></a></div><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So, take your bowl of mixed, squishy meat and start popping out meatballs. With this recipe, you will have about 60 smallish meatballs, or about 30 big boys. I used my ice cream scoop and ended up in the middle, with about 48 I think. Plop them onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375* for 30-40 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You can also put them into your muffin tins to bake. Grab one, cut it and check it for doneness. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><b>Disclaimer: I'm sure the baker purists can tell you what the proper internal meatball temperature needs to be, but I just cook until I like the looks of them inside, and they aren't burnt. No one has been poisoned off around the homestead yet, so I continue my practice. I'm not advocating you follow my lackadaisical method, just telling you what I choose to do myself.</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So, you have a mess of meatballs now....whaddya do with them?? We toss the meatballs into our spaghetti sauce, we add them to veggie soup, use them in stew, make a meatball sub casserole (or regular meatball subs)... They freeze well, too. Not that I typically have many to freeze when the crew finds out I've made them...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'd love to hear how you tweak up this meatball base and make it your own. And definitely share your favorite recipes...for the meatballs, or for how you love to use them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5395UQjMjcnYG4C4FoMFCVVwEUOooHO-k9ZXHUVicu4md1lCH5z6gLIZFgashKHuPnWIqTRLoOfeyGV9SjMxuL2-6bDBODR07N_4yw9Okb4M35r7RqJYIzEmfRpApVyv898eHNEo3J0/s640/blogger-image-2061942538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5395UQjMjcnYG4C4FoMFCVVwEUOooHO-k9ZXHUVicu4md1lCH5z6gLIZFgashKHuPnWIqTRLoOfeyGV9SjMxuL2-6bDBODR07N_4yw9Okb4M35r7RqJYIzEmfRpApVyv898eHNEo3J0/s640/blogger-image-2061942538.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-90820619132442883742013-08-28T08:31:00.001-05:002013-08-28T08:31:45.037-05:00Why Homeschool Totally Rocks!<div>There are so many reasons I could share as to why homeschool totally rocks, but the best one in my estimation is FREEDOM. </div><div>We are taking our messed up week of schooling on the road today.</div><div>Because we CAN.</div><div><br></div><div>Where will you take your schooling adventures today?</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeHTrQoDIZPy3MCOZ3OhkbZvwTvndCpUrUcthrZ5uSV2rO7FeQKPoneGaHjMQQ2oH9gNiIcm6keSGaShbbivL9E7ZfC5JwfHGsIuY5JjUptSye1VOOUvsCGAVMV1LwKQWIXcbHvCecVQ/s640/blogger-image--1909390931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeHTrQoDIZPy3MCOZ3OhkbZvwTvndCpUrUcthrZ5uSV2rO7FeQKPoneGaHjMQQ2oH9gNiIcm6keSGaShbbivL9E7ZfC5JwfHGsIuY5JjUptSye1VOOUvsCGAVMV1LwKQWIXcbHvCecVQ/s640/blogger-image--1909390931.jpg"></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-2868800969317236952013-08-07T10:00:00.001-05:002013-08-07T10:06:46.884-05:00American Patriot's Almanac...We are reading thru our American Patriot Almanac book with our year-long study of the American Revolution (William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb...ISBN: <a href="tel:978-1-59555-267-9" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">978-1-59555-267-9</a>)<div><br></div><div>On this day, August 7, 1782:</div><div>George Washington created the Purple Heart, America's oldest military decoration. He called the award the Badge of Military Merit. <b><i>See <span style="font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">http://www.thepurpleheart.com/history/ </span></i></b></div><div><br></div><div>"The General, ever desirous to cherish the virtuous ambition in his soldiers as well as foster and encourage every species of military merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings, over his left breast, a figure of a heart in purple cloth or silk edged with narrow lace or binding. Not only instances of unusual gallantry but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way shall meet with due reward."</div><div><br></div><div>The badge permitted the wearer to pass sentinels without challenge. Only three soldiers -- Elijah Churchill, William Brown, and Daniel Bissell Jr -- are known to have received the award during the Revolutionary War.</div><div>After the Revolution the badge fell out of use. In 1932 the military revived the decoration to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth. The Order of The Purple Heart is now awarded to members of the armed services who have been wounded or killed in action. The modern medal has a bronze heart bearing Washington's silhouette in its purple center and the Washington coat-of-arms at the top.</div><div>Why did Washington choose purple? No one knows for certain, but for ages purple had been the color of royalty. In Washington's eyes, the common soldier who sacrificed for his country deserved as much respect as any king. As he wrote in his order creating the decoration, "the road to glory in a patriot arm and a free country is open to all."</div><div><br></div><div>Also On This Date:</div><div>1789.... Congress establishes the War Department, no known as The Department of Defense.</div><div>1942.... U.S. troops land at Guadalcanal, marking a shift by Allied Forces from defensive operations to an offensive campaign in the Pacific in World War II?</div><div>1959.... The U.S. launches Explorer 6, the first satellite to photograph Earth from orbit.</div><div>1998.... Al-Queda explodes bombs at U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people, including 12 Americans.</div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiucn2N3SHhaGyFqFDcHvC-T19BKaG73RpYNxX0I1JU-0yufqSi9b6EaEazDvGE0FMBAazC7GpgqgvCV2NOBof5zidXJxB1g-weSYl9PLdoIgGhZnYbBzdWwth130Ry9oJepRgrWYI1k/s640/blogger-image--332195031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiucn2N3SHhaGyFqFDcHvC-T19BKaG73RpYNxX0I1JU-0yufqSi9b6EaEazDvGE0FMBAazC7GpgqgvCV2NOBof5zidXJxB1g-weSYl9PLdoIgGhZnYbBzdWwth130Ry9oJepRgrWYI1k/s640/blogger-image--332195031.jpg"></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-19345003193043884052013-08-01T11:45:00.001-05:002013-08-01T12:36:07.167-05:00Gearing up for the new Term<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>We have changed up the plan a bit again this year, not in terms of our Core/Spine, but in our approach to everything else in our school day. We have taken on a fairly CM style to our schooling, and it suits us quite well. Our Core remains with Rod & Staff...using their math and English curriculum, and occasionally other subjects blend in. <div><br></div><div>Where we have departed from traditional textbook curriculum is in everything else in our daily routine. We read for every subject, we add in lap books and note booking components where the interest is, we do projects every few weeks, or plan a longer range project, to coincide with our area of study, and nature plays a big role in our school planning. Having 20 acres of timber, a varied homestead of animals, and plenty of places within a day trip distance is a big plus.</div><div><br></div><div>Yes, I have multiple 'grade levels' here, ranging from beginning levels to high school. We work together in our studies for most areas, with some adjustments, of course. While everyone is on the same 'chapter' in terms of open study...this year we enter into the Colonies and the American Revolution...we maintain different levels of our core (math, English) and free reading varies according to the level of understanding. </div><div><br></div><div>I don't actually label my children with a "you are in grade X" and if you asked them, they'd probably look at you like you're talking Greek, LOL. We strive for a complete understanding of each concept being learned, a high level of mastery. Of course not each child is an 'A' student as understood by traditional grade scale tags, but they are an 'A' student in terms of their working to their best ability on each area. We work a math and English concept until it is fully understood, and can properly be applied in a variety of work examples. Science, American, and World History...these areas are repeated every few years, and with an increasing reference base and reading cycle, so these areas will also have a deeper understanding. If a child has a particularly strong interest in an area, we seek out additional resources for them. I'm not stifling the next Madame Curie :-)</div><div><br></div><div>This term, much like our adventures into the Middle Ages, will revolve around living books, lapbooks and notebooking components, arts, and crafts focusing on the Colonial and American Revolutionary War era. The resources available are wonderful. It was hard to choose the 'need to buy' list this year! (Another plus to homeschooling and a living books curriculum is the building of a great home library!)</div><div><br></div><div>I did try to schedule the coming terms on our calendar. Whether or not I stick to that exact time frame will be decided as we go along, but in general, it's a plan I believe works well. Each Term is 8 weeks long, and there is a 'free' week as a project week, a field trip week, a week of completing any assignments still open, etc. </div><div>Term 1....August 5th - September 27th</div><div> Break September 30th - October 4th</div><div>Term 2....October 7th - November 22, and December 3rd - December 13th</div><div> Break after first part for Thanksgiving, November 25 - November 29th</div><div> Break for winter holiday following the 2nd part, December 16th - January 3rd</div><div>Term 3....January 6th - February 28th</div><div> Break March 3rd - March 7th</div><div>Term 4....March 10th - May 2nd</div><div> Break May 5th - May 9th</div><div>Term 5....May 12th - July 4th</div><div> End of this cycle, summer break July 7th thru beginning of August</div><div>**if I tallied right, we have 41 weeks of 'formal schooling' and 7 weeks thru the cycle for breaks, as well as most of July for a summer break.</div><div><br></div><div>Like I said, that's the plan ahead...but life is what is is at times, and I'm not chained to paper schedule here. It's a goal to aim for, but we are very flexible. Our breaks will hardly be idle times without learning...life is what it is...you simply can't shut off learning just because the books are closed!</div><div><br></div><div>If anyone is still lurking about here, despite my hit and miss posting, I'd love to hear about your coming school cycle, your plans and schedules. Please do share your blog links in the comments!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-1720486530721417082013-06-29T12:24:00.001-05:002013-06-29T12:24:12.519-05:00Mega Link Round-Up...More than likely I have many of these posted already, but I'm clearing out the saved bookmarks on the iPad,a and just to be on the safe side, I'm posting (again) so I don't lose any of them. This is a collection of all sorts of goodies I've stashed away for use in our schooling...crafts, Middle Ages, Revolutionary War, etc.<br />Sorry if you've gathered these and I'm just clogging up your blog reading ☺<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://happyhomeschool.familyclassroom.net/Archives/History/KingQueens.shtml">Kings, Queens, and Castles collected links</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://diyhomeschooler.com/story-based-history-book-tool/">Story-based History Tool, DIYHomeschooler</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages">Middle Ages via About.com</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mainlesson.com/displayauthor.php?author=marshall">H.E. Marshall, Baldwin Project</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.papertoys.com/">Paper Toys....all sorts of fun here!</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/eras.html">U.S. History Pages</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/index.php">America's History Pages...a great, useful collection from the government of all places :-)</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://highland.hitcho.com.au/tog2.htm">TOG year 2 forms, Highland Heritage Homeschool (so many great forms shared, definite bookmark worthy site!)</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.discoveryeducation.com/search/page/k-5/-/lesson-plan/-/index.cfm">Discovery Education, free Kindergarten-5th grade varied lesson plans</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://m.youtube.com/#/results?desktop_uri=%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3Dmagic%2Bschool%2Bbus%26search_type%3D%26aq%3Df&search_type=&search_query=magic+school+bus&aq=f&gl=US">Some Magic School Bus on YouTube</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.bibleforchildren.org/languages/english/stories.php">Bible for Children, OT and NT </a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://aroundtheworld.phileas-fogg.net/index.html">Around the World in 80 Days interactive site</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lessontutor.com/ees80printPT1.html">Around the World in 80 Days, vocabulary</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://palinstravels.co.uk/static-7">Michael Palin's modern day journal of Phileas Fogg's trek</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/knights_lapbook.php">Knights, Castles lapbooks at Homeschool School</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dltk-bible.com/crafts/armor/mshield.htm">Make a Shield for your Medieval Times study</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dltk-bible.com/jesus/armor-activities.htm">Armor of God, DLTK sheets</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle.htm">Build a Castle!</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/feudal.html">Teacher Resources...Life in the Middle Ages</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.historyforkids.org/crafts/medieval.htm">History for Kids, Middle Ages Projects</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.abookintime.com/middleages/castles.html">A Book in Time, Middle Ages book list</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/middleages.html">A to Z Kids Stuff, Middle Ages links</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval_britain_index.htm">Britain Express, Medieval England</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medfilms.html">Medieval History in The movies</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.teacheroz.com/Middle_Ages.htm">Middle Ages, Chivalry, etc.</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/KnightInNight/night001a.htm">Beacon Learning Center Middle Ages interactive</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kingarthursknights.com/arthur/king.asp">Historical King Arthur</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.schools.pinellas.k12.fl.us/educators/tec/arthur/tennyson.html">The Lady of Shallot, Alfred Lord Tennyson</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://worldhistory.mrdonn.org/middleages.html">Mr Donn's Middle Ages...well worth bookmarking, he has many other pages</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://learningadventurescurriculum.blogspot.com/2007/06/collection-of-info_02.html">Learning Adventures blog page, collected Medieval links</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.aloha.net/~mattman/arthur.html">Mattman's Arthurian Resources</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/history.htm">Paula's Archives, Supplemental Literature for History</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.families.com/blog/a-unit-study-starter-on-castles-and-medieval-life">Book lists for great unit study beginnings </a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncte.ie/viking/less1.htm">Vikings Lessons</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.schools.pinellas.k12.fl.us/educators/tec/arthur/ArthCurric.html">King Arthur interactive quest</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.easyfunschool.com/article2077.html">Astronomy unit, Easy Fun School</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.castles.org/Kids_Section/Castle_Story/activities.htm">Castle coloring pages</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://charlottemasonhomeschooling.wordpress.com/charlotte-mason-homeschool-methods-and-lesson-plans/your-free-history-mini-unit-studies/">Katie's Homeschool Cottage, great unit study ideas, book lists, etc.</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://egypt.mrdonn.org/index.html">Ancient Civilizations, Egypt and more, Mr Donn's pages</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://archaeology.mrdonn.org/lessonplans.html">Archaeology links</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://lessonplancentral.com/cgi-bin/lessons/hyperseek.cgi?Terms=Egypt&submit=Go">Ancient Worlds</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies1.htm">Social Studies for Kids, American Colonies part 1</a> <br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies2.htm">American Colonies, part 2</a><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies3.htm">American Colonies, part 3</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/John_Adams.php">John Adams lapbook, HomeschoolShare</a><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/connections__americanrevolution.php">American Revolutionary War, HomeschoolShare Connections</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.classical-childrens-books.com/calico-bush-unit-study.html">Calico Bush unit study</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lewis_and_clark_and_me.php">Lewis and Clark, HomeschoolShare</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.experience-ancient-egypt.com/geography-of-egypt.html">Ancient Egypt, Discover the Nile </a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.crayola.com/things-to-do/crafts-landing/egyptian-papyrus-paper.aspx">Simple papyrus craft, Crayola</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.lucylearns.com/kid-egypt-coloring-pages.html">Egypt for Kids, Fast Facts</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kids-n-fun.com/Coloringpages/Egypt">Egyptian coloring pages</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://m.eb.com/topic/415347#37076.toc">Plant and Animal Life along the Nile</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://peapod-peasinapod.blogspot.com/2011/02/ancient-egypt-lapbook-mummies.html">Peas in a Pod blog post on Ancient Egypt</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.neferchichi.com/lessonplans.html">Neferchichi Ancient Egypt lesson plans</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.discoveringegypt.com/Egyptian-Hieroglyphic-Alphabet.html">Discovering Egypt, Heiroglyphics</a><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/egypt/mpharaoh_masks.htm">Ancient Egypt, Pharaohs Mask craft</a><br /><br />That's several. I have a tendency toward saving anything and everything that even looks potentially useful :-) Hopefully there are some of these you will find useful as well!<br /><br />- Blessings from Abundant Blessings Homestead!<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-44570843456864934352013-02-15T06:00:00.000-06:002013-02-15T06:00:05.964-06:00Science Week 19: Finfoots and Kelp Dwellers<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="213" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/396374_467059469980847_2036948507_n.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeffcorwinconnect/posts/279780455459272"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Jeff Corwin Facebook page</span></b></i></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Australian Fur Seal </span>There are many species of seals named for the fine fur that makes them so attractive to hunters. The large northern fur seal, found in chil<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ly northern waters, was hunted to near extinction during the 19th century. These animals were protected by law in 1911, and populations later rebounded to 1.3 million animals.</span><span style="color: grey; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span>There are eight species of southern fur seals, all smaller than their northern relative. They include the Guadalupe fur seal of Baja California, the South African fur seal, the South American fur seal, and the Australian fur seal.<br />Fur seals have sharp eyesight and keen hearing. They have small ears, unlike the earless or hair seals.<br />Although they breathe air, seals are most at home in the water and may stay at sea for weeks at a time eating fish, squid, birds, and tiny shrimp-like krill. Fur seals may swim by themselves or gather in small groups.<br />When breeding season arrives, however, these social animals gather on shore in very large numbers. Powerful males, known as bulls, establish territories and gather harems of up to 40 females, battling their rivals to establish dominance. During this season, coastlines are filled with roaring, growling, honking seals.<br />Female fur seals, or cows, give birth during this breeding season, then mate again just a few days later. The following year they will return to give birth to a single pup after a nearly yearlong pregnancy, and mate once again to continue the cycle.<br />Many fur seal populations have not rebounded from extensive hunting, and now face additional threats from climate change and overfishing, which can limit their prey. - National Geographic<br />Please SHARE our Wildlife and Nature page. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-for-Wildlife-and-Nature/279792438707552" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>pages/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>Wild-for-Wildlife-and-Nature/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>279792438707552</a></span></blockquote>
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As with whales, dolphins, porpoises, and manatees from last week, seals are another water dwelling mammal. The seals are altogether comfortable there, and wherever cool currents flow and small food animals abound, the finfoots will gracefully dive, leap, and play.<br />
Even though the seal's feet have toes and nails, their wide webs resemble fins. The order of the seal family is Pinnipedia, meaning "fin-footed." These mammals sometimes spend months of every year entirely in the water, but they also pull out on land and shuffle about. Some seals migrate, others feed along the same shorelines every season.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Senses</b><br /><b>Sight:</b> to be efficient underwater hunters, seals need to detect and catch prey. Since very little light penetrates at great depths, the eyes of seals are specially adapted to allow them to see underwater. The eyes are especially large – one of the endearing feature of pups – and the lens is structured to allow as much light in as possible. When on land, the eye is protected from bright sunlight by closing the pupil. Thus seals can see well both underwater and on land. Sight is probably more important on land than in the water, and anyone watching common seals will</span> <span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">notice that they raise their heads regularly to look for danger.<br /><b>Hearing:</b> the ears of the seals are also adapted to allow them to hear underwater as well as on land. The bones of the middle ear are larger than in land mammals, and there are changes in the shape and size of other bones in the skull. Sensitivity to sound helps them to detect prey underwater. It has been suggested that seals echo-locate, like whales and bats. Common seals are known to make clicks and trills underwater. It could be, however, that they are simply talking to each other.<br /><b>Touch:</b> when water is especially dark or murky, seals cannot use their excellent eyesight to help catch their prey. They have, however, sensitive whiskers called ‘vibrissae’ that grow on either side of the snout, above the eyes, and on top of the nose and are thought to detect vibrations in the water caused by moving prey. There are cases of blind seals surviving for a number of years in the wild, suggesting that for fishing the whiskers are more important than sight.<br /><b>Smell:</b> a sense of smell does not work in water for seals. If you watch a seal, you will see that it closes its nostrils tightly before diving, to prevent seawater from irritating the delicate membranes in the nose. But the nose-bones in the seal are large and quite complex, suggesting that a sense of smell is important on land. As soon as a pup is born, it and its mother sniff at each other. Not only do they recognise each other by their individual call, but by their individual smell. Basking seals often raise their heads and sniff at the air.</span></blockquote>
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God's perfect design for the large brown eyes of the finfoot is to enable them to see equally well in air or in water. In the air, the pupil is slit-shaped horizontally. In the water, it expands to a round shape to take in more light. Seals have little to no duct on the inside of the head to drain away tears as most mammals do. For this reason, when they are out on shore and their fur is dry, they often appear to be crying.<br />
Hair seals have ears that are only openings in the side of their head. When the seal dives, these ears are closed partly by water pressure and partly by the seal's own muscles. Their nostrils close, too. Since sound travels so much better in water than in air, the seals can still hear, just as whales can, while their ears are closed.<br />
Whales have no vocal cords, yet they are able to call in quite audible voices (remember the whale song clips from <a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/02/science-week-18-mammals-of-seas.html"><i><b><span style="color: red;">last week</span></b></i></a>?) Seals, however, have vocal cords, and they can yelp, whimper, yap, bark, and roar. Sounds that are not vocal are often heard from seal pods. As the noisy, chubby mammals lie dozing and basking, packed together, one will hear coughs, yawns, sneezes, and more. The<a href="http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=43&detID=1011"> <b><i><span style="color: red;">common harbor seal</span></i></b></a> also beeps high squeaks beyond what the human ear can hear.<i><b><a href="http://asadl.org/jasa/resource/1/jasman/v74/iS1/pS75_s1?bypassSSO=1"><span style="color: red;"> It could be echolocation</span></a></b></i> to aid them in finding the fishes, shell fishes, and crabs they feed on. <br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Limbs and movement</b><br />A seal has much shorter limbs than most mammals: what appear to be the armpit and groin of a seal are, in fact, the equivalent of the wrist and the ankle. By comparison, the bones of their flippers are enormously long, and the skin between them forms a web which is used like a paddle to propel the seal along. They have long, sturdy claws on their front flippers which they use to help them move on land, especially when they need to grip onto rocks or ice.<br />When a seal swims quickly, it holds its front flippers tightly against its sides, and propels itself with its powerful hind flippers. Its lower body moves from side to side, rather like a fish, as it moves along. When the seal is swimming slowly, the front flippers are used as stabilisers and stick out to the sides.<br />On land, a seal moves with a ‘hitching’ action. It forces it weight onto its chest, and then stretches its back to swing its rear end forward. The weight is transferred to the pelvis, and the chest is thrown forward. It is an inefficient way to move, and has made them vulnerable to hunting by humans. On ice, however, the seals are far more limber. Ribbon seals and leopard seals, that live in the Arctic and the Antarctic respectively, can move faster than a human can run, by flailing their hind flippers vigorously.</span></blockquote>
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God has also planned for the flippers so that they do not need to be as warm as the other parts of the bodies. Little heat is lost through the flippers. Fur covers the flippers of mammals in the hair seal family. The bones of the front limbs resemble the leg and toe bones of other mammals. The long ones are inside the body, and the five rows of small bones support a wide spreading flipper complete with five toenails. When the hair seal swims, these front limbs are tucked into hollows somewhat like the human armpit, unless the creature wants to steer or to turn. Once on shore, the hair seal's front flippers take over the main work of locomotion. The hind flippers cannot be turned forward. The finny fingers are curved, stiffened, and dug into the sandy ground as the wet, slippery creature wriggles along to a spot near its fellow seals.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><em style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">Regulating body temperatures</em><span style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">Harp seals are very good at conserving their body heat. With a thick layer of blubber under their skin, harp seals are able to hold their body heat more easily. This layer of fat also provides a means of buoyancy, stores energy, and gives the seals a shape that is better suited for the aquatic environment where they are often found. In young harp seal pups you can find fur on the surface of their skin in order to keep their small bodies warm.</span><span class="style6" style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">Another interesting way that the seals keep warm has to do with the same redirect of blood flow that allows them to remain submerged longer. They lower their heart rate by 90%; supplying only the nervous system and sense organs with a normal flow of blood. By redirecting the circulation away from the surfaces, they are preventing a substantial amount of heat loss. </span><span style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/marine/seals/seal_anatomy.html"><span style="color: red;">Animal Corner, Seal Anatomy</span></a></i></b><br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=43&detID=1011"><span style="color: red;">Exploring Nature Seal page</span></a></i></b><br />
<b><i><a href="http://science.jrank.org/pages/6024/Seals.html"><span style="color: red;">General Seal Characteristics</span></a></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><em style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">Skin & Molting</em></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">Harp seals are well known for having a fuzzy white coat as a pup. The fur of a pup is well adapted to the lifestyle of harp seals. There is a water repellant layer on the outside to help lessen resistance in water; </span><span style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">however there is still a warm insulating layer underneath that to help with thermoregulation. It was for this very reason that the harp seals were almost hunted to extinction. Hunters found the fur of these creatures to be very valuable. </span></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><br style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;" /></span><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;">Molting for harp seals happens once a year. During the molting period the seals get rid of their worn out skin and replace it with a new one. Most often during this time, harp seals remain on land; when replacing their skin there is a compromise to how well they can retain body heat. So as not to risk hypothermia, harp seals wait for their skin to be ready for the frigid waters of the arctic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #555e4f; font-family: Verdana;"><img alt="A Harp Seal's Life Cycle" height="314" src="http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/lind_vale/WEBSITE%20PHOTOS/best%20life%20cycle.png" width="320" /></span></span></div>
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Most mammals drop their hair and flakes of skin all year. This dead hair and skin would be uncomfortable when water soaked while swimming. Each year, seals molt and emerge with an entirely new set of skin and hair. Seals often stay near land while the days, or the weeks, of their molt last.<br />
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<a href="http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/naturallyscottish/seals/lifecycle.asp"><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Lifecycle of the Seal</span></b></i></a><br />
<a href="http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=harborseal.main"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Harbor Seal Fact tabs,</span></i></b> </a>Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game<br />
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<img height="213" src="http://www.elephantseal.org/images/home_slide_show/bandb-0595.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="http://www.elephantseal.org/"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Friends of Elephants Seals</span></i></b></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/elephant-seal/"><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Elephant Seal</span></b></i>,</a> National Geographic site (has a great audio clip as well)<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/northern-elephant-seal/"><span style="color: red;">The Marine Mammal Center</span></a></b></i><br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.squidoo.com/animal-study-seals"><span style="color: red;">Squidoo Lens on Seals</span></a></b></i><br />
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The Elephant seal, the largest finfoot of all, is a hair seal that can dive to great depths and may go down as deep as 2000 feet. The male has a trunk-like nose that develops after the male is 2 years old. It sometimes becomes long enough to overhand the mouth by as much as a foot when it is relaxed. The roar of the big elephant seal may be heard for several miles. Elephant seals eat their food without being chewed so their intestine is very long. It was noted that one elephant seal had an intestine tract 662 feet in length!<br />
Each year in the late spring, cow and bull seals choose a stretch of beach and repel other cows and bulls trying to come ashore at that point. Seals do not appear to be sensitive to pain and will continue to fight despite deep wounds, even lost eyes. The fights can dye the surrounding beach and waters for miles, but one seal rarely kills another. Bulls do not leave the spot even to hunt for food. For 1-2 months, both cows and bulls bellow and battle.<br />
Pups are born a week or more after a cow comes ashore, but many are crushed in the constant fights surrounding them. At birth, a pup weighs 80 lbs, is 4 ft. long, and is covered with black, wooly fur. During their first 3 weeks of being nursed, the pup may gain as much as 300 lbs, eating the rich, 4/5ths fat milk. The pups immediately lay in a blubber layer that will nourish them for as long as a month after their mothers leave them; however, many die that first year before learning how to feed themselves, as many as 50% of those who managed to survive the dangers of being born into fighting grounds.<br />
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<img alt="image" height="249" src="http://www.exploringnature.org/graphics/mammals/walrus.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit<span style="color: red;"><b>: Exploring Nature</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/kids/animals-pets-kids/mammals-kids/walrus-cub-kids/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Walrus Mom video,</b></i></span> </a>National Geographic<br />
National Geographic <i><b><span style="color: red;">Walrus page</span></b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.defenders.org/walrus/basic-facts"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Defenders of Wildlife</span></b></i></a> Walrus<br />
Walrus printout <a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/pinniped/Walrusprintout.shtml"> <i><b><span style="color: red;">Enchanted Learning</span></b></i></a><br />
<a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/walrus.html"><i><b><span style="color: red;">ThinkQuest </span></b></i></a>Walrus<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/seals-sea-lions-and-walruses/"><span style="color: red;">Heart of Wisdom links</span></a></b></i><br />
a great <i><b><span style="color: red;">Pinterest board </span></b></i>of Arctic studies, with crafts and ideas for this weeks study<br />
<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/ocean-lapbook"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Squidoo Lens on Ocean Life</span></b></i></a> with usable bits<br />
I Choose Joy! blog has a great post on the<i><b><a href="http://ichoosejoy.org/2012/10/30/studying-whales-and-walruses-with-youtube/"><span style="color: red;"> top ten Walrus study videos</span></a></b></i> at YouTube.<br />
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The walrus...a bulky, almost hairless creature, with a hide that may be as much as 2 inches thick of lumpy and bumpy skin and up to 6 inches of blubber. A heavy mustache of about four hundred stiff, white bristles, droops from the huge nose, and from the upper jaw to protect two great tusks that may weigh as much as 12 lbs each, and reach a length of 3 1/2 feet in the male, and 2 feet in the female. No flaps protect the holes that are its ears.<br />
The walrus feeds in shallow water, digging up mussels and clams from the bottom, sorting out the empty pieces with the bristles of the mustache. The shell fishes are taken into the mouth and ground apart with the short, sharp teeth. The meat is eaten, the shells spit back into the water to sink.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Most scientists recognize two subspecies of walruses: </span><em style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus</em><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> (Atlantic) and </span><em style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Odobenus rosmarus divergens</em><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(Pacific). </span><em style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Odobenus</em><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> comes from the Greek: "tooth walker", and refers to the walruses' method of pulling themselves up onto the ice with their long tusks.</span></blockquote>
The scientific name of the walrus means "he who walks with his teeth" and it does pull itself up onto the edges of ice floes with its tusks. It can turn its flippers forward to travel more easily on land than the hair seals. These sociable creatures like to be close to each other, and latecomers to the ice floe have no choice but to begin another layer. Sometimes the floe is overloaded at one side and will tip, dumping the whole herd back into the frigid water.<br />
Unlike the hair seal, the walrus sleeps in the water, in an upright position. Alongside the neck are pouches the walrus can inflate at will. These hold as much as a cubic foot of air. Possibly they hold the head out of the water while the mammal slumbers.<br />
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<img height="247" src="http://www.kidcyber.com.au/IMAGES/seal_fur.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><i><b>The Encyclopedia of Earth</b></i>,</span> eared seal page</div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.animalstown.com/animals/e/eared-seals/eared-seals.html"><span style="color: red;">Animals Town</span></a></b></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: red;">Animal Planet</span></b></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/pdf/s&sl-k-3.pdf"><span style="color: red;">SeaWorld Lesson Plans</span>, </a></span>Seals, Sea Lions, and Walrus' PDF</b></i></div>
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Another finfoot is the eared, or true, seal. They number 12 species, and like the walrus, they have massive forequarters. They swim by paddling of the front flippers. The flippers are naked, usually of black skin, with arm and leg bones projecting from the body in addition to the hand and foot bones. The rear flippers can be turned forward to support the weight of the body. The eared seals have shuffling walk and even a clumsy gallop about as fast as a man can run.<br />
Worldwide there are 5 species of sea lion. They sport short, pointed ear flaps, the huge neck and shoulders, and the naked flippers of the eared seals. The California Sea Lion is commonly found in zoos, where it is easily tamed and taught several tricks.<br />
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<i><b><a href="http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/california-sea-lion/"><span style="color: red;">The Marine Mammal Center</span>,</a></b></i> Sea Lions<br />
San Diego Zoo<i><b><a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-sea_lion.html"> <span style="color: red;">Animal Bytes</span></a></b></i><br />
<i><b><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/california-sea-lion/"><span style="color: red;">National Geographic </span></a></b></i><br />
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<b>Baby Sea Lion Swim lesson</b></div>
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<b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/52-8Z1QvRFs" width="320"></iframe></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">California sea lions are faster than any other seal or sea lion. They can swim at<br />speeds up to 25 miles per hour. They can also make deep dives, staying under<br />water for up to 10 minutes pursuing fish, squid and shellfish.<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Size</span> Males can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and grow up to 8 feet long.<br />Females tend to be significantly smaller, weighing up to 400 pounds and<br />growing up to 6.5 feet long.<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Diet</span> A variety of fish, including Pacific whiting, market squid,<br />shellfish, rockfish, herring and salmon<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Lifespan</span> 18 to 25 years<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Range</span> Eastern North Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Habitat</span> California sea lions are generally found in waters over continental shelf<br />and slope zones; they frequent coastal areas, including bays, rivers and harbor mouths.<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Predators</span> Sea lions are hunted by orcas and large sharks; pups are hunted by<br />coyotes and feral dogs on land.<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Relatives</span> Sea lions and Northern fur seals are in the same family known as "eared seals."<br />They are known for their ability to rotate their flippers under them and "walk" on land.<br /><span class="label" style="font-weight: bold;">Family life</span> California sea lions do not form pair bonds; one male will breed with many females.<br />After an 11-month gestation period, the female gives birth to a single pup. Pups weigh 13 to 20<br />pounds at birth; they are usually weaned after 12 months.</span></blockquote>
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<img alt="Photo: A New Zealand fur seal and her pup lounge on a rock" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/005/cache/fur-seal_531_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<i><b><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/fur-seal/"><span style="color: red;">National Geographic, Fur Seals</span></a></b></i></div>
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In the fur seal family there are 8 species, living off the coasts of all the continents of the world except Europe. the northern or Alaskan fur seal lives along the eastern and western coasts of the North Pacific. These seals have very thick, fine fur that traps air and insulates them against the cold. Fur seals molt by shedding their hairs singly, though not all the hair is shed. Through the years to coat becomes thicker.<br />
Every September the females and young move down the Pacific coast, swimming up to 50 miles offshore, and going as far south as California, returning to their home by June. Fur seals find it easy to become too warm out on land in the summer. They lose heat by panting and by sweating through the many sweat glands of the flippers. Sometimes they wave their black, naked fins like fans.<br />
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<img alt="Photo: Sea otter with head and paws visible above the water" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/007/cache/sea-otter_703_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sea-otter/"><span style="color: red;">National Geographic, Sea Otters</span></a></div>
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<b>Kit the Sea Otter </b></div>
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<b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sGG7Qb6X2U0" width="320"></iframe></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.defenders.org/sea-otter/basic-facts"><b><i><span style="color: red;">Defenders of Wildlife</span></i></b></a>, Sea Otters</div>
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<a href="http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/sea-otter.html"><i><b><span style="color: red;">The Marine Mammal Center</span></b></i></a>, Sea Otters</div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=43&detID=1026"><span style="color: red;">Exploring Nature,</span></a></b></i> Sea Otters</div>
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The sea otter, belonging to the weasel family, spends more time in the water than seals do. This creature, of the Carnivora order, eats all kinds of shell fish and other sea animals. It has the most beautiful and valuable fur in the world, with one skin bringing as much as $10,000 in the early 1900s. There are as many as 650,000 single hairs in each square inch of the pelt!<br />
Sea otters nearly always swim on their backs, with their heads up. When the sunshine glares they shade their eyes with their paws. Shell fish, when brought up from the depths, are held and cracked open on a rock resting on their stomach. The young otter is held on the stomach, too, and fed from the milk glands. They live out from the Pacific coast in kelp beds within a mile from shore. The young are born here, and the adults sleep with strands of the kelp wrapped around themselves to prevent their drifting out into open water.</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/units/sea_creatures.shtml"><span style="color: red;">God's Amazing Sea Creatures unit</span></a>,</span></i></b> Homeschool Helper Online<br />
lapbook,<span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/marias_comet.php"> <span style="color: red;">Maria's Comet, HomeschoolShare</span></a> l</span>oosely tied to the mammals of the sea weeks<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.squidoo.com/marinebiology"><span style="color: red;">Squidoo Lens</span> </a></b></i>on marine biology topics, some good reading for these weekly studies<br />
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These mammals have all experienced the fate of the whales over the years. The walrus has always been used by Eskimos without reducing the population. Hides, tools, rope, fuel oil, and ivory were products gained from the walrus. When whales became scarce, the whalers began hunting walruses for oil until they could no longer be found in numbers large enough to be profitable. Since 1960, walrus cows and calves have been protected.<br />
The elephant seal, being large, yielded much oil. California sea lions were also taken in great numbers for oil. The northern fur seals and the sea otter were nearly wiped out for their valuable fur. The international treaty of 1911 brought the killing to a halt, and 22 years later, a single herd of elephant seals numbering less than 100 was found.<br />
After the treaty of 1911, no sea otters were known of, yet, in 1938 a few were discovered in a very craggy spot where hunters had failed to find the last specimens. Today they are completely protected as well.<br />
In the treaty of 1911, nations agreed to kill only the fur seals, and only on land, where they could distinguish the cows from the bulls. The beautiful fur is now harvested annually, some 60,000 skins from bulls only. The Alaskan herd numbers 2 million.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-32964002402815097832013-02-11T13:33:00.002-06:002013-02-11T18:11:19.519-06:00Science Week 18: Mammals of the Seas<br />
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Yet again, Blogger ate my draft awaiting publishing. I guess I just need to get into a schedule where I can sit at the computer weekly and not store posts to set into place at later dates.<br />
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<i>Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones...</i><i>Lamentations 4:3</i></blockquote>
Jeremiah, a prophet of old Israel, knew about the order of mammals that spends its whole life in water. He called it the sea monsters and noticed the tender feeding of the young on milk.<br />
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<img src="http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/images/whale.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cetaceans" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: red;">List of Cetaceas</span></a><span style="text-align: start;">, Wikipedia</span></span></div>
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<b><i>To get you started:</i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red;">Whale Lapbook</span></i></b>, Homeschool Share</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.lapbooklessons.com/KillerWhaleLapbook.html"><span style="color: red;">Whale Lapbook components</span></a></i></b>, Lapbook Lessons</div>
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The order<b><i><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/mammal/cetacea.html"> <span style="color: red;">Cetacea</span> </a></i></b>contains 90 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Since cetaceas only live in water and have long, streamlined bodies, some people mistake them for fish. How do we know they are mammals?</div>
(<i>Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates that have hair, usually bring forth their young alive, and nourish them with milk</i>).<br />
Many adults have whiskers and some young have soft hairs early in life, or before birth. All cetaceas bear their single young alive and nourish it with milk. Whales, porpoises, and dolphins have <a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/anatomy/Flukes.shtml"><i><b><span style="color: red;">powerful flukes</span></b></i></a> that spread horizontally, unlike the vertical tails of fishes. As other mammals do, they breath air through lungs. Most mammals have 2 pairs of limbs, but cetaceas have only a single pair. the <b><i><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/manatee/"><span style="color: red;">manatee</span></a></i></b> is another mammal without a rear pair of limbs.<br />
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<img height="125" src="http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/images/scrappy2.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/cetacean/bottlenosedolph.html"><b>bottle-nosed dolphin</b></a></span></div>
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The cetaceans most important sense is hearing, with sight a close second. Just as bats in total darkness find their way with echolocation (<b><i><a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/10/science-week-11-wonderful-ears.html"><span style="color: red;">remember week 12/bats</span>?</a></i></b>), so do cetaceans. God has so delicately constructed these almost unbelievable hearing organs that the dolphins can sort out all the echoes of his own cries from dozens of other signals raised by other citizens of the sea, By these sounds the size, shape, and speed, distance away, and direction of the movements of other creatures are understood as well as the outlines of the sea bottoms, and other physical features.<br />
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<b>Song of the Whale</b></div>
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<b><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WabT1L-nN-E" width="320"></iframe></b></b></div>
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<b>Kingdom of the Blue Whale</b></div>
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<i><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TFFOpM2mxCA" width="320"></iframe></b></i></div>
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<b>PBS: Realm of the Killer Whales</b></div>
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<i><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9g--R_C1wvw" width="320"></iframe></b></i></div>
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Cetaceans are divided into 2 main groups. The toothed whales have a single blowhole and flippers with four rows of bones. The toothless whales breathe through a double blowhhole and have flippers with five rows of bones. Toothless whales have hundreds of thin, flexible bones called baleen in their mouths. Fine mesh hangs from the inner surfaces of each one. The baleen whales do not swim below 325 feet. They feed on young shrimps, snails, sea jellies, lobsters, sponges, crabs, fishes, sea stars, and various one-celled creatures. these are called plankton or krill. </div>
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In former times, whale baleen was used in making umbrella ribs, fishing rods, and buggy whips. In 1897 whalebone, or baleen, sold for $5000 a ton. Metal and plastics are used for these purposes now. </div>
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<img alt="Photo displaying dozens of baleen plates. The plates face each other, and are evenly spaced at approximately 0.25 inches (1 cm) intervals. The plates are attached to the jaw at the top, and have hairs at the bottom end." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Baleen.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">Baleen</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> is a filter-feeder system inside the mouths of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baleen_whale" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Baleen whale">baleen whales</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">. The baleen system works when a whale opens its mouth underwater and then water pours into the whale's mouth. The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krill" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Krill">krill</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> are filtered by the baleen and remain as food source for the whale. Baleen is similar to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristle" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Bristle">bristles</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> and is made of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratin" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Keratin">keratin</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">, the same substance found in human fingernails and hair. Some whales, such as the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowhead_whale" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Bowhead whale">bowhead whale</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">, have longer baleen than others. Other whales, such as the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_whale" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Gray whale">gray whale</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">, only use one side of their baleen. These baleen bristles are arranged in plates across the upper jaw of the whale. Baleen is often called </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">whalebone</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">, but that name also can refer to the normal </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Bone">bones</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> of whales, which have often been used as a material, especially as a cheaper substitute for </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_carving" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start; text-decoration: initial;" title="Ivory carving">ivory in carving</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">.</span></span></div>
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<img height="242" src="http://www.whalefacts.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Whale.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-small;"><b><i>photo and Where Whales Live text via WhaleFacts.org</i></b></span></div>
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So where do whales live?<br />
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/killer-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Killer Whale Facts">Killer Whale</a></strong> – The killer whale can be seen traveling throughout the worlds major oceans, but they typically prefer cooler climates compared to the tropical climates found near the equator. As stated earlier the migration pattern of these whales is more often than not determined by their prey’s migration.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/gray-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Gray Whale Facts">Gray Whale</a> – </strong>Gray whales are often found swimming in the eastern and western north pacific ocean during <a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/feeding-season/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Feeding Season">feeding season</a> and will migrate towards the Baja peninsula of mexico and the southern golf of california where they mate and bare off spring during their mating period.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/humpback-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Humpback Whale Facts">Humpback Whale</a> – </strong>While humpback whales can be found traveling all over the world they prefer the cold waters in and around the Arctic and Antarctic oceans.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/blue-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Blue Whale Facts"><strong>Blue Whale</strong> </a>- Blue whales (like humpback whales) can also be found traveling all the major oceans. They can often be seen swimming in the colder regions during feeding season and will migrate towards tropical waters when mating.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/bowhead-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Bowhead Whale Facts">Bowhead Whale</a></strong> – Unlike other species of whale bowhead whales are generally found traveling in Arctic/sub Arctic oceans year round and aren’t known for making long migration trips.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/minke-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Minke Whale Facts">Minke Whale</a></strong> - There are two known species of minke whales currently in existence, the common or north Atlantic minke whale (which inhibits the north Atlantic waters) and the Antarctic or southern minke whale (which lives in the Antarctic region south of the equator). Due to differences in climate changes in both regions the two species of whale do not meet one another during mating periods because their <a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/mating-season/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Mating Season">mating seasons</a> are different.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/sperm-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Sperm Whale Facts">Sperm Whale</a> </strong>- Sperm whales can be found in all of the worlds major oceans. Female sperm whales and their young prefer to stay in near tropical waters all year-long while the males can be seen traveling back and forth from the colder climates to the warmer climates during mating periods.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/beluga-whale-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Beluga Whale Facts">Beluga Whale</a></strong> – Beluga whales are generally found swimming in shallow coastal water in and around Arctic waters. Depending on the area and environment the whale is in some beluga whales will make seasonal migration trips while others will only travel within a small localized area.</li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><strong><a href="http://www.whalefacts.org/narwhal-facts/" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #226666; text-decoration: initial;" title="Narwhal Facts">Narwhal Whale</a></strong> – Narwhal whales can be found living in or near the Canadian Arctic and Greenlandic waters throughout the year. During the fall and winter they migrate away from the coastal waters (off shore) in order to avoid large areas of ice and frozen water and will move back towards coastal grounds during the warmer spring and summer months.</li>
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<b>Largest Blue Whale Colony, Sri Lanka</b></div>
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The whale's blowholes have powerful valves. As it comes to the surface, the hole opens. A volume of compressed air rises perhaps 20 feet, taking along any water that happens to be over the blowhole. A deep breath rushes into the lungs and in 2-3 minutes is absorbed by the blood. The whale blows again and refills its lungs. Finally, after a number of blows, the whale is fully recovered and ready for another long breath-holding dive. Oxygen enters even the muscles. The lungs are folded flat. The whale jack-knifes, then as it goes down, raises its flukes from the water in a backward kick that sends it to the bottom. The heartbeat slows to about 1/3 of its usual rate. In the cold, blood leaves the skin, flippers, and flukes to enter the heart and brain. The body temperature drops. Many whales have heating systems that keep them warm in icy seas. This system overheats when the mammal is stranded on the beach. Without the support of the ocean currents, the heavy blubber on a whale's body will prevent its lungs from filling up. A large cetacean will suffocate under its own weight when it is not in the water.</div>
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<b>Whaling History Notes:</b><br />
<b><i><a href="http://history1800s.about.com/od/whaling/a/histwhaling.htm"><span style="color: red;">History 1800s Whaling</span></a></i></b>, About.com<br />
<b><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://whale.wheelock.edu/RtWhaleCurr/Lesson1.html"><span style="color: red;">A Right Whale study, 5 lessons from Wheelock</span></a>, </span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: red;">....<a href="http://whale.wheelock.edu/books/MetompkinStory/"><span style="color: red;">Metompkin and Her Story online here</span></a></span></i></b><br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701"><span style="color: red;">Herman Melville's Moby Dick</span></a></b></i> free online<br />
<a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/whales.htm"><b><i><span style="color: red;">ThinkQuest</span></i></b></a> Whaling page<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/winter-2012/the-underwater-propagation-of-sound-and-its-applications#.URj-pR00WSo"><span style="color: red;">Properties of Underwater Accoustics</span></a></i></b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.whalesong.net/"><span style="color: red;">Whalesong.net</span> </a></i>with live streaming<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.oceanmammalinst.com/songs.html"><span style="color: red;">Humpback whale songs</span>,</a></i></b> Ocean Mammals Institute<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/whales.htm"><span style="color: red;">NOAA Fisheries, Dept.of Protected Resources</span></a></i></b> has some nice lesson plans on whales for teachers and students<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/"><span style="color: red;">Enchanted Learning</span></a></i></b>, Whales<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.defenders.org/whales/basic-facts"><span style="color: red;">Defenders of Wildlife</span></a></i></b>, Whales<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/cetacea/cetacean.html"><span style="color: red;">UCMP Berkley</span></a></b></i>, Intro to Whales<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.whaletrust.org/whales/whale_behavior.shtml"><span style="color: red;">Whale behavior</span></a></b></i>, Whale Trust<br />
<a href="http://www.reef.edu.au/asp_pages/secb.asp?FormNo=60"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Great (Baleen) W</b></i><i><b>hales</b></i></span></a> also check out links at end of article<br />
<a href="http://marinelife.about.com/od/cetaceans/tp/whalefacts.htm"><i><b><span style="color: red;">Whale Facts,</span></b></i> </a>About.com, such as...<br />
..........<a href="http://marinelife.about.com/od/cetaceans/f/whalessleep.htm" style="color: #3366cc; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Whales rest one-half of their brain at a time when they sleep.</i></a><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18px;">The way whales "</span><a href="http://marinelife.about.com/od/Whales/f/How-Do-Dolphins-Sleep.htm" style="background-color: white; color: #3366cc; cursor: pointer; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">sleep</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; line-height: 18px;">" may sound strange to us, but makes sense when you think of it like this: whales cannot breathe underwater, which means they need to be awake just about all the time in order to come up to the surface when they need to breathe. So, whales "sleep" by resting one half of their brain at a time. While one half of the brain stays awake to make sure the whale breathes and alerts the whale to any danger in its environment, the other half of the brain sleeps.</span></i><br />
<img height="125" src="http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/animals1/images/scrappy2.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /><br />
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bottle-nosed dolphin</div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/dolphin_lapbook.php"><span style="color: red;">Dolphin lapbook</span></a></b></i> from HomeschoolShare<br />
<b><i><a href="http://notebookingnook.blogspot.com/2009/10/island-of-blue-dolphins-lapbook.html"><span style="color: red;">Island of the Blue Dolphins lapbook</span>,</a></i></b> Notebooking Nook<br />
<b><i><a href="http://youtu.be/wy_8WKudsiw"> <span style="color: red;">full length movie</span></a></i></b> here on YouTube<br />
<a href="http://animals.about.com/od/cetaceans/a/dolphin-facts.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Dolphin Facts</b></i>,</span></a> About.com Marine Life<br />
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The smaller toothed whales, called dolphins, having been kept in captivity, have learned to mimic the sounds of human conversation as many parrots and myna birds do. In captivity, they can successfully be trained to do various sea-faring tasks, as evidenced by<a href="http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/pilot-whale/"> <i><b><span style="color: red;">Morgan, a pilot whale trained by the U.S. Navy</span></b></i></a>.<br />
Porpoises live on the northern Atlantic coast, and on the Pacific coast south to California. They feed mainly on fish which they gobble without much chewing. They remain underwater only a few minutes at a time. Dolphin and porpoise spouts are not visible.<br />
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<b>Mother Whale and Calf</b></div>
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A great whale's milk glands can squirt milk up to a distance of 6 feet. Located in two folds of skin, they deliver a rich milk that is more than 1/3 fat. The cow usually turns on her side so the calf can drink with its blowhole out of the water. The calf adds about 230 lbs a day, gaining a ton every 9 days. Their rate of growth slows as they mature. They will continue nursing for 9 months. They may be 8 years old before they themselves can become parents.<br />
<i>This slow reproduction rate makes it impossible for the whales to multiply as fast as they are being hunted and killed. Speedy catcher ships equipped with bomb-carrying harpoons shot from cannons, and with underwater detecting devices, fan out from modern factory vessels that completely process a whale's body in less than an hour. Along with widely cruising spotter planes, these outfits regularly visit the whale's feeding grounds in the Atlantic and Arctic. Since 1925, 2 million whales have been slaughtered and changed into oil, meat, and fertilizer. At present, it is estimated that we lose 50 thousand whales every year.</i><br />
No product made of the body of a whale can be legally brought into the United States thanks to the <i><b><a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/text.htm"><span style="color: red;">Marine Mammal Protection Act, passed in 1972</span>.</a></b></i> Fifty-six other countries have agreed to protect completely tghe blue, the humpback, the right, the gray, and the bowhead whales. Only native peoples are not covered by this law.<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn/research-topics/overview-of-north-american-whaling/whales-hunting#Modern"><span style="color: red;">New Bedford Whaling Museum, Whaling History 1861-1987</span></a></b></i><br />
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Access the Jacques-Yves Cousteau channel on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/cousteauenglish"><b><i><span style="color: red;">here</span></i></b></a>.<br />
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<img alt="David Schrichte manatee photo" height="213" src="http://www.savethemanatee.org/drs_2010_0630_500.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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The manatee, also called the sea cow, is a tropical vegetation-eating water mammal. Like whales, it has no hind limbs and swims by up and down motions of its horizontal, very round, flukes. A full-grown manatee may eat as much as 100 lbs of water plants daily, scooping them into a big-lipped mouth with its flippers. Manatees feed with their head and shoulders out of the water. They drift slowly about the warm bays and lagoons of southern Florida. They live mostly in the protected sanctuary of the Everglades National Park, which will help allow the species to continue.<br />
The milk glands of the manatee are on its chest, and the mother floats upright in the water, clasping her single young one with her flippers while it nurses. As the mother manatee grazes on water plants, the father holds the calf in his flippers. The manatee infant is cradled in the flippers of either parent for some weeks after birth. Nearly 2 years pass before the young is left to make its own way.<br />
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<b>Manatee, A Gentle Giant</b></div>
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<a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/manatee/"><i><b><span style="color: red;">National Geographic Manatees</span></b></i></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.savethemanatee.org/manfcts.htm"><i><span style="color: red;">Save the Manatee Club</span></i></a>...</b>listen to their calls<i><b><span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.savethemanatee.org/audio.htm">here</a></span></b></i>...see diagrams of their anatomy <a href="http://www.savethemanatee.org/anatomy.htm"><i><b><span style="color: red;">here</span></b></i></a>...a manatee book list <a href="http://www.savethemanatee.org/ed_book_list.html"><b><i><span style="color: red;">here</span></i></b></a>...Save the Manatee <a href="http://www.savethemanatee.org/Coloring%20Book.pdf"><i><b><span style="color: red;">coloring book</span></b></i></a> PDF...</div>
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<strong>Did You Know?</strong><span style="background-color: #ecedeb;">Manatees only have molars, which are used to grind food. As they wear down and fall out, they are replaced with new teeth.</span><span style="background-color: #ecedeb;">Manatees only breathe through their nostrils, since while they are underwater their mouths are occupied with eating! A manatee's lungs are 2/3 the length of its body.</span></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-40566082628503364272013-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:002013-02-01T06:00:03.551-06:00Science Week 17: Great Bears of the Forest and Ice FloesExcept for opossum babies, no other mammal infants are as tiny in comparison to their mother as the bear infants. Born during the mother's winter hibernation, they may weigh as little as 1/200th of her weight. In the dark, cold den, the small rat-sized cubs are nearly lost in the dense fur of their mother. Hairless and blind, they snuggle contentedly into the shaggy folds of the mothers abdomen, where hidden milk glands allow for warm, comfortable nursing.<br />
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<img height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0W6qVeX9z7yOBbpOcJsHRjLBfgu1xC30Zb8FrEdD-8rwG0d09v4jEi4QJ4RQRGskRPt16kIKopw3vQ6Nvv9yW975GpQ7NFEYTEoFBop4Nu1RkwLbzMCj_ZIcaTUOxHTP7XKUp8lHhy3M/s320/102487-050-BD924456.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://drivetonature.blogspot.com/2011/06/grizzly-bear.html">Drive to Nature blog</a></span></div>
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Bears are mostly created for forest and mountain regions. In the spring bears graze like cattle on the new tender shoots and grasses. Later in the season, they use their strong shoulders, and powerful claws, to rip open rotting logs to lick up ants, beetle grubs, termites, and many other insects. Digging into ground burrows, they find chipmunks, marmots, moles, mice, ground squirrels, and lemmings. Crickets, grasshoppers, birds and their legs, snakes, frogs and toads, acorns, fruits, and wild honey, keep these big mammals well nourished.</div>
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<img alt="Black Bear" height="238" src="http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/images/bears/black_bear07.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/american_black_bears.asp">Bears of The World</a></span></div>
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The <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/black-bear/">black bear</a></span> is the smallest and most common of the American bears, and like other bears, it travels alone except for when still being cared for by its mother as a young cub. The same trails through forests and thickets will be followed for 50 years or more. Along these trails, bears will stand on their hind legs and rub their backs against the bark of trees. They bite it until it shreds loose in places, where pitch oozes out and sticks their hair to the trees. The next bear on the trail will do the same thing, leaving his scent behind for the next trail walker.</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.firstpeople.us/pictures/bear/adult-grizzly-bear.html">First People: Grizzly and Brown Bears images</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/american_black_bears.asp">Bears of The World: Black Bears</a></span></div>
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<img alt="Grizzly Bear" height="320" src="http://animalscamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Grizzly-Bear-150x150.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit:<a href="http://animalscamp.com/grizzly-bear/"> Grizzly Bear, Animals Camp</a></span></div>
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Next in size to the widespread black bear is the grizzly. Originally found in the western part of North America, from Alaska to central Mexico, and east to Minnesota, there are now very few south of the Canadian border except in protected wildlife park areas.</div>
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The grizzly's diet is roughly 80-90% vegetation, though they come down to meet the salmon that run up-river from the sea. As the salmon swim up-river, the bear will knock it out of the water with a blow from its paw. When injured or attacked, the grizzly will react fearlessly. It can run as fast as a horse, and a blow from its paw will crush or break the bones of even a huge bison.</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.defenders.org/grizzly-bear/basic-facts">Grizzly Fact Sheet</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/grizzly_bears.asp">Grizzly Bears</a></span>, Bears of the World</div>
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<img alt="File:Bear Square.JPG" height="279" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Bear_Square.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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photo credit: Wikipedia</div>
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The brown bear, also known as The Alaskan Brown Bear or Kodiak Bear is the largest of all bear species. Like the grizzly, it has its own set of trails along the rivers of British Columbia and southern Alaska. As the salmon swim up the river by the thousands, the big brown bears have a feast. After spawning, the salmon die and float down-stream, sooner or later coming to rest against a rock or sandbar. The great bears enjoy eating carrion, so the smelly dead heaps of fish are quickly removed and the riversides become clean in short order.</div>
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The Brown Bear,<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/brown-bear/"> National Geographic</a></span> and <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/brown-bear/">National Geographic Kids</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/brown_bears.asp">Brown Bears</a></span>, Bears of the World</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=brownbear.main">Brown bears,</a></span> Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game be sure to check all the tabs below the article for more information</div>
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Brown bears are larger than black bears with male grizzly bears standing about 7 feet tall and generally weighing from 200 to 600 pounds. There have been some male bears that have weighed more than 800 pounds. Females are smaller, usually weighing between 200 and 400 pounds. Generally remaining on all fours, when a grizzly does stand, it is commonly perceived to be a threatening pose however they are just simply curious or surveying their surroundings.<br />Despite being categorized as ‘black bears' and ‘brown bears' to make a distinction, color is never an indicator of species. Both black and brown bears can range from almost white to blonde to pure black and many color phases in between depending on age, sex and season.<br />The main differences between the black bear and brown bear, is that the brown bear has a rather concave face, high-humped shoulders, and long, curved claws. The grizzly's thick fur, which varies from light brown to nearly black, sometimes looks frosty-looking, hence the name "grizzly," or the less common "silvertip."<br />Furthermore, the grizzly has more rounded shorter ears. Nevertheless, you cannot pin point one characteristic to distinguish between a grizzly and black bear, it is a combination of characteristics that will help you identify the bear specifically. Each may have a similar-colored coat, a less-than-concave face and small or large shoulder humps.<br />~~via <a href="http://www.brownbear.org/">Brown bear.org</a></blockquote>
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<img alt="File:Polar Bear - Alaska.jpg" height="213" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Polar_Bear_-_Alaska.jpg/800px-Polar_Bear_-_Alaska.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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photo credit: Wikipedia</div>
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The polar bear is the monarch of the arctic ice pack. On snow covered floes, these great bears will drift for hundreds of miles in the Arctic ocean, the Atlantic ocean, or through the Bering Strait into the Bearing Sea. They may swim 15-20 miles out to an iceberg in search of their most important food source, seals. When the seals are scarce, they will live on carrion. A sudden freeze may strand a <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/15/willow-the-white-whale/">white whale</a></span> or a <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/narwhal/">narwhal </a></span>inside a little bay that later becomes so small the creature cannot breath adequately. A polar bear may kill even a whale that is 15 feet long. The powerful carnivore is able to drag an 800-pound animal out onto the ice. A large dead whale will provide food for bears, arctic foxes, gulls, and ravens all winter.</div>
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Fast Facts<blockquote>
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<li style="border: 0px; color: #363636; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Males: 600–1200 lbs. 8–10 ft.; Females: 400–700 lbs.</li>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/bears.php">Bears lapbook</a></span>, Homeschool Share, <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/karma_wilson_bears.php">another one here</a></span>, heared toward Preschool-1st</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.homeschoolshare.com/polar_animals_lapbook.php&sa=U&ei=K_kGUZ6BIeie2AXCt4CoBA&ved=0CA8QFjAE&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNFP-c6ZtzfrcA6pQOlfYxOpRt9amg">Polar Animals</a></span> lapbook, Homeschool Share</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.squidoo.com/polar-bear-lapbook">Polar Bear</a></span> Squidoo Lens</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://schroederpage.blogspot.com/2013/01/polar-bear-lapbook-freebie.html">Polar Bear lapbook</a></span> at The Schroeder Page blog</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/early_polar_bears.asp">Polar Bears, Early and Modern</a></span> at Bears of The World</div>
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Bears like to clown around and play like most animals. A polar bear will rock themselves on a drifting ice floe or slide down a slanting, slippery glacier side. They have been seen walking along a narrow wall of ice with an almost vertical glacier below, then jump onto the slick surface of the glacier and whiz itself down, without trying to slow themselves down, until they reach the edge of the glacier. There, with a sheer 50 ft drop, they will sail into the air and plunge into the water below. Sometimes they will sit near an icy slope and, just as you or I would, rock themselves back and forth to get started sliding downward. </div>
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videos of <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.bear-tracker.com/blackbeartrackingvideos.html">bear tracking skill</a>s</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.wildernesscollege.com/american-black-bear-tracks.html">bear track account</a></span>, Wilderness College</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/ndgbp_rubobjectbearsign.htm">identifying grizzly and black bear trails and tracks</a></span>, USGS</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.bear-tracker.com/blackbeartracksandsigns.html">bear track photos</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-81732117773121878032013-01-28T10:31:00.000-06:002013-01-28T10:31:26.114-06:00Science Week 16:The Weasel Family, Rich Fur and Musk Bags<i>Finally, right? Life in a large family on a wide, rural, animal-filled homestead isn't always conducive to proper scheduling I guess.</i><br />
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Can you believe some folks simply don't SEE God in nature around them? Everything has been designed with such order, and yet it still eludes so many people as to the fact it actually <i>has</i> been planned out, designed for a purpose.<br />
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God has, in His Divine Wisdom, placed trees, reptiles, birds, fishes, mammals and such into groups together, into habitats where each depends on the other to varying degrees for food, for shelter, for life. Too often, man determines that this Plan is wrong, and starts to take matters of design into his own hands, redesigning the habitats of all around him. Man decides one day that he alone, being a <i>higher creature, </i>has the right to be a predator. The predatory animals, he determines, are greedy and blood-thirsty. He alone should have the free reign to hunt other animals. So he sets about to put his own plan into motion.<br />
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In 1906 the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve in Arizona sheltered 4000 deer. State Game officials determined that many more deer could, and would, live in this area if predators were removed. They closed all deer hunting for a time. Then they instituted a paid hunt program in which men were paid a designated price for each large predatory animal killed. Records show that up until 1924, 4889 coyotes, 781 cougars, 30 wolves, and 554 bobcats had been destroyed because of this paid hunt program. In 1916, 30,000 deer were living in the protection of the forest. Two years later, 40,000 were roaming the game preserve, and by 1924 there were close to 100,000. The plan to increase the deer population, and decrease the predator population was a success...right?<br />
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Because of the increase in deer, young saplings and new shoots were devoured, larger trees died as hungry deer chewed off bark and dug up roots in effort to stay alive. Erosion of the bare slopes began. In truth, the whole of the countryside looked as though it had been devoured by a swarm of locusts. Over 40,000 deer died from starvation and disease during the next 2 winters. Tens of thousands died until the herds of deer numbered only 10.000, and many of these were quite small and weak. Even with just 10,000 deer on the acreage, the food supplies remained scarce. Other populations suffered as well. The cougars, wolves, coyotes, and bobcats had not only prospered the deer, they had also protected the vegetation and trees the other animals were dependent on.<br />
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God's Wisdom created groups of animals and placed them together into habitats to be useful, even beneficial, to one another. Mans efforts to reorder the Master Design all too often appear to be working, but in time prove to be failures, often to the point of extinction of certain animal and vegetation.<br />
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Carnivores, or meat eaters: the smallest of these studied so far has been the <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/11/science-week-14-trailers-and-climbers.html">kit fox</a></span>, that weigh in at only 4-6 lbs. The<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Mustela_frenata/"> weasel</a></span>, tiniest of all, weighs less than an ounce. Long and slender in body, round ears, short legs...<br />
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<img alt="weasel" height="196" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/images/2008/11/03/weasel470_470x289.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2008/11/03/nature_chris_weasel.shtml">Chris Beever</a></span></div>
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Weasels are known for the beauty and softness of their brown fur, and for the little bags of musk carried in glands under their tails. Weasels living in the north lands turn white almost overnight when the first snow falls. Brown hair is shed and white grows in its place. This snowy plush fur is known as ermine. In Europe weasels are called stoats. Their pelts often trim very showy clothing.</div>
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Weasels move quickly, and continually. Heartbeat, breathing, and digestion are fast and much food is needed to sustain them. Dogs and cats may maul, or play, with their prey, but weasels are hungry all the time. They kill their food at once. Weasels may store piles of dead mice in their burrows or under leaf litter. Shrews, moles, and nesting birds are also taken. White-footed mice and meadow voles (<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.yorkccd.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Mice-Voles-House-Mouse-Meadow-Vole-White-footed-Mouse-pgs-34-39-PA-Wild-Journal.pdf">nice PDF here</a></span>) make up 50-80% of the weasel's diet. </div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/eliot/technology/lessons/animals/weasle.htm">The Weasel</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/young_naturalists/weasels/index.html">The Slinky, Stinky Weasel Family</a>,</span> from The Young Naturalists<i> check out the sidebar for some great printable teaching resources too.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01006/weasel.htm">Weasels</a></span>, from ThinkQuest</div>
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<img alt="Skunks" height="205" src="http://images.free-extras.com/pics/s/skunks-482.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://free-extras.com/images/skunks-482.htm">Free-Extras</a></span></div>
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The most common and well-known member of the predator weasel family is the skunk. There are 6 species of skunk found in the United States, Mexico, and Canada: eastern spotted, western spotted, hog-nosed, eastern hog-nosed, hooded skunk, and the striped skunk. The fur of these creatures, both natural and dyed, are highly sought after.</div>
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Skunks eat hoards of crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles. These slow animals den under sheds and barns, finishing off their mouse populations. In New York State, the skunk is protected for the sake of the hop crop that is eaten by a grub that the skunk likes to feed on. All in all, skunks are said to destroy more insects than all other kinds of mammals combined.</div>
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All skunks carry the bags of musk common to weasels. However, they have spraying muscles that other weasels don't have.</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.nyfalls.com/wildlife/Wildlife-mammals-skunks.html"><b style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #336699;"><span style="border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 102, 153); border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-width: 3px; cursor: pointer;">Skunk Spray</span></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'; font-size: x-small;">,</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'; font-size: x-small;"> a chemical called N-butlymercaptan, is a volatile mix of sulfur-containing compounds. The skunk produces and stores these chemicals in a pair of glands on the lateral sides of its anus. It stores enough for roughly 5 sprays, and it will need more than a week to produce more. The spray can reach almost 15 ft with impressive accuracy. The victim will not only succumb to the smell, but may also xperience temporary eye irritation or blindness. It is an effective defense that keeps all but a few sneaky predators away.</span></blockquote>
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Skunk Facts <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/skunk/">National Geographic</a></span>, and <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/skunks/">National Geographic Kids</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/skunk/Skunkcoloring.shtml">skunk printable</a></span>, Enchanted Learning</div>
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Handbook of Nature Study Outdoor Hour Challenges<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2010/09/ohc-summer-serie-12-raccoons-and-skunks.html"> #12</a></span> and <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2009/02/outdoor-hour-challenge-50-mammals-skunk.html">#50</a></span></div>
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<img height="218" src="http://www.independent.co.uk/migration_catalog/article5245092.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/badgers.jpeg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/vaccine-breakthrough-may-mean-no-more-badger-culls-8201315.html">The Independent</a></span></div>
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The low, wide, powerful clawed badger is among the best digging mammal in the United States. Underground, in burrows, the badger has the ability to catch any creature it smells because it can dig faster than any other animal can. Badgers dig complicated burrows with sleeping and eating rooms where <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrion">carrion</a></span> is often stored. Several generations of badgers may live in the same maze of tunnels as long as food is plentiful. The mothers care for the young, while the fathers do not usually stay with the families. Like skunks, badgers grow fat in the autumn, but they do not hibernate, although they will sleep for extended periods of time during the winter. They have grown more scarce than they once were due to their main food source, prairie dogs, being decreased in population. Eagles or coyotes carry off young and small badgers, and larger predators, such as cougars or wolves, sometimes succeed in killing full-grown badgers. </div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.badgers.bc.ca/badgerfacts.htm">Badger Facts</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/americanbadger.htm">American Badger</a></span>, Nature Works</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/badger/Badgerprintout.shtml">Badger printable</a></span>, Enchanted Learning</div>
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<img alt="Wolverine" height="242" src="http://www.theanimalfiles.com/images/wolverine_1.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/carnivores/wolverine.html">Matthias Kabel, The Animal Files</a></span></div>
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The wolverine is the largest of the weasel family. In disposition, it is more like the weasel than the skunk or the badger. They may roam over 100 miles in search of food sources. They look like a small, chunky bear, and their muck glands carry scent as powerful as that of the skunk. In fact, their nickname is <i>skunk bear</i>.</div>
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Once, a group of men on Mount McKinley in Alaska, discovered where a wolverine had killed a Dall's sheep, weighing about 150 lbs, and had carried the sheep a mile and a half, down the mountain and across a river, before climbing a steep bank with it and beginning to eat it. Not only is the wolverine known for its unusual strength, it is also very fast and can easily run down a moose, deer, or hares. When chased by wolves, it can easily leave them far behind. It is also a strong swimmer and can cross lakes and rivers to search for or follow food. It is also a skilled climber. Sometimes wolverines retreat before bears or packs of wolves come, other times they will remain and fight without fear, chasing off cougars, bears, wolves, or coyotes from food they want for themselves.</div>
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Wolverines, like others in the <span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Mustelidae/">mustelid family</a></span>, have valuable fur. Moisture will not freeze on wolverine fur, and it is usually cut into large strips and used to line the opening of parka hoods. Arctic travelers have always preferred wolverine fur for this reason. Skiing and winter sports created a larger demand for the wolverine-lined hoods as well.</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.defenders.org/wolverine/basic-facts">Wolverine Fact Sheet</a></span>, Defenders of Wildlife</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolverine/">Endangered Species: Wolverines </a></span>U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><a href="http://www.naturetracking.com/Tracking/Mammal_Tracks/Pages/Weasel_Tracks.html">Tracks, the Mustelid Family of Animals</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-31764577878257530762012-11-23T14:42:00.000-06:002012-11-23T14:42:00.714-06:00a Science Week break thru the New Year<span style="background-color: white;">I know we have skipped yet another week, but with Thanksgiving preps and crafting projects, we are working a jumbled schedule around here. I expect this to be true for the majority of December as well, so if you are following along, please plan to catch-up or resume the weeks with us after the New Year.</span><br />
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When we resume, we will learn about:<br />
the fur-bearers and musk gland group<br />
Bears, the kings of the forest lands<br />
whales, dolphins, porpoises and manatees<br />
fin-foots and kelp-dwellers (seals, walruses, and sea otters)<br />
the burrowing life of shrews, moles, pocket gophers, chipmunks, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, marmots and armadillos)<br />
Leafy Treetop dwellers (red tree mouse/red tree heather vole, pinon mouse, golden mouse, southern flying squirrel, red squirrel, gray squirrel, fox squirrel, marten, the fisher)<br />
mammals of the flowing water (northern water shrew, mink, chocolate cottontail, marsh rabbit, muskrat, coypu, river otter, beaver)<br />
desert dwellers (pocket mouse, kangaroo mouse, ord kangaroo rat, collared peccary)<br />
mammals of the barren ground and polar seas (lemmings, arctic ground squirrels, arctic fox, ringed seal, narwhals, white whales, bowheads, musk ox)<br />
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We'll see you back here for Science Week lessons beginning on January 7th.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-69039295373836204202012-11-12T14:38:00.001-06:002012-11-12T14:41:11.361-06:00Science Week 15: Trailers and ClimbersThis week covers animals that trail and climb. <br />
Dogs, such as pointers, spaniels, retrievers and setters follow hunters into the field.<br />
Terriers chase small game, such as foxes, badgers, and even rats.<br />
Hounds sniff the trails of game and pursue them to their trees and burrows.<br />
Greyhounds, wolfhounds, and deerhounds chase by sight, galloping swiftly after the prey and holding or crippling it until hunters arrive. <br />
Bloodhounds are trained to find lost children or escaped criminals by tracking their movements.<br />
Among the snow avalanches of the high Alps, Saint Bernard dogs have located buried travelers, and aided monks in rescue work, said to have aided in the rescue of over 2500 people over their years of use.<br />
There is also a Newfoundland breed that is used to rescue shipwreck victims.<br />
Collies and sheep dogs mover, or herd, livestock.<br />
German Shepherds guide the blind, aid police officers, guard homes and businesses.<br />
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Several species of wild dogs live in the United States, 4 fox and 3 wolf species. Like cats, dogs have 4 toes on the hind foot and 5 on the front foot with the inside toe too high to show in their track. However, the footprints of the two animals are slightly different. Dogs' claws are more blunt, and cannot retract so they leave marks, especially in muddy tracks. The leading edge of the heel pad is more rounded. Cats' claws rarely leave a trace. Two lobes share the forward margin of the feline's heel.<br />
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The smallest mammal in the canine group is the kit fox. It hunts only at night and is rarely seen. When chased, the kit fox will zigzag with lightening speed, however will soon tire and must enter one of their many burrows to escape harm. They are the prey of eagles, coyotes and wolves. Close kin to the swift fox, the fastest runner among fox species, who is slightly larger and darker, with smaller ears. <b><i><a href="http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/kit-fox-facts/">Read more about the kit fox at Wild Facts</a></i></b><br />
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<img alt="Kit Fox" height="320" src="http://www.theanimalfiles.com/images/kit_fox_2.jpg" width="215" /></div>
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the kit fox</div>
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<img height="214" src="http://www2.math.ou.edu/~jalbert/courses/swiftfox.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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the swift fox</div>
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<img alt="Red Fox" height="208" src="http://www.theanimalfiles.com/images/red_fox_1.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=326072">Read about the red fox here</a></i></b></div>
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<img src="http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210360/grayfox.jpg" /></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210360/grayfox.htm">Read more about the gray fox here</a></i></b></div>
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<b>Notes about the Fox:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">Here are some interesting facts about the fox:</span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></div>
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- Although it is a member of the dog family, some of fox habits are very cat like as well.</div>
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- The red fox can reach a speed of 48 km/h (30 mph).</div>
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- Foxes live 2 to 3 years, and up to 10 years or even longer in captivity.</div>
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- Like cats, foxes often play with their catch before they kill it.</div>
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- Foxes have abundant ectoparasites (mites, fleas, ticks and lice).</div>
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- Foxes can hold up to one kilogram of flesh in their stomachs.</div>
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- Foxes can hear a watch ticking 40 yards away.</div>
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- The pupils of a fox's eyes are almond-shaped rather than round.</div>
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The coyote, a small wolf, extending its range in areas with abundant ground squirrels, woodchucks, jack rabbits, reptiles, acorns, and other favored foods.<b><i><a href="http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_coyotes.htm"> Read more about the coyote at Living with Coyotes, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife</a></i></b></div>
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<img alt="Photo: A coyote finishes its meal" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/005/cache/coyote-glancing_510_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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coyote</div>
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<img src="http://www.timberwolfinformation.org/updates/redwolf/pics/redwolf.jpg" /></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.wolfsongalaska.org/red_wolf_for_kids.html">Read more about the red wolf here</a></i></b></div>
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<img alt="Gray Wolf © John Eastcott / National Geographic Stock " height="174" src="http://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/gray-wolf-john-eastcott-ngs.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf">Read a Wikipedia article on the gray wolf</a></i></b></div>
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Two mammals that do not trail their prey but spend some of their lives in trees are the opossum and the porcupine. Neither are of the canine family, but is each the only mammal of its own family. The porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America.</div>
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<img alt="wpeAA.jpg (4896 bytes)" height="213" src="http://library.thinkquest.org/C002727/opossum.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.planetpossum.com/facts.htm">Read more about opossum at Planet Possum</a></i></b></div>
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<img alt="Photo: Porcupine on a gravel path" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/006/cache/porcupine_668_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-porcupine.html">Read more about the porcupine at the San Diego Zoo Animal Bytes pages</a></i></b></div>
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<b>Lapbooks and Reading:</b><br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/harry_the_dirty_dog.php">Harry the Dirty Dog</a></i></b> lapbook at HomeschoolShare<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/wild_dogs_lapbook.php">Wild Dogs, ZooBooks lapbook</a></i></b> at HomeschoolShare<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/gray_wolf.php">Gray Wolf resources and lapbook</a></i></b> at HomeschoolShare...utilizing stories such as White Fang, Call of the Wild, Look to The North, A Wolf Pup Diary, etc.<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/connections__dogs.php">various lapbook resources </a></i></b>at HomeschoolShare connecting dogs<br />
Endangered Species Handbook selected passages<b><i><a href="http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/persecution_wolves2.php"> here</a></i></b> and <b><i><a href="http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/persecution_wolves8.php">here</a></i></b><br />
<b><i><a href="http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2009/02/outdoor-hour-challenge-51-mammals-wolf.html">Handbook of Nature Study Outdoor Challenge #51</a></i></b><br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.native-languages.org/quillwork.htm">examples of Native American (porcupine) quill work baskets, earrings, etc.</a></i></b><br />
Porcupine reading comprehension pages, <b><i><a href="http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/reading-comp/4th-porcupine_WMMZR.pdf">downloadable PDF</a></i></b><br />
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<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-87716343521992145142012-11-12T12:34:00.003-06:002012-11-12T14:40:56.046-06:00Science Week 14: Secret Claws and Ringtails<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Wild cats are native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica. They are found in all types of climates—from polar regions to tropical rain forests </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">There are about 40 existing species of cats. The largest, the tiger, may reach about 9 feet (2.74 m) in length, excluding the tail. Other notable wild cats include the caracal, European wildcat, margay, serval, and saber-toothed tiger (an extinct species). Panther is a general name for any of several wild cats, especially the cougar and leopard. Wildcat is also a general name applied to several species. Mountain lion and puma are other names for the cougar.<b><i><a href="http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/cat-info1.htm"> <span style="color: red;">Read more at Animal Planet</span></a></i></b></span><br />
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<img alt="The leopard" height="244" src="http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/willow/cat-info1.gif" width="320" /></div>
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Leopard</div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.649999618530273px;">Everybody knows what a cat is, once you have seen a single adult cat you can instantly recognise nearly every other species as being closely related. The possible exceptions to this are the Jaguarundi and the Manul as well as the Flat-headed Cat and perhaps the Kodkod, however once you look closely at even these exceptional species you soon see their cat genes at work. A house cat, although small and domesticated, is a Jaguar, a Tiger or a Leopard in miniature, their beauty, grace and fluidity of movement have brought great joy to mankind for thousands of years. <b><i><a href="http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/cats.html">Read more at EarthLife</a></i></b></span></div>
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<img height="188" src="http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/images/carnivores//tiger.gif" width="320" /></div>
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Tiger</div>
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<strong>Big Cats Facts</strong></div>
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<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal. It can run at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour (113 kilometers an hour).</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">An adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles (eight kilometers) away.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Long, muscular hind legs enable snow leopards to leap seven times their own body length in a single bound.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">A tiger's stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">The strongest climber among the big cats, a leopard can carry prey twice its weight up a tree.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered animals in the world.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">In one stride, a cheetah can cover 23 to 26 feet (7 to 8 meters).</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">The name "jaguar" comes from a Native American word meaning "he who kills with one leap."</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years and up to 16 years. They live up to 25 years in captivity.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">The mountain lion and the cheetah share an ancestor.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Tigers are excellent swimmers and do not avoid water.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">A female Amur leopard gives birth to one to four cubs in each litter.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Fossil records from two million years ago show evidence of jaguars.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides. Every female within the pride is usually related.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">The leopard is the most widespread of all big cats.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Mountain lions are strong jumpers, thanks to muscular hind legs that are longer than their front legs.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Tigers have been hunted for their skin, bones, and other body parts, used in traditional Chinese medicine.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">Unlike other cats, lions have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.</li>
<li style="color: black; list-style: disc; margin: 0px 0px 5px 15px; padding: 0px;">After humans, mountain lions have the largest range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere.</li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b><i><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/facts/">Read more about Big Cats at National Geographic</a></i></b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.633333206176758px;">Mammals in the cat family are found in cold and warm climates except for Australia and Antarctica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.633333206176758px;">Felines have very characteristic eyes. Most vertebrates have eye muscles that, in strong light, close the pupil to a small round hole. Cats have eye muscles that pull the sides of the iris together until only a small slit shows. </span></div>
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<img src="http://dialspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/bco/images/eyesnarr.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.633333206176758px;">A feline's eyes are so sensitive that during the day a tiny crack is sufficient for seeing. At night the muscles relax and the pupil becomes large and round. Faint rays enter making it possible for the cat to see form and indistinct outlines.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.633333206176758px;">A cat's claws differ from most other animals because they are retractable.</span></div>
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<img alt="claws" src="http://www.katzenzeitung.eu/en/Anatomy/images/claws_en.jpg" /></div>
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The most common wild cat in the United States is the bobcat. <b><i><a href="http://www.defenders.org/bobcat/basic-facts">Defenders of Wildlife Bobcat Fact Sheet</a></i></b></div>
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<img height="200" src="http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/29228_featured.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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The only unspotted wild cat in the United States is the adult cougar, also known as a mountain lion, puma, and panther. Unlike the bobcat and lynx, it has no ruffle at its neck, nor does it have any sort of mane. it is light in color on the insides of the legs and underneath. On the cheeks, the tips of the ears, and the end of the tail are blackish markings. it has clear, yellow eyes, big heavy whiskers, and a long, round tail. Read more at the <b><i><a href="http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html">Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife</a></i></b> </div>
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<img alt="Adult male cougar." src="http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/species/graphics/t_cougar.jpg" /></div>
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Jaguars are larger and heavier than cougars and are covered from face to tip of tail with markings called rosettes. Rosettes are rings, sometimes with spots in the middle. The ground color of a jaguar's coat is yellowish or buff, and the rosettes are dark-brown or black, enclosing a slightly darker color and an occasional black center spot.<b><i><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar/"> Read more about jaguars at National Geographic</a></i></b></div>
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<img alt="Photo: A young female jaguar stopped in its tracks" height="240" src="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/005/cache/jaguar_587_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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A ringtail cannot fully retract its claws. There are 5 toes on both front and hind feet. It lives at altitudes up to 6,000 feet and is an excellent climber, as well as having the ability to jump across expanses of up to 10 feet. It's main predator is the owl. </div>
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<img height="170" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Bassariscus.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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The raccoon is another nighttime creature, but more commonly seen and known to man. The black mask covering the eyes and cheeks, and the bushy tail with its 4-7 dark bands make it distinctive in appearance. The soles of a raccoon's feet are bare, and unlike other mammals that walk only on their toes, the raccoon walks fully on its feet. Its claws cannot be pushed out and pulled in like those of other cats. The raccoon swims well and is at home in water as well as trees. <b><i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/raccoon-nation/raccoon-fact-sheet/7553/">Read more about raccoons at PBS/Nature</a></i></b></div>
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<img src="http://www.bear-tracker.com/coontern.gif" /></div>
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Read about early accounts of raccoons in history <b><i><a href="http://fohn.net/raccoon-pictures-facts/raccoon-accounts.html">here</a></i></b> and <b><i><a href="http://fohn.net/raccoon-pictures-facts/coonskin-caps.html">here</a></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.633333206176758px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/cats_lapbook.php">Cats lapbook</a></i></b> at HomeschoolShare</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.616666793823242px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/tiger_lapbook.php">Tiger lapbook</a></i></b> at HomeschoolShare</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.616666793823242px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.chunkymonkey.com/howto/cats.htm">How to draw a cat</a></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.616666793823242px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.moggies.co.uk/html/oldpssm.html">Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats</a></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.616666793823242px;"><b><i><a href="http://www.egyptianmuseum.org/discoveregypt">The cat in Ancient and Modern Egypt</a></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.616666793823242px;">Felidae Conservation Fund<b><i><a href="http://www.felidaefund.org/education/species.html"> list of cat species</a></i></b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-70453783140642392292012-11-12T11:09:00.005-06:002012-11-12T14:40:39.900-06:00Science Week 13: Hoofs, Horns, Antlers...and special stomachs<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We did continue along, even though I didn't get the updates posted. It's been a hectic autumn season around here with a few extra incidents needing attention compared to normal. So, here are the updates thru November, and I will get the December weeks posted in a decent time-frame. With the holidays, we won't be 'on-track' for a week by week plan, but we'll make it up again come January. I hope for those following along this doesn't cause too much of an issue.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although sometimes called antelope, pronghorn are not closely related to the animals of African plains. In fact they are so different from other hoofed animals that they are the only members of the family Antelocapridae. Their head ornaments set them apart from deer and elk whose branched, solid antlers are shed each year, and from goats and cattle whose hollow horns are made from hair and are not shed. Pronghorn have branched, hollow, hairlike horns that are shed annually. They are the only animal with this combination. <b><i><a href="http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/arizona/pronghrn.html"><span style="color: red;">Read more from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service</span></a></i></b></span></span></div>
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<img alt="pronghorn buck" src="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/images/pronghorn_on_prairie_inset.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">photo via <a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-pronghorn.html">San Diego Zoo</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;">Fleet-footed pronghorns are among the speediest animals in North America. They can run at more than 53 miles (86 kilometers) an hour, leaving pursuing coyotes and bobcats in the dust. Pronghorns are also great distance runners that can travel for miles at half that speed. </span><b><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/antelope/">Read more from National Geographic</a></span></i></b></span></span></div>
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<img alt="Mountain Goat Pictures" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%202/050730-081.jpg" /></div>
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Mountain Goat</div>
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<img alt="Dalls Sheep Photos" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%205/110828-045.jpg" /></div>
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Dall's Sheep</div>
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<img alt="Dall's Sheep Pictures" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%202/040917-027.jpg" /></div>
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Dall's Sheep</div>
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<img alt="Desert Bighorn Sheep Photos" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%205/110215-021.jpg" /></div>
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Desert Bighorn Sheep</div>
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<img alt="Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Picture" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%203/070127-068.jpg" /></div>
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Peninsular Bighorn Sheep</div>
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<img alt="Bighorn Sheep Pictures, Jasper National Park" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%202/051007-052.jpg" /></div>
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Bighorn Sheep</div>
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<img src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/search/gallery/photos/gallery_C6CT9821.jpg" /></div>
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American Bison</div>
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<img alt="White-tailed_Deer-s.jpg" src="http://www.knowledgerush.com/wiki_image/4/4e/White-tailed_Deer-s.jpg" /></div>
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white-tail deer</div>
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<img alt="Caribou, Muncho Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia Photo" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%202/051004-020.jpg" /></div>
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Caribou</div>
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<img src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/search/gallery/Photos%2011/gallery_090914-113.jpg" /></div>
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Mule deer</div>
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<img alt="Photo Bull Moose" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%205/110827-042.jpg" /></div>
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Bull Moose</div>
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<img alt="Pictures of Elk" src="http://www.wildnatureimages.com/images%203/070925-029.jpg" /></div>
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elk</div>
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wildlife images by<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; line-height: 1;"><span style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;"><b><i><a href="http://www.search-results.com/fr?q=mountain+goats&apn_dbr=&apn_dtid=^IME002^YY^US&atb=sysid%3D2%3Aappid%3D893%3Auid%3Db81cc9e1b78673b8%3Auc%3D1350755615%3Asrc%3Dcrb%3Ao%3DAPN10641&p2=^AG2^IME002^YY^US&locale=en_US&apn_ptnrs=AG2&apn_sauid=&apn_uid=2467366534034529&desturi=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildnatureimages.com%2FLand_Mammals.htm&initialURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.search-results.com%2Fpictures%3Fqsrc%3D167%26o%3DAPN10641%26l%3Ddis%26q%3Dmountain%2520goats%26apn_dbr%3D%26apn_dtid%3D%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26atb%3Dsysid%253D2%253Aappid%253D893%253Auid%253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%253Auc%253D1350755615%253Asrc%253Dcrb%253Ao%253DAPN10641%26p2%3D%5EAG2%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26locale%3Den_US%26apn_ptnrs%3DAG2%26apn_sauid%3D%26apn_uid%3D2467366534034529%26gct%3Dds&fm=i&ac=779&fsel=1&ftURI=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.search-results.com%2Ffr%3Fq%3Dmountain%2Bgoats%26desturi%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wildnatureimages.com%252FLand_Mammals.htm%26imagesrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wildnatureimages.com%252Fimages%2525202%252F050730-081.jpg%26thumbsrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia3.picsearch.com%252Fis%253FRKEapx1pFG8HcPzjPy--LueelMzbPcwVinUg3sPPVZg%26o%3DAPN10641%26l%3Ddis%26thumbuselocalisedstatic%3Dfalse%26thumbwidth%3D85%26thumbheight%3D128%26fn%3D050730-081.jpg%26imagewidth%3D333%26imageheight%3D500%26fs%3D52%26f%3D2%26fm%3Di%26fsel%3D1%26atb%3Dsysid%253D2%253Aappid%253D893%253Auid%253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%253Auc%253D1350755615%253Asrc%253Dcrb%253Ao%253DAPN10641%26ftbURI%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.search-results.com%252Fpictures%253Fq%253Dmountain%252Bgoats%2526page%253D1%2526o%253DAPN10641%2526l%253Ddis%2526pstart%253D0%2526atb%253Dsysid%25253D2%25253Aappid%25253D893%25253Auid%25253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%25253Auc%25253D1350755615%25253Asrc%25253Dcrb%25253Ao%25253DAPN10641%26apn_dbr%3D%26apn_dtid%3D%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26atb%3Dsysid%253D2%253Aappid%253D893%253Auid%253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%253Auc%253D1350755615%253Asrc%253Dcrb%253Ao%253DAPN10641%26p2%3D%5EAG2%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26locale%3Den_US%26apn_ptnrs%3DAG2%26apn_sauid%3D%26apn_uid%3D2467366534034529&qt=0">PROFESSIONAL STOCK PHOTOS</a></i></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: xx-small;"><b><i><a href="http://www.search-results.com/fr?q=mountain+goats&apn_dbr=&apn_dtid=^IME002^YY^US&atb=sysid%3D2%3Aappid%3D893%3Auid%3Db81cc9e1b78673b8%3Auc%3D1350755615%3Asrc%3Dcrb%3Ao%3DAPN10641&p2=^AG2^IME002^YY^US&locale=en_US&apn_ptnrs=AG2&apn_sauid=&apn_uid=2467366534034529&desturi=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildnatureimages.com%2FLand_Mammals.htm&initialURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.search-results.com%2Fpictures%3Fqsrc%3D167%26o%3DAPN10641%26l%3Ddis%26q%3Dmountain%2520goats%26apn_dbr%3D%26apn_dtid%3D%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26atb%3Dsysid%253D2%253Aappid%253D893%253Auid%253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%253Auc%253D1350755615%253Asrc%253Dcrb%253Ao%253DAPN10641%26p2%3D%5EAG2%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26locale%3Den_US%26apn_ptnrs%3DAG2%26apn_sauid%3D%26apn_uid%3D2467366534034529%26gct%3Dds&fm=i&ac=779&fsel=1&ftURI=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.search-results.com%2Ffr%3Fq%3Dmountain%2Bgoats%26desturi%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wildnatureimages.com%252FLand_Mammals.htm%26imagesrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wildnatureimages.com%252Fimages%2525202%252F050730-081.jpg%26thumbsrc%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia3.picsearch.com%252Fis%253FRKEapx1pFG8HcPzjPy--LueelMzbPcwVinUg3sPPVZg%26o%3DAPN10641%26l%3Ddis%26thumbuselocalisedstatic%3Dfalse%26thumbwidth%3D85%26thumbheight%3D128%26fn%3D050730-081.jpg%26imagewidth%3D333%26imageheight%3D500%26fs%3D52%26f%3D2%26fm%3Di%26fsel%3D1%26atb%3Dsysid%253D2%253Aappid%253D893%253Auid%253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%253Auc%253D1350755615%253Asrc%253Dcrb%253Ao%253DAPN10641%26ftbURI%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.search-results.com%252Fpictures%253Fq%253Dmountain%252Bgoats%2526page%253D1%2526o%253DAPN10641%2526l%253Ddis%2526pstart%253D0%2526atb%253Dsysid%25253D2%25253Aappid%25253D893%25253Auid%25253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%25253Auc%25253D1350755615%25253Asrc%25253Dcrb%25253Ao%25253DAPN10641%26apn_dbr%3D%26apn_dtid%3D%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26atb%3Dsysid%253D2%253Aappid%253D893%253Auid%253Db81cc9e1b78673b8%253Auc%253D1350755615%253Asrc%253Dcrb%253Ao%253DAPN10641%26p2%3D%5EAG2%5EIME002%5EYY%5EUS%26locale%3Den_US%26apn_ptnrs%3DAG2%26apn_sauid%3D%26apn_uid%3D2467366534034529&qt=0">By Alaska Photographer Ron Niebrugge</a></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Horns and Antlers:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The terms horns and antlers are often used interchangeably, but in reality, they refer to quite different structures. Antlers are a pair of bony, branched structures that protrude from the frontals of the skull of animals and are shed annually; horns are also paired and protrude from the frontals, but they are permanent, unbranched, and made up of a bony core and a keratinized sheath. <b><i><a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/collections/mammal_anatomy/horns_and_antlers/">See more information at Animal Diversity Web</a></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;"><i><b><a href="http://wildliferanchtexas.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&Itemid=120">Horns and Antlers</a></b></i> </span><span style="color: #333333;">from Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;"><b><i><a href="http://www.iwla-rh.org/html/DGIF_articles/deer_antlers.html">Deer Antlers</a></i></b> </span><span style="color: #333333;">from the Izaak Walton League of America</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b><i><a href="http://whozoo.org/ZooPax/ZPhorns.htm">ZooPax</a></i></b> from WhooZoo</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Special Stomachs:</b></span></span></div>
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<img alt="The ruminant (digastric) stomach" height="192" src="http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/ansc442/Semprojs/2003/feedlamb/rumen.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Papyrus;"><img alt="" border="0" height="17" src="http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/ansc442/Semprojs/2003/feedlamb/tn_balls92.gif" width="18" /> Rumen: "The fermentation vat" The largest compartment that is key to volatile fatty acid absorption.</span><span style="font-family: Papyrus;"><img alt="" border="0" height="17" src="http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/ansc442/Semprojs/2003/feedlamb/tn_balls92.gif" width="18" /> Recticulum: "The honeycomb" It sorts particles by size, this allows for better breakdown of food.</span><span style="font-family: Papyrus;"><img alt="" border="0" height="17" src="http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/ansc442/Semprojs/2003/feedlamb/tn_balls92.gif" width="18" /> Omasum: "The folded structure" It traps particles within the folds, where the particles are squeezed to remove water prior to delivery to the abomasum.</span><span style="font-family: Papyrus;"><img alt="" border="0" height="17" src="http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/sheep/ansc442/Semprojs/2003/feedlamb/tn_balls92.gif" width="18" /> Abomasum: "The true stomach" This is where the final breakdown of digestion takes place.</span></blockquote>
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<img height="264" src="http://bio1152.nicerweb.com/Locked/src/Locked/media/ch41/41_28RuminantDigestion_L.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<strong style="text-align: start;">Ruminant digestion.</strong><span style="text-align: start;"></span></div>
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Cows and other ruminants have a very different digestive system than humans do which work very differently in order to digest the foods they eat. The stomachs that they have all serve different purposes in order to break down these foods properly. Humans eat so many types of foods that our bodies cannot always break down them correctly. This can lead to fatty build ups amongst other issues. This is why we often turn to things like <a href="http://www.themedifastplan.com/">Medifast</a> diets in order to stay in shape. The ruminants use their different stomachs in a series events so that different protozoans and bacteria can properly breakdown the hard to digest foods. Some of us could use four stomachs to help do this but we have different options like a <a href="http://www.themedifastplan.com/medifast-coupons-promotions/">Medifast coupon</a> out there that can help us to produce the proper bacteria we need to maintain our diets. Each phase of the ruminants' digestion helps to provide them with valuable nutritional substances like protein.<br />
The first chamber is the large rumen (or paunch). The next two are the reticulum and the omasum (psalterium or manyplies). These first three chambers are believed to be derived from the esophagus. The last chamber is the abomasum (or reed), which corresponds to the stomach of other mammals.<br />
The combined four-chambered stomach is big. In the domestic ox (Bos taurus) the whole stomach occupies nearly three-quarters of the abdominal cavity. In medium sized cattle, the rumen by itself can hold between 25 to 75 gallons. The rumen grows large in early life after the changeover from a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18612258">milk diet</a>.<br />
Ruminants eat fast and store large quantities of grass or foliage in the rumen, where it softens. Many species of minute protozoans and bacteria live without free oxygen in the rumen. These little animals and bacteria digest the cellulose in the plant material, thereby releasing the contents of the plant cells for digestion by the cow. Large amounts of saliva get secreted into the rumen to further the digestion.<br />
The action of the various microbes produces various substances, including fatty acids which are absorbed through the rumen wall. In addition, any protein is converted into fatty acids and ammonia; the ammonia and other simple nitrogen-containing substances are used by the micro-organisms for their own cell-protein synthesis.<br />
After the plant material is processed in the rumen, it is later regurgitated. This material is now called cud, and the ruminant chews it again. The additional chewing breaks down the cellulose content, which is difficult to digest, even more. The regurgitation and chewing of the cud is called rumination.<br />
The chewed cud goes directly to the other chambers of the stomach (the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, in that order). Additional digestion, with the aid of various essential microorganisms, continues in these other chambers. For example, in the omasum, some fatty acids and 60-70 percent of the water are absorbed. In the abomasum gastric juice containing hydrochloric acid is secreted, as in an ordinary mammalian stomach, futher digesting the food. Also, those micro-organisms that used the ammonia and other nitrogen substances from protein in the rumen, actually get digested by the ruminant in the abomasum and small intestine, thereby providing the cow with protein. <span style="color: red;"> <b><i><a href="http://www.crazyforcows.com/fow/fow6.shtml">via Crazy for Cows</a></i></b></span></blockquote>
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<b>Sites and Notes:</b></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.smithlifescience.com/ph12-3mammals.htm">SmithLife Science</a></i></b> has an incredible collection of links and YouTubes for mammals of all kinds. Definitely a bookmark worthy site!</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/goats.php">Goat lapbook</a></i></b> at HomeschoolShare</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/yearling.php">The Yearling</a></i></b> book lapbook, HomeschoolShare</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://thisadventurelife.wordpress.com/our-lapbooks/deer-lapbook/">Deer lapbook</a></i></b>, from The Adventure Life blog</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.goddidcreations.com/mammalfacts.php">Fact Sheets</a></i></b> from God Did Creations</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-62405344590879507642012-10-19T07:00:00.000-05:002012-11-12T14:40:09.513-06:00Science Week 12: Wonderful EarsRemember the 3 days in Egypt when there was no light whatsoever?<br />
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Exodus 10:21-23<br />
King James Version (KJV)<br />
<span class="text Exod-10-21" id="en-KJV-1799"><sup class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">21 </sup>And the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.</span><span class="text Exod-10-22" id="en-KJV-1800"><sup class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">22 </sup>And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:</span><span class="text Exod-10-23" id="en-KJV-1801"><sup class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">23 </sup>They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">Even now, on a moonless night, there are still often stars to cast a faint glow. Rarely, since Moses shared the plague of Darkness The Lord sent over the land of Egypt, have we had nights of total darkness. They eyes are all but useless in these situations, but there are other ways to 'see' your way. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">Some animals find their way through their dark burrows by their sense of touch. Some others are able to whiz at top speed between invisible walls without even brushing them lightly. Tiny mammals with wings of thin, crepe-like skin live in the inky regions of large natural caverns. They come to the surface to find food, dashing along without touching walls or bumping into each other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._W._Pierce"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>G.W. Pierce</b></i></span></a> of Harvard developed a device that could pick up sounds higher in pitch than the human ear can hear. It was discovered that bats raised loud, shrill cries, as often as 30 or more times every second. These sounds bounced from everything near them, 'showing' them the location of each object. The bats' ears were able to pick up these echoes and measure the distances accordingly, avoiding the objects. This is known as echolocation.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">Echolocation: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">Echolocation, the process of determining the distance and direction of objects by using sound. This article is concerned with echolocation as used by animals</span></i></b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">Listen to the sound of a bat <a href="http://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/resources/articles/bats/silver_haired.mp3"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>here</b></i></span></a>, and the WERC site on Bat Vocalization<a href="http://www.werc.usgs.gov/OLDsitedata/bats/searchphasecall.html"> <span style="color: red;"><i><b>here</b></i></span></a>, with more sound files.</span></div>
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<img alt="sonar echolocation illustration" height="316" src="http://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/resources/articles/bats/ecolocation_types.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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Bats in North America are insect eaters, while those in the tropics are mostly fruit eaters. The fruit-eating species are often larger, and may be called flying foxes because of their size.</div>
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The flying mammals in North America are divided into 2 groups, cave bats and tree bats. The cave bats hibernate through winter, while the tree bats usually migrate.</div>
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<img height="172" src="http://www.batcon.org/images/stories/nathistofbats/mainprofile.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><i><b><a href="http://www.batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/intro-to-bats/subcategory/intro.html"><span style="color: red;">Bat Conservation International site</span></a></b></i></span></div>
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<img height="187" src="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/EEB/EML/images/wing.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/EEB/EML/background/wing_anatomy.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Bat wing anatomy</b></i></span></a></div>
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<img height="247" src="http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/images/anatomy/bat-skel.gif" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/bat-anatomy.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>The Anatomy of Bats</b></i></span></a></div>
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The bones at the tips of the front limbs are the toe bones in most mammals, but in bats, these are very fine and light. They are longer than most of their other bones. The wings extend between these long, fine bones and long the body to the hind legs. The soft skin stretches between the hind legs and is joined to the tail, as well. There is one claw on the outer bend of each wing. The hind feet have 5 claws each. </div>
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A bat does not prepare a nest as other mammals do. She hangs by her wings, the tail membrane preventing the newborn from falling. The newborn batling climbs upward and nurses contently for several days. When the mother flies off in search of food, the young batling stays with her.</div>
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Next to rodents, bats are the mammal order with the largest number of species., with 180 species in North America alone.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">image via National Park Service website</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">image via <a href="http://www.interstatetermite.com/bats/big_brown_bat.htm">Interstate Termite</a> website</span></div>
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Six species of bats belong to the free-tailed group living in the U.S. Bats in this group have tail membranes that extend only partway along the tail. The naked tip of the tail is free for perhaps a full inch. The southwestern U.S. has more free-tailed species than any other kind.<span style="color: red;"><i><b> <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm">Carlsbad Caverns</a></b></i></span> in southeast New Mexico is the home to millions of free-tailed bats. During the day, a huge natural room in the Caverns, 1/2 mile long and over 100 ft high is hung full of myriads of these tiny creatures. At dusk, they awaken and fly off in a low roaring rush, to search out food. It is estimated that they exit the Caverns at the rate of 300 bats per second!</div>
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In the caves where the bats live their droppings form a rich fertilizer known as guano. The Carlsbad Caverns yielded 50-100 tons of guano per day, 6 months out of the year for 15 years. When the fertilizer companies had dug up and hauled away all the deposits, it was discovered that the guano was littered with the remains of billions upon billions of insects. The Carlsbad Caverns is only one bat roost in thousands. Imagine all the insects we'd still have if bats didn't exist?</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">Some Links:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">How Stuff Works...<a href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/mammals/bat2.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Bats and Echolocation</b></i></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.currclick.com/product/96/Bats-Lapbook?it=1"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Bats</b></i></span> </a>from Hands of a Child</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/nocturnal_animals.php"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Nocturnal Animals lapbook</i></b></span></a> from Homeschool Share</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.coloring.ws/bats1.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Bat coloring pages</b></i></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/bat_crafts.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Bat crafts</b></i></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">Illinois Dept. of Education <a href="http://education.illinois.edu/YLP/96-97/96-97_mini_units/Bats_MClaeys/lesson_plans.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Bat unit lesson plans</b></i></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">nice <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/little-brown-bat"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Squidoo page</b></i></span></a> on Little Brown Bats</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.allposters.com/">Different Species of Bats, via AllPosters.com</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-58636310419944570902012-10-12T15:39:00.000-05:002012-11-12T14:39:54.142-06:00Science Week 11: Mammals with Extra Teeth<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Proverbs 30:26<br />The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;<br />Are you as smart as a coney? Wise Agur used four small creatures to teach his students great wisdom (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.1" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.1" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:1</a>,<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.24" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.24" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">24</a>). The ants prudently save for the future (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.25" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.25" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:25</a>). The locusts know the power of numbers (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.27" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.27" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:27</a>). The spider by diligence goes where most cannot (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.28" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.28" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:28</a>). The conies wisely avoid risk and loss by choosing the safest and strongest protection. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span class="titletext" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><a href="http://barnes.biblecommenter.com/leviticus/11.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Barnes' Notes on the Bible</a></span>The coney - The Old English name for a rabbit. The animal meant is the Hyrax Syriacus. It bears some resemblance to the guinea-pig or the marmot, and in its general appearance and habits <a href="http://bible.cc/proverbs/30-26.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Proverbs 30:26</a>; <a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/psalms/104-18.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Psalm 104:18</a>, it might easily be taken for a rodent. But Cuvier discovered that it is, in its anatomy, a true pachyderm, allied to the rhinoceros and the tapir, inferior to them as it is in size.<br />He cheweth the cud - The Hyrax has the same habit as the hare, the rabbit, the guinea-pig, and some other rodents, of moving its jaws when it is at rest as if it were masticating. The rodents were familiarly spoken of as ruminating animals, just as the bat was reckoned among birds because it flies (see <a href="http://bible.cc/leviticus/11-19.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Leviticus 11:19</a>), and as whales and their congeners are spoken of as fish, when there is no occasion for scientific accuracy.</span></blockquote>
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<img alt="American Pika" height="105" src="http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/graphics/amerpi1.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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The cony of Israel, Lebanon, and Sinai has a small round hoof, but in size and shape it is much like the American cony, also known as a <a href="http://www.pikaworks.com/pikas/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>pika</b></i></span></a>. Pikas live near other pikas, at the rate of about 6 per acre. They are cheerful little fellows, whistling, calling, and bleating all day. Each animal has look-outs near where his food pile is located. They have their first litter of 3 or 4 in May or June, and continues until September. Pikas do not hibernate, yet they live where winters can be harsh. During these times of no fresh food, the pika continues to eat. During the summer, the pikas have cut grasses, clover, and other favorites, spreading them out to dry. If rain comes, the entire group will rush out, bundle the hay, and carry it below to their burrows. Day after day the plants are cut and dried, then packed away. <br />
Three species of pika live in North America, from the high mountains of Alaska and the Yukon, to the upper altitudes of California and Arizona.<br />
Cottontails are of the same mammal order of the pika:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">There are several species of cottontail rabbit, but the eastern cottontail is the most common. This ubiquitous animal can be found from Canada to South America and, in the United States, from the East Coast to the Great Plains. Cottontails range from reddish brown to gray, but all feature the distinctive "cotton ball" tail for which they are named.<br />These rabbits seek out habitat on the fringes of open spaces, such as fields, meadows, and farms, but can adapt to other habitats—including those of humans.<br />They browse at night on grasses and herbs and are fond of garden fare such as peas and, of course, lettuce. In winter, their diet becomes a bit coarse and consists of bark, twigs, and buds. During the day, cottontails often remain hidden in vegetation. If spotted, they flee from prey with a zigzag pattern, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour.<br />Females give birth in shallow ground nests, to young so helpless that perhaps only 15 percent survive their first year. Fortunately, rabbits breed three or four times every year and produce three to eight young each time. Young rabbits mature quickly and are self-sufficient after only four or five weeks. They are sexually mature after only two or three months, so populations are able to grow with staggering speed.<br />Cottontails are plentiful and can be problematic for farmers; they are also a popular game animal.</span> <i>via National Geographic</i></blockquote>
More information to be found here at <i><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=325996">Connecticut Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection</a></span></b></i><br />
Some great<a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/resourcespeterrabbit.php"> <span style="color: red;"><i><b>pages and sharings from HomeschoolShare</b></i></span></a> on rabbits<br />
Barb always shares great studies at <a href="http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2009/01/outdoor-hour-challenge-44-mammals.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>The Handbook of Nature Study</b></i></span></a> and Outdoor Hour Challenge<br />
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<img alt="The Burgess Animal Book for Children (Dover Science Books for Children)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0486437450&tag=karyntripp" /></div>
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The Burgess Animal Book for Children, and <a href="http://teachbesideme.blogspot.com/p/burgess-animal-book-for-children-guide.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>a companion guide full of links</b></i></span></a>, found here at the Teach Beside Me blog.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><b>Tracks:</b> Hare and rabbit tracks are generally oval in shape, with 5 toes on each foot, although only 4 toes show in the tracks of each foot. Both have very furry feet and no exposed pads on their toes, often leaving blurred details in the tracks. The fine, sharp claws on the feet may or may not register. Under some conditions, only the pattern left by the claws will be visible. You can often tell the difference between hare and cottontail tracks by looking at the size relationship between front and hind tracks. In hares, the rear tracks are typically larger than the front tracks (see the photo on the right). In cottontails and other rabbits the size of the fronts and hinds is quite similar (see the photo below).<br /><br />The front and rear tracks of rabbits can appear very similar, though under certain conditions and in certain substrates, the rear feet can splay outward much further. The tracks appear very asymmetrical in shape, with one toe leading ahead of the others. They have been described as “iron shaped,” though</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">The front tracks of the Eastern cottontail (<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>) measure 1-1 & 7/8” long by ¾ - 1 & 3/8” wide. Meanwhile, the rear tracks are 1 & ¼- 3 & ¼” long by 7/8 – 1 & 13/17” wide. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">The front tracks of the snowshoe hare(</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Lepus americanus</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">) measure 1 & 7/8" - 3" long by 1 & 1/8" - 2 & 1/4" wide. While, the rear tracks are 3 & 1/4" - 6" long by 1 & 5/8" - 5" wide. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Similar Tracks:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">The tracks of squirrels can be confused with rabbits as squirrels also travel with a bounding gait. Squirrels, however, tend to show five toes on the rear feet and four toes on the front feet.</span></span></blockquote>
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<img src="http://www.wildernesscollege.com/images/Cottontail-Tracks-Photo-Strip.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">References:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Elbroch 2003, Halfpenny 1999, Murie 1954, Rezendes 1999</span> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Tkaczyk, Filip A. 2009. Rabbit Tracks and Sign. Alderleaf Wilderness College. www.wildernesscollege.com/rabbit-tracks.html</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-55633064894799122622012-10-12T07:00:00.000-05:002012-10-12T07:00:04.132-05:00Science Weeks 9 & 10: Mice,Voles,Lemmings, Pikas and Cottontails<br />
I admit I am not exactly fully behind my current studies here in our mammals trek. I hate rates, mice, etc. I am skimming along as quickly as I can, hitting the basics, and keeping a tightly crossed set of fingers that no one develops a sincere interest that we have to tarry in.<br />
I know, I know. Mean momma. I am combining Weeks 9 and 10 together in this one post.<br />
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Nice images and information can be found at the Montana State government pages of field guides<i><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://fieldguide.mt.gov/displaySpecies.aspx?family=Muridae"> here</a></span></b></i>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffd966;">Lemmings and voles have short tails and legs, small ears, and beady eyes. These little mice eat vegetation, especially grasses. You may never see them, but you might happen upon their trails. These tiny creatures spend the winter on the ground surface in the layer of vegetation compressed by the snow. With adequate snow for insulation, they live in 32 degree F temperature. Without the cushion of deep snow, they may perish.<br />In spring, after the snow melts, their trails resemble narrow tunnels along the surface where mice have eaten through grain or grass stubble. You may also see little round grass nests, evidence that voles were active just below the snow blanket.<br />The <b>southern bog lemming</b> of our evergreen forest region and the <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=AMAFF17020" style="color: #463322; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">northern bog lemming</a>, found in the northwest, live in damp, boggy places. The <b>red-backed vole</b>, of wet forested areas in much of our state, will climb trees, unlike any other vole. The <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=AMAFF10050" style="color: #463322; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">heather vole</a> (pictured), typically a Canadian species, has recently been recorded in northern St. Louis County.<br />The <b>meadow vole</b> is the most widespread and is common all over Minnesota. The <b>rock vole</b>, which has a yellow nose, is found only in the far northeast, and the <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=AMAFF11150" style="color: #463322; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">woodland vole</a> only in the far southeast, where it spends most of its time underneath leaf litter. The <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=AMAFF11140" style="color: #463322; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">prairie vole</a> is found in rather dry situations in the southern half of the state.<br />Lemmings and voles seldom weigh more than one to one and one-half ounces. All nest in the ground, or under rocks or logs. These tiny little creatures may seem insignificant in nature's scheme of things, but are the key to survival of many wild predators including weasel, foxes, and birds-of-prey.<br />Old world rats and mice are represented in Minnesota by the <b>Norway rat </b>and the <b>house mouse,</b> two of the least desirable of our mammals. Both species are capable of producing several litters a year and are notorious for damaging property. The rat is also dreaded because it so often carries disease.</span><img align="left" alt="Plains Pocket Mouse" height="200" hspace="10" src="http://images.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/ets/medium/perognathus_flavescens_001.jpg" vspace="5" width="300" /><span style="background-color: #ffd966;">Unlike most other mice, the <b>meadow jumping mouse </b>and the <b>woodland jumping mouse</b> are hibernators. Small (one-half to one ounce), with extremely long tails and hind legs, both species eat insects, seeds, and fruit. Both have internal cheek pouches to carry food in. They are rather brightly colored, yellowish above, white below, but the woodland species has a white-tipped tail. A rare mouse in Minnesota is the <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=AMAFD01020" style="color: #463322; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">plains pocket mouse</a>(pictured).<br />The tiny <b>western harvest mouse</b> looks like a house mouse. It lives in grassy and brushy areas of southern Minnesota. Here it usually makes a little round nest on the ground. Occasionally, it may attach its nest to vegetation several inches above the ground. The harvest mouse eats seeds and insects.<br />The <b>deer mouse</b> and <b>white-footed mouse</b> are very similar. Both have large eyes and ears and rather long tails. They nest almost anywhere, in ground burrows, tree holes, old bird nests, and buildings. Deer mice occur throughout Minnesota, while the white-foot is absent in the northeast. Their foods are seeds, nuts, and insects. They can be a nuisance to campers and cottage owners, though they are interesting to watch. Individuals of both species may weigh up to one and one-fourth ounces.<br />Like a husky deer mouse with a short tail, the <b>northern grasshopper mouse</b> is a lion among mice, eating insects, other mice, lizards, and even small birds. It thrives on western prairies, usually living in burrows of other animals. <span style="font-size: x-small;">via Minnesota DNR</span></span></blockquote>
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The Harvard Press has a nice article full of information in their It's Only Natural section, found<a href="http://www.harvardpress.com/Home/AllArticles/tabid/2190/ID/2257/PageID/2257/Its_Only_Natural_Small_mammals_Part_1.aspx"> <span style="color: red;"><i><b>here</b></i></span></a>. I have found several posts in this section well worth keeping handy for reference as needed.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">image via <a href="http://www.harvardpress.com/">It's Only Natural, The Harvard Press</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Week 10 Studies: Pikas and Cottontails</span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Proverbs 30:26<br />The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;<br />Are you as smart as a coney? Wise Agur used four small creatures to teach his students great wisdom (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.1" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.1" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:1</a>,<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.24" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.24" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">24</a>). The ants prudently save for the future (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.25" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.25" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:25</a>). The locusts know the power of numbers (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.27" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.27" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:27</a>). The spider by diligence goes where most cannot (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="Pr 30.28" data-version="kjv1900" href="http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Pr%2030.28" style="color: #804000; font-size: smaller; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pr 30:28</a>). The conies wisely avoid risk and loss by choosing the safest and strongest protection. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span class="titletext" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 18px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><a href="http://barnes.biblecommenter.com/leviticus/11.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Barnes' Notes on the Bible</a></span>The coney - The Old English name for a rabbit. The animal meant is the Hyrax Syriacus. It bears some resemblance to the guinea-pig or the marmot, and in its general appearance and habits <a href="http://bible.cc/proverbs/30-26.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Proverbs 30:26</a>; <a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/psalms/104-18.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Psalm 104:18</a>, it might easily be taken for a rodent. But Cuvier discovered that it is, in its anatomy, a true pachyderm, allied to the rhinoceros and the tapir, inferior to them as it is in size.<br />He cheweth the cud - The Hyrax has the same habit as the hare, the rabbit, the guinea-pig, and some other rodents, of moving its jaws when it is at rest as if it were masticating. The rodents were familiarly spoken of as ruminating animals, just as the bat was reckoned among birds because it flies (see <a href="http://bible.cc/leviticus/11-19.htm" style="color: #0092f2; text-decoration: none;">Leviticus 11:19</a>), and as whales and their congeners are spoken of as fish, when there is no occasion for scientific accuracy.</span></blockquote>
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<img alt="American Pika" height="105" src="http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/graphics/amerpi1.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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The cony of Israel, Lebanon, and Sinai has a small round hoof, but in size and shape it is much like the American cony, also known as a <a href="http://www.pikaworks.com/pikas/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>pika</b></i></span></a>. Pikas live near other pikas, at the rate of about 6 per acre. They are cheerful little fellows, whistling, calling, and bleating all day. Each animal has look-outs near where his food pile is located. They have their first litter of 3 or 4 in May or June, and continues until September. Pikas do not hibernate, yet they live where winters can be harsh. During these times of no fresh food, the pika continues to eat. During the summer, the pikas have cut grasses, clover, and other favorites, spreading them out to dry. If rain comes, the entire group will rush out, bundle the hay, and carry it below to their burrows. Day after day the plants are cut and dried, then packed away.<br />
Three species of pika live in North America, from the high mountains of Alaska and the Yukon, to the upper altitudes of California and Arizona.<br />
Cottontails are of the same mammal order of the pika:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">There are several species of cottontail rabbit, but the eastern cottontail is the most common. This ubiquitous animal can be found from Canada to South America and, in the United States, from the East Coast to the Great Plains. Cottontails range from reddish brown to gray, but all feature the distinctive "cotton ball" tail for which they are named.<br />These rabbits seek out habitat on the fringes of open spaces, such as fields, meadows, and farms, but can adapt to other habitats—including those of humans.<br />They browse at night on grasses and herbs and are fond of garden fare such as peas and, of course, lettuce. In winter, their diet becomes a bit coarse and consists of bark, twigs, and buds. During the day, cottontails often remain hidden in vegetation. If spotted, they flee from prey with a zigzag pattern, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour.<br />Females give birth in shallow ground nests, to young so helpless that perhaps only 15 percent survive their first year. Fortunately, rabbits breed three or four times every year and produce three to eight young each time. Young rabbits mature quickly and are self-sufficient after only four or five weeks. They are sexually mature after only two or three months, so populations are able to grow with staggering speed.<br />Cottontails are plentiful and can be problematic for farmers; they are also a popular game animal.</span> <i>via National Geographic</i></blockquote>
More information to be found here at <i><b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=325996">Connecticut Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection</a></span></b></i><br />
Some great<a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/resourcespeterrabbit.php"> <span style="color: red;"><i><b>pages and sharings from HomeschoolShare</b></i></span></a> on rabbits<br />
Barb always shares great studies at <a href="http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2009/01/outdoor-hour-challenge-44-mammals.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>The Handbook of Nature Study</b></i></span></a> and Outdoor Hour Challenge<br />
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<img alt="The Burgess Animal Book for Children (Dover Science Books for Children)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0486437450&tag=karyntripp" /></div>
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The Burgess Animal Book for Children, and <a href="http://teachbesideme.blogspot.com/p/burgess-animal-book-for-children-guide.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>a companion guide full of links</b></i></span></a>, found here at the Teach Beside Me blog.</div>
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<img src="http://www.wildernesscollege.com/images/rabbit-hare-tracks-copy.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><b>Tracks:</b> Hare and rabbit tracks are generally oval in shape, with 5 toes on each foot, although only 4 toes show in the tracks of each foot. Both have very furry feet and no exposed pads on their toes, often leaving blurred details in the tracks. The fine, sharp claws on the feet may or may not register. Under some conditions, only the pattern left by the claws will be visible. You can often tell the difference between hare and cottontail tracks by looking at the size relationship between front and hind tracks. In hares, the rear tracks are typically larger than the front tracks (see the photo on the right). In cottontails and other rabbits the size of the fronts and hinds is quite similar (see the photo below).<br /><br />The front and rear tracks of rabbits can appear very similar, though under certain conditions and in certain substrates, the rear feet can splay outward much further. The tracks appear very asymmetrical in shape, with one toe leading ahead of the others. They have been described as “iron shaped,” though</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">The front tracks of the Eastern cottontail (<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>) measure 1-1 & 7/8” long by ¾ - 1 & 3/8” wide. Meanwhile, the rear tracks are 1 & ¼- 3 & ¼” long by 7/8 – 1 & 13/17” wide. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">The front tracks of the snowshoe hare(</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Lepus americanus</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">) measure 1 & 7/8" - 3" long by 1 & 1/8" - 2 & 1/4" wide. While, the rear tracks are 3 & 1/4" - 6" long by 1 & 5/8" - 5" wide. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">Similar Tracks:</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">The tracks of squirrels can be confused with rabbits as squirrels also travel with a bounding gait. Squirrels, however, tend to show five toes on the rear feet and four toes on the front feet.</span></span></blockquote>
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<img src="http://www.wildernesscollege.com/images/Cottontail-Tracks-Photo-Strip.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">References:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Elbroch 2003, Halfpenny 1999, Murie 1954, Rezendes 1999</span> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Tkaczyk, Filip A. 2009. Rabbit Tracks and Sign. Alderleaf Wilderness College. www.wildernesscollege.com/rabbit-tracks.html</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-56892027999074097162012-10-05T13:32:00.000-05:002012-10-05T14:12:44.711-05:00Science Week 8: Furry CreaturesAnd catching up, here are the Science Week 8 notes:<br />
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Some Notes:<br />
Beetles are by far the largest order in the insect class, rodents are the largest order in the mammal class.<br />
Rodents do not inhabit oceans or large lakes, but are found from the Arctic to the dry land of the Antarctic.<br />
Rodents have 2 upper and 2 lower chisel-like teeth called incisors. These are in the front of the mouth with a space between them, and the grinding teeth behind them. These are large, very hard, and very sharp teeth used for gnawing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipprtvf4VzowFmf6Hz6EYnTjgjWG6A5Fu8Awpm8znt5zqnpW6BWHlY-omyCtx-pEid8k7yZDMaT9friRWN9OwORMSALzJwwT9wwBu63Ii1QFHeYLZ11KanLeZpR9L02DQB1gzBRe7vVV0/s1600/rodents-jaw-rat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipprtvf4VzowFmf6Hz6EYnTjgjWG6A5Fu8Awpm8znt5zqnpW6BWHlY-omyCtx-pEid8k7yZDMaT9friRWN9OwORMSALzJwwT9wwBu63Ii1QFHeYLZ11KanLeZpR9L02DQB1gzBRe7vVV0/s320/rodents-jaw-rat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">image courtesy of Mirriam-Webster Online Visual Dictionary</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ffd966;">Common rodents include mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, porcupines, beavers, hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs.<br />Rodents have sharp incisors that they use to gnaw wood, break into food, and bite predators.<br />Most eat seeds or plants, though some have more varied diets.<br />They have historically been pests, eating human seed stores and spreading disease. Rodents evolved some time around the end of the Cretaceous period c 65 million years ago. In terms of number of species — although not necessarily in terms of number of organisms (population) or biomass — rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species belonging to the order.[1] Their success is probably due to their small size, short breeding cycle, and ability to gnaw and eat a wide variety of foods.(Lambert, 2000) There are about 2,277 species of rodents, about 42% of all mammal species.<br />Rodents are found in vast numbers on all continents except Antarctica, most islands, and in all habitats except for oceans.</span> from <span style="color: red;"><i><b><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/r/rodent.htm">ScienceDaily.com</a> </b></i></span></blockquote>
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Most rodents have four toes on each front foot, and five on each hind foot.<br />
Rodents are an important group, aiding in destroying weed seeds and insects. They themselves are food for meat-eating animals that might prey on man's poultry or livestock. Rodents destroy more property than other mammals, but they are also more useful than most other wild animals. Soil development and tree planting are tasks performed by rodents.<br />
Rodents build dams that help preserve the water supply of the forests.<br />
Of all the rat species, the Brown rat is the most destructive known to man.<br />
Beavers and muskrats are valuable for their fur.<br />
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Some Links:<br />
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Mammals at <a href="http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolingmommaof4/278848/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Our Homeschooling Journey blog</b></i></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/connections__rodents.php"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Rodents resources</b></i></span></a> at HomeschoolShare<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-89682271861504391292012-10-05T13:30:00.001-05:002012-10-05T13:46:19.411-05:00Science Week 7: MammalsApparently Blogger ate my draft for the past couple of weeks. Figures. I wasn't online to catch it, so Blogger got wonky on me. Live and learn.<br />
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Week 7 began our 12 week Mammal study. Now, considering we are almost daily coming in with new mushrooms (remember way back to <a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/science-unit-1-algae-and-fungi.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Weeks 1 and 2</b></i></span></a>?), and the collection of mosses and lichens is still growing in my window (yeah, that was <a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/science-week-4-lichens-and-mosses.html"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Week 4</i></b></span></a>). I have no delusions that Mammals will last a mere 12 weeks.<br />
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What I did for our first dabble into Mammals was turn our science book into an ebook of sorts. I selected the main notes we needed, added some Google images and printed it off so everyone had their own booklet for our study. Using a hardbound science book like we are (Rod & Staff's <a href="http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/1-146-5/?list=Rod_and_Staff_Grade_6"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>God's Marvelous Works, book 2</b></i></span></a>), and having 6 full time students and 1 teaching assistant, I only have one book to go around. I should probably find a couple more, but so far this has worked for us. Printing off the selected passages, adding our own notes and finding some images online worked perfectly for us. I'm not sure of the copyright issues, but<br />
I'll pass our PDFs along as we make them. I lay no claims to the information in them. Anyone with Internet access and interest can easily find the same information available, I merely tucked it together into something that works for our family.<br />
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At SCRIBD: Week 7 <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/109108979"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Mammals PDF</b></i></span></a><br />
At Google DOCS: <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzN-jx2bZwjHQUV6Y3hnTnlPMGc"> <span style="color: red;"><i><b>Mammals 1 PDF</b></i></span></a><br />
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<i><b>Bear in mind, I don't make ebooks, I don't upload things online, I am totally clueless here. If something isn't right, definitely let me know and I'll pretend I have a clue as to how to fix it for you, LOL.</b></i><br />
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Some Notes:<br />
Mammals and birds are the only two warm-blooded, vertebrate classes of animals on Earth.<br />
Vertebrates are any living creature with a backbone.<br />
Mammals have a physical structure more in common with man than any other animal.<br />
Mammals are animals, but not every animal is a mammal. Insects, reptiles, and birds are animals but are not mammals.<br />
Mammals have hair, usually a thick growth, though some (elephants and whales) have sparse hair. Each hair grows from a pit in the skin. The individual hairs have a small muscle at their root that enables them to be raised, such as in fear or anger when an animals lifts its hair on end.<br />
Some hairs have sense organs. These usually grow around the eyes and mouth.<br />
Mammals feed their babies milk.<br />
Mammals have live birth. Some reptiles, some fishes, some amphibians, and some insects give birth to living young as well, but only 2 mammal species lay eggs. The only vertebrates that never bear live young are birds.<br />
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Here is a great collection of <a href="http://animals.about.com/od/mammals/a/mammals-characteristics.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Mammal Characteristics</b></i></span></a> from About.com<br />
<a href="http://animals.about.com/od/mammals/tp/mammalgroups.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Basic Mammal Groups</b></i></span></a><br />
<a href="http://kidzone.ws/animals/mammals.htm"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Kidzone</b></i></span></a> Mammal interactive pages<br />
<a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>National Geographic Mammal Pages</b></i></span></a><br />
<a href="http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/mammals"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>San Diego Zoo pages</b></i></span></a>, Mammals and other animals<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.mikids.com/mammals.htm"><span style="color: red;">MIKIDS pages</span></a></b></i><br />
<b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/welcome.html"><span style="color: red;">EarthLife</span></a> pages for mammals (</b>links to additional pages at the bottom of their page<b style="font-style: italic;">)</b><br />
<b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=45&detID=2849#"><span style="color: red;">Exploring Nature pages</span></a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.agfc.com/resources/Publications/ar_mammals_coloring_book.pdf"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Mammals of Arkansas</b></i></span></a> coloring book PDF (here are books for <a href="http://www.agfc.com/resources/Publications/ar_birds_coloring_book.pdf"><span style="color: red;">Birds</span></a>,<span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.agfc.com/resources/Publications/ar_fish_coloring_book.pdf"><span style="color: red;">Fish</span></a></span>, and <a href="http://www.agfc.com/resources/Publications/ar_crayfish_activity_book.pdf"><span style="color: red;">MudBugs</span></a>)<br />
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The Burgess Animal Book, free to <a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=burgess&book=animal&story=_contents"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>read online</b></i></span></a>, <a href="http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/the-burgess-animal-book-for-children-by-thornton-w-burgess"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>audio download</i></b></span></a>, and at<a href="http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/2441"><span style="color: red;"><i><b> Project Gutenberg</b></i></span></a>. The blog, <a href="http://teachbesideme.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Teach Beside Me</i></b></span></a> has a great post of links to use as a <a href="http://teachbesideme.blogspot.com/p/burgess-animal-book-for-children-guide.html"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Burgess Animal Book for Children reading companion</b></i></span> </a>as well. Definitely worth visiting!<br />
List of <a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/science.php"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Science-related lapbooks</b></i></span></a> at HomeschoolShare you might add to your mammal studies. To narrow it down, here is the <a href="http://www.homeschoolshare.com/index_animal_studies.php"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Animal page</b></i></span></a>.<br />
<a href="http://lapbooklessons.ning.com/notes/Mammals"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Lapbook Lessons</b></i></span> </a>Mammals pages<br />
<a href="http://homeschoolfreestuff.wordpress.com/science/biology/zoology-animals/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Links to All Things Free for Homeschoolers</b></i></span></a> blog page of zoology<br />
<i><b><a href="http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/intermediate.asp?curGroupID=5"><span style="color: red;">eNature mammal field guide</span></a></b></i><br />
A nice <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/mammals-in-animal-classification-unit-study-lesson-plan-"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>Squidoo page</b></i></span></a> on mammals<br />
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And of course, check out <a href="http://www.currclick.com/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>CurrClick</b></i></span></a> for several great resources!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-82315719952225247452012-09-20T15:02:00.000-05:002012-09-20T15:02:00.777-05:00BlogShare: Strangers & Pilgrims on EarthA great little autumn unit study...plus many other great pages worth checking out<br />
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<a href="http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2011/10/trees-unit-study.html"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth blog</span></b></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-59057363141310473162012-09-14T07:00:00.000-05:002012-09-14T07:00:00.745-05:00Science Week 6: Parasites and NitrogenThis wraps up the first 6 week section for our science year already. This unit on Algae and Fungi was fun, and I'm sure as autumn creeps in and our woods become a bit more inviting (read: a few less snakes, ticks, and bugs etc...), we'll go back through those mosses and lichens. With near 20 acres out here of mountain nothingness, we have a wide assortment of them for study.<br />
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Onward to the parasites and nitrogen traps...commonly known types like ringworm and athlete's foot, mildews, rusts, and blights, even a less commonly known variety of parasite known as smuts. So, this week's notes:<br />
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<ul>
<li>fungi are<span style="color: red;"><b><a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/science-week-3-algae-and-seaweed.html"><span style="color: red;"> thallophytes</span></a> </b></span>which are....plants without true roots, stems or leaves.</li>
<li>a fungus that lives on dead plant or animal material is a...saprophyte.</li>
<li>most<a href="http://plainhomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/science-unit-1-algae-and-fungi.html"> <span style="color: red;"><b>gilled mushrooms</b></span></a> are saprophytes. Nearly every gilled mushroom is found growing on the ground, rotted logs, rotting stumps, even dead limbs on living trees. Less than 1-in-20 mushroom species grows on living wood.</li>
<li>Saprophytes are soil builders. They change dead plant/animal material into carbon dioxide and simple elements. This is only one class of fungus...the other class is called parasite because they live off live plant and animal material.</li>
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<strong style="background-color: #ffe599; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Experiment</strong> </blockquote>
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<strong style="background-color: #ffe599; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">"Bracket" or "shelf" fungi can be found in wooded areas growing on the sides of trees, fashioning themselves as little shelves, perhaps for elves! Fungi do not photosynthesize, as do other plants. They get their nourishment from a host they live on. If a plant gets its nourishment from a host organism that is dead and decaying, it is called a <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">saprophyte</em>. If the host is a living organism, the feeding plant is called a <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">parasite</em>.</span><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Are bracket fungi saprophytes, parasites, or both?</span><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Trees have tiny tubes that transport water, nutrients, and waste throughout their system. These tubes are called <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">xylem</em> (which transport wastes) and <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">phloem</em> (which transport food). Trees grow from the outer layer just beneath the bark. The bark is not living. Our project is to locate bracket fungi and carefully chip away at the bark of the host tree and see if any "roots" or threadlike structures penetrate through the bark and into the live layer of the tree. If this is the case, then bracket fungi is most likely a parasite. If not, it is most likely a saprophyte.</span><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><img height="200" src="http://02.edu-cdn.com/files/84401_84500/84418/file_84418.jpg" width="172" /></span><strong style="background-color: #ffe599; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Procedure</strong> </blockquote>
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<strong style="background-color: #ffe599; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"></strong><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">In a forest or wooded area, locate trees on which bracket fungi are growing. Using a chisel, carefully pry pieces of bark off the tree around the bracket fungi. Try to determine if any part of the fungi extends through the bark and into the soft, live layer of the tree. To avoid injuring the tree, do not remove too much bark.<br />Carefully search through a large area in the forest, noting any presence of bracket fungi. Are the trees where you find the fungi dead or alive, or do you find them on both dead and live trees? </span><i><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: red;">from Education.com</span></i></blockquote>
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<ul>
<li> Fungi are not the only parasites...any plant or animal that grows on another living species or hinders it by taking food, shelter or water is known as a parasite. When one is helped and the other is harmed, it is a parasitic relationship. When each one helps the other it is a symbiotic relationship.</li>
<li>Mildew...a whitish grayish fungus seen on the leaves of roses, lilacs, and other plants. Some mildews cause damage, some do not. When the Hebrews were unfaithful to God, He punished them by sending mildew on their crops (<a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Amo&c=4"><span style="color: red;"><b>Amos 4:9</b></span></a>, <a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Haggai-2-17/"><span style="color: red;"><b>Haggai 2:17</b></span></a>) </li>
<li>smut is another fungus that grows on plants, commonly ears of sweet corn (appears as clumps of gray swollen cells). The spores spread, blow, and remain in the soil to infect the next season of young crops. Wheat, barley, and corn are all food for smuts.</li>
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<li>Rust also destroys wheat, oats, barley, and other cereal grains. The red spore stage causes an appearance like rust. The stem and leaves of a wheat plant become red in the spring, then turn black in the late summer and fall. </li>
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<li>the black wheat spores can winter-over on the common barberry plant. They form tiny cups on the undersides of the leaves, and in the spring the red spores are developed again and infect the nearby wheat plants.</li>
<li>white pine blister rust is white and infects the white pine and wild current bushes.</li>
<li>Cedar apple rust lives on the red cedar part of the time, and on apple trees the remainder of the year.</li>
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<ul>
<li>All living things must have<a href="http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele007.html"> <span style="color: red;"><b>nitrogen</b></span></a> in some form. If nitrogen is absent, life is impossible.</li>
<li>algae and fungi live in a symbiotic relationship in lichens, certain bacteria have a symbiotic relationship with lentils, clover, vetch, soybeans, cowpeas, and similar plants. These bacteria grow on the young roots, taking from them food and water. The bacteria draw nitrogen from the air in the soil and mix it with oxygen and other elements to form a solid food used by the plant. <a href="http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/organic/nitrogen-nodules-and-nitrogen-fixing-plants.htm"><span style="color: red;"><b>Knots of nitrogen called nodules are produced</b></span></a>. Later the roots and nodules decay, dissolve in water, and nourish other herbs or trees which in turn benefit man.</li>
<li>some soil bacteria do not grow on plant roots but do a similar work. This process is called <a href="http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/N/NitrogenFixation.html"><span style="color: red;"><b>fixation of nitrogen</b></span></a>. This is God's way of providing plants, animals, and man with necessary food elements. </li>
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<i><b><a href="http://eduspace.free.fr/ibbiology2007_14/13_opF_microbiol/nitrogen_cycle_diag.gif"><span style="color: red;">click here for larger image</span></a></b></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/statins/a-bookish-blog-post/"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>image from Protein Power blog</b></i></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><i>Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God....</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-87515563761696015572012-09-10T07:00:00.000-05:002012-09-10T07:00:08.740-05:00Contenders of the Faith: ArcheryThere are many references to the bow throughout Scriptures...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Now therefore </span><span class="strongs" sn="05375" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">take</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> , I pray thee, thy </span><span class="strongs" sn="03627" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">weapons,</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> thy </span><span class="strongs" sn="08522" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">quiver</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> and thy </span><span class="strongs" sn="07198" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">bow,</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> and go </span><span class="strongs" sn="03318" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">out</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> to the </span><span class="strongs" sn="07704" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">field,</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> and </span><span class="strongs" sn="06679" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">take</span><a href="" name="a" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> me some </span><span class="strongs" sn="06718" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">venison </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Genesis 27:3</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">(Also he </span><span class="strongs" sn="0559" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">bade</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> them </span><span class="strongs" sn="03925" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">teach</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> the </span><span class="strongs" sn="01121" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">children</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> of </span><span class="strongs" sn="03063" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Judah</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> the use of the </span><span class="strongs" sn="07198" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">bow:</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> behold, it is </span><span class="strongs" sn="03789" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">written</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> in the </span><span class="strongs" sn="05612" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">book</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> of Jasher.) 2 Samuel 1:18</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">He hath </span><span class="strongs" sn="01869" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">bent</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> his </span><span class="strongs" sn="07198" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">bow,</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> and </span><span class="strongs" sn="05324" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">set</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> me as a </span><span class="strongs" sn="04307" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">mark</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> for the </span><span class="strongs" sn="02671" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">arrow. Lamentations 3:12</span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span class="strongs" sn="02671" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span><span class="strongs" sn="02671" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Moreover I have <span class="strongs" sn="05414">given</span> to thee <span class="strongs" sn="0259">one</span> <span class="strongs" sn="07926">portion</span> above thy <span class="strongs" sn="0251">brethren,</span> which I <span class="strongs" sn="03947">took</span> out of the <span class="strongs" sn="03027">hand</span> of the <span class="strongs" sn="0567">Amorite</span> with my <span class="strongs" sn="02719">sword</span> and with my <span class="strongs" sn="07198">bow. Genesis 48:22</span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span class="strongs" sn="02671" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="strongs" sn="07198"></span></span><span class="strongs" sn="02671" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="strongs" sn="07198">Moreover I have <span class="strongs" sn="05414">given</span> to thee <span class="strongs" sn="0259">one</span> <span class="strongs" sn="07926">portion</span> above thy <span class="strongs" sn="0251">brethren,</span> which I <span class="strongs" sn="03947">took</span> out of the <span class="strongs" sn="03027">hand</span> of the <span class="strongs" sn="0567">Amorite</span> with my <span class="strongs" sn="02719">sword</span> and with my <span class="strongs" sn="07198">bow. 2 Kings 13:15</span></span></span><span class="strongs" sn="02671" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="strongs" sn="07198"><span class="strongs" sn="07198"><br /></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
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ARCHERY:<br />
Part of our <a href="http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/ContendersForTheFaithIndex"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Contenders of the Faith</span></b></a> skills will be learning archery. Our <a href="http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/KeepersAtHomeIndex"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Keepers at Home</span></b></a> will be included in the lessons as well. Here is <a href="http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/SkillListing"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">a full listing of all the skills</span></b></a> through both the Contenders and the Keepers books. There are more than enough skills to master to keep us quite busy. The youngers will earn a silver disk their first run-thru, the olders will earn a gold as they repeat many of these skill lessons. We are debating over making vests for everyone to put their disks on, or perhaps a large family banner.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/bL-9ImBbvXs"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 2</span></b></a><br />
<b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyZcjRFjL94&feature=relmfu"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 3</span></a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_qNyFdVILc&feature=relmfu"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 4</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgNm2TxrqFY&feature=relmfu"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 5</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/li7BiSMzOlI"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 6</span></b></a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4h1iatTJ4Y&feature=relmfu"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 7</span></b></a><br />
<b><a href="http://youtu.be/2VgSACTWMjg"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ed Scott, part 8</span></a></b><br />
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Here is <a href="http://www.huntchat.com/showthread.php?t=47297"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">a nice pictorial</span></b></a> from a hunter chat forum of crafting a good, sturdy, wood bow.<br />
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Making a <a href="http://youtu.be/6eWDgNrLYps"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">primitive bow</span></b></a> via Primitive Pathways, <a href="http://youtu.be/5e4lVUhBh90"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">part 2</span></b></a>,<a href="http://youtu.be/Ws-6AU8WZb8"> <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">part 3</span></b></a>,<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/y7UMmtSI3vU"><span style="color: #cc0000;">part 4</span></a></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></b>
Making a <a href="http://youtu.be/3zyV8tZGJtE"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">60# PVC bow</span></b></a> yourself<br />
Here's another<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/ahPK7coHVXQ"><span style="color: #cc0000;">DIY PVC bow</span></a></span></b> tutorial <i>note: he 'bends and forms' his bow with your kitchen stovetop...</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="arrow.gif" height="150" src="http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/images/arrow.gif" width="400" />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;">credit: <a href="http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/Default.htm"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Centenary Archers page</span></a></span></i></b></div>
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You'll need arrows...<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://youtu.be/ndjGHlvzqzU"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Arrow Making for the Common Man</span></a> </span></b><br />
or,<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></b><a href="http://youtu.be/eESHbd-z-nA"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Making a Common Man's Broadhead</span></b> </a><br />
or,<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <a href="http://youtu.be/uCyKrQDFA28"><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Swiss Arrow</span></a></span></b><br />
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<img alt="Long Bow" src="http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/79900/79910/79910_longbow_sm.gif" />
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Of course I had to share a YouTube for <a href="http://youtu.be/nxeFvDgXE54"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">crafting a replica Medieval arrow</span></b></a> as we are studying the Middle Ages all year. Big Bow Brum has a nice set of videos on<a href="http://youtu.be/VkYaMAdgBKI"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> making a medieval arrow bag</span></b></a> as well.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="http://archery.union.rpi.edu/images/recurve.jpg" width="160" /> <img height="320" src="http://archery.union.rpi.edu/images/compound.jpg" width="236" /></div>
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Here are some other notes:<br />
<a href="http://dsocarroll.tripod.com/id4.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>How to shoot a longbow</b></span></a><br />
some hints on <a href="http://dsocarroll.tripod.com/id3.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>arrow making</b></span></a><br />
Archery <a href="http://www.archers-friend.com/archery-terms.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>terms to know</b></span></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="RecurveBow01.png" src="http://wiki.robotz.com/images/d/d7/RecurveBow01.png" />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">credit: <a href="http://wiki.robotz.com/index.php/Bows_and_Arrows_Basic_Reference"><i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">wiki robotz</span></b></i></a></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-39064713681020275012012-09-07T11:54:00.001-05:002012-09-07T11:54:24.651-05:00Middle Ages: The History Learning siteJust another note I need to keep on top of. Great little resource for us...and not just for Middle Ages either!<br />
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<a href="http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/england_medieval.htm"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">The History Learning Site</span></b></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7015741143978794314.post-83936899841451790952012-09-07T11:35:00.001-05:002012-09-07T11:35:34.523-05:00BlogShare: Joy in the JourneyWhile hunting around for this and that, and bunny trailing along as I usually do, I stumbled across <a href="http://www.joyinourjourney.com/"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Joy in Our Journey</span></b></a> blog site.<br />
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My main notes so far are<a href="http://www.joyinourjourney.com/free-homeschool-helps.html"> <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">the great downloads</span></b></a> she shares for planning our homeschool year...and her great shares on using The Mystery of History volumes in our schooling. <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> <a href="http://www.joyinourjourney.com/the-middle-ages-moh-vol-2.html"><span style="color: #cc0000;">MOH 2</span></a></span></b> is one of the resources we will draw from this year, so this is a perfect find for us.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02315996496008524220noreply@blogger.com0