Another Trip to the Vet!

Ms. Lee- Garcia also recently took her pets to a Veterinarian for Exotic animals. What are her exotic animals? Many of you already know, because she had Harriet in the classroom. Your right it's hamsters.! So I asked Ms. Lee- Garcia to share information about her hamsters and why they had to go to the Dr.
Here is her reply and pictures!

Harriet and Hermione in their cages waiting to see the Veterinarian.

Dr. Chen is looking at Hermione's eyes.

Dr Chen holds them by their scuffs because it puts them in a trance for safer handling.

Reply from Ms. Lee- Garcia

They are Robovoroski Hamsters, a type of dwarf hamster. I bought them both for my classroom in January of 2011, so we think they were born in December 2010. Unlike Syrian hamsters, which cannot be housed together because they are so territorial they will fight until one dies, Robos typically are happier when living with siblings, so I bought the pair, and they lived in my classroom. In March of 2011, however, they decided they did not want to live together any longer, and each one got its own 20-gallon aquiarium. Harriet, the larger and less afraid hamster, got to stay at school, where she was our class pet during the rest of fourth and all of fifth grade. Hermione, her smaller, shyer sister, got to live at home with me. They had to go to the vet to get a certificate that says what species they are (Phodopus Robovoroskii) and that they are healthy, since California has very strict laws in place in order to protect its ecosystems and agriculture industries. (Chinese dwarf hamsters are prohibited, for example.) Dr. Chen, the vet that saw them yesterday, says that they are healthy and ready to travel! She did find out that Hermione has an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) but she says she'll be OK, and that Harriet is very overweight and has to go on a diet of grass pellets, her least favorite food! No more sunflower seeds or corn for her! In the wild, Robos live in Mongolia and Russia, in very cold deserts. They dig long tunneling burrows, with different chambers for all of their activities, like sleeping, hoarding seeds, and going to the bathroom. They are normally very social and live in large groups in the wild.

Thanks Ms. Lee- Garcia for sharing. We will miss you and Harriet as you move to California.

Wow! Thats' a Cool Pet!

Last Monday, while enjoying the Reading Express at school, Ms. Gillingham stopped by. She was on the way to the veterinarian with her pet bearded dragon! She let me take a picture of it for you and shared some information about her unusual pet. I thought you would find it as interesting as I did.





"Bones"
Ms. Gillingham's Pet





This is Bones, she is about 9 years old! She likes to eat kale, corn and crickets. So that makes her an an omnivore, right? Ms. Gillingham said she will eat carrots and other greens but her natural habitat is the desert so her body is not adapted to eat vegetables like lettuce with high water content. They are not good for her. Ms. Gillingham keeps her in a very large terrarium with sand and climbing structures. She does not look very cuddly but actually likes to be held and petted. Ms. Gillingham was taking her to the veterinarian because she had an abscess and the Dr. will give her a shot to help make her better. She goes to a special Veterinarian for exotic animals. This is a Dr. for different kinds of pets including reptiles and birds.I guess all animals can get sick and need a Dr. sometimes, even snakes and turtles!
Would you like to grow up and become a veterinarian ? Would you like to have a bearded dragon?

I'm not sure my little dog would get along with Bones too good! But she is a very interesting pet and I would really enjoy having one! Let me know your thoughts!

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday to the United States of America!
I know this isn't really Science but its important to know what we are celebrating today.

Just in case you do not remember, here is a glimpse of what happened over 200 years ago.

In the 1760s and 1770s Great Britain wanted the colonists ( those were people that lived in America) to follow their rules and pay higher taxes. Britain could do this because we were under their rule. The people that lived in the America colonies did not want Britain to be able to tell them what to do and wanted their freedom from Britain's rule. They wanted to be an independent country. This is why American fought Great Britain in the American Revolution .

Our independence (freedom from the control of others) was won in this war and America became a free country. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of a long document that told how America would become a separate country. The Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence (declaring Independence from Great Britain ) on July 4, 1776.
That is why we call July 4th our country's birthday. It is when American became a country, separated from the ties to Great Britain.
Remember today as you celebrate to be thankful to all who fought for our freedom as you celebrate the Indepedence Day of America!

Katie Lynn Visits the Reading Express

Yesterday, Katie Lynn and I visited the Reading Express. We listened to a story about the 4th Of July with a few of our Eiland friends. Ms. Champion-Lewis was there with her son JJ.We constructed a cool firework art project and picked out some great books. Maybe next Monday we will see you there!

Make S'mores with the Sun?

Everyone loves S'mores- that treat with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate! But can you use the sun's energy to cook them? That would be called Solar Energy. I ran across an experiment that allows you to make a solar oven and then try cooking the treat. Do you think it will work?
Follow this link and see one of my favorite scientists (Steve Spangler) show you how.

http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6df25d6312f9523bdbeb4465a&id=2a2a99067f&e=a6d0d1cf72

Make sure you have an adult with you if you try the experiment.

Look at the experiment and tell me what you think. There is also one making ice cream!
Happy Scientific Exploring!

What a Catch!

On my recent fishing vacation in Rockport, I pulled up a great surprise! Look at the picture, Its a stingray! He was great fun to catch because he was really heavy to pull in. But he was not so much fun to get off the hook. They can be very dangerous! What do they have for protection? You guessed it, a barbed tail with poisonous venom! I wanted to know more about this sea creature so I went to my favorite web site NAT GEO WILD. I put the link here so you can go learn about this strange fish.I included a picture of both sides of the fish too. Notice his mouth is on one side and his eyes are on the other. His tail is one form of protection but read and see what other adaptation he has(hint: It helps him hide!) Is he a carvivore , omnibore or herbivore? http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/stingray/

Trip to the Coast

Recently I took a trip to the Texas Coast. While taking a hike, I noticed some weathering and erosion going on right before my eyes so I took some pictures to share with you! . Look at the pictures and see what kind of erosion  is causing this, (wind , water or ice)?   How could we stop or slow down this erosion ? Look around you and see if you can find some erosion near your house or on your next trip !