Something New Observed !

                                             Hi all , 

You know, I have always told you to be observant when outdoors. If you are observant (looking and thinking ) you will experience all the beautiful wonders Nature has for you ! This morning we found this in our yard(picture). Do you see how well it is camouflaged ? We really had to be observant to find it! Do you see it ? Its a turtle !  Did I reach down and pick it up ? NO ! If you remember the rules of an outdoor investigation , you never touch anything without an adult's permission . So if you find something like this - First go get an adult . You have seen me hold my turtles at school but that does not mean you should pick up a turtle you find. Some turtles can be VERY Dangerous ! As an adult the first thing we need to do is figure out if this is a snapping turtle. I of course do not want to hurt him in any way either.  The way I test is to hold a LONG stick in front of his head. If he snaps it or grabs it I know he is a snapping turtle and I need to leave him alone. If he pulls his head in for protection he is not a snapping turtle. Snapping turtles bite because they have no other protection like many turtles do. A snapping turtle is very dangerous so never ever get close to it! This turtle pulled his head in and so I knew it was not dangerous. I wanted to study him and share what I learn with you so the next step is to make him a home very much like his natural habitat and give him all his basic needs. Aren't you glad you are learning all this in your Science classes so you could do this as well at your house perhaps?  Down below you will see I moved him out of his camouflage surrounding so you can see him better. Now I have a job to do - I have to build him a habitat. I will not keep him long because he is more comfortable in the wild and perhaps he will find my backyard is a pretty good place to live . 

Now take your journal and draw a picture of the turtle. How is he different from  the turtles I showed you in past posts (our lab turtles ) ? Will his habitat look like that habitat? Can he live in an aquarium or would a large terrarium be a better habitat ?  Why  ? 

Check for the next post and I will show you the home I have made for him .

Just in case you want to research this turtle . He is an eastern box turtle . My other turtles are red- eared sliders . 

I will show you more of the differences in turtles in other posts. 

Keep checking with me and let me know if you find anything in your yard or on your walks.  Just remember the safety rules ! 

Now go out and explore  your world ! 

Comment below with your gmail !

Ms. Lucadou

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Our Lab Rabbit ( Binky ) is Doing Well

Hi All ,
I know you were wondering about Binky, our bunny that lives in the Science Lab . For you that  do not know Binky,- He will be three years old in June and was purchased from a pet store right before Hurricane Harvey. The Pet store was flooded and lost all animals in the store. So you can say we rescued. Binky ! He is a mixed breed and very sweet and spoiled! In the video link below, you will see how I am taking care of Binky at home. Listen for some of those vocabulary words we have learned in Science.
As you watch the video, Listen for the answers to some of these questions.  If you have your journal, you made in the last post, write down the answers.You might want to draw a picture of Binky in his home away from Lab. I have included some great vocabulary so you can try to start using these words at home.

1. Is Binky  an herbivore, or carnivore or omnivore?
2. Does Binky  consume  carrots?
3. Why does he chew on hay and cardboard?
4. Why does Binky like to go in the doll house?

Something else to think about :
What would Binky eat if he was in the wild?
What kind of animals would be Binky's predator if he was in the wild?
 (You can send me your thoughts in the comments below using  your gmail email! )

Click on link  to video below :

 https://youtu.be/hRJzUuIbkuE

Vocabulary
Consume - eat
Herbivore - a type of animal that eats only plants
Omnivore - a type of animal that eats plants and animals
Carnivore - a type of animal that eats only meat (other animals )
Predator - a animal that hunts and eats other animals.
The Wild - refers to nature or a natural setting ( outside )

Now Go teach someone else what you learned !

Let's Get Together Again !

Hi Students and Families !
It has been awhile since I connected with you in the blog but it seems like a good time to reconnect !
I hope you are all doing well . I will begin posting again and hope you will check in to see my posts and perhaps leave me a question or comment .
Since you are not in school at this time, I will be sharing some of the things you would be learning with me or with your teacher .Then I want you to go share what you learned with someone else! It can be your friend, brother,  sister , grandma , parents, even your dog ! All knowledge should be shared and you can do that ! If you do not have any one to share it with then write it down in your Science or Learning Notebook . Maybe we could start out by doing that - lets make a Science Journal for home . Find a notebook or even loose paper and clip it together . Make your title page or cover and  are ready to start ! Each day you learn something new , with me or your teacher , or a video,
cartoon or your parents, just write it down ! I can't wait for you to show me or your teacher when we return all you learned !

I used an old composition book.
I just covered the old title or you can just clip together some notebook paper !

Check back soon for more posts and leave me a question or comment!

Remember -Never stop learning , Never stop sharing what you learned!
YOU could be the greatest teacher for someone else !   
---Ms. Lucadou

Feeding Time !

Hi to all my Favorite Scientists!
I am missing you since we are all at home for a while. I wanted to show you that the animals are all safe with me at my house . We know all living things have to have some basic needs ! So I had to take the terrariums and aquariums and cages home with me. Remember if you make a habitat for animals , you must provide their basic needs they would get from nature otherwise.So today is feeding day for the lizards and turtles . That means FOOD CHAIN ! 
Lizards are insectivores - eat mainly live insects (a type of carnivore ) and turtles are omnivores. So my lizards today are getting crickets and the turtles will get their turtle food made from ground fish . 
Watch the video and if you have any questions for me, you can ask! 
Then draw or write what you saw in your journal and be sure and tell someone what you learned or observed !
  Be sure and follow the link below to see the feeding time !

The words in red are all your great Science vocabulary ! Look how you can speak like a Scientist! I am proud of you ! 

Possible journal writing ! 

Follow this link

Now go tell someone what you observed and learned! 

Ms. Lucadou

Science In the News

Hi to my favorite Scientists!
I know you are trying to be very observant this summer as you enjoy your time at home or on a trip away from home. I know you may not watch the news but there is usually some science in the news as well. Our Summer has been full of those natural forces that change our land . Fortunately not in our town but in other places in the  world. From California wild fires to that erupting volcano in Hawaii , these are things we study at school . As you hear of these things happening , think about what you know or want to know. You can research these questions while you are off or write down those questions for me in your journal .
Take a look at these pictures from the volcanic eruption in Hawaii and see if you remember some of the things we learned in 3rd grade about volcanoes.
This link show the hot lava flowing like a river !
 .https://rumble.com/v5sm65-video-captures-lava-river-in-puna-hawaii.html?mref=6i76&mrefc=2



.
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This shows a picture of a new  island that was made by all that hot lava flowing under the ocean waters .
Would this be erosion or deposition  ? Constructive or destructive ?  

Isn't it great to understand what is happening in our world! Keep Learning !  

Tubing in Belize Rain forest !

Hi scientists !
If you saw my last post , you saw I what I observed in Honduras ! Today I will tell you what we saw in Belize ! Belize is a country in Central America also with a beautiful  Caribbean coast in the east and rain forests and jungle in the west . We decided to go to the rain forest and take a trip down a river through some natural caves,
The rain forest was my favorite part . We hiked through the forest to get to the river caves. The plants were all so big and beautiful . We saw some monkeys in the trees but thankfully the jaguars are nocturnal so were not out! I ,of course was noticing all the great adaptations these plants have that help them survive in the shady rain forest ,

Vines everywhere ! 

Huge Palms !

The leaves were so big and so green ! 

 Then we took our tubes and put them in the river and entered the dark caves that the river had cut ( weathered and eroded ) out of the soft limestone rock over thousands of years . It was very dark so we all had head lamps on our helmets to shine on the cave interior. We saw stalagmites and stalactites . We say bats in some places hanging from the top . Remember they are nocturnal . The water was very clear and cold and shallow in some places and deep in other places.

The river water was very clear but only 60 degrees F.-"refreshing" ! 

I did not have my camera in the cave so I  can not show you how awesome this  wonder of nature is ! I was so glad I learned about weathering and erosion and land-forms so I could understand how these caves were made,. 

Science is Everywhere - Just look and think ! Be Observant ! 

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Vacation Fun !

Happy July !

I just returned from my vacation and had a great  time in  Isle of Roatan ( Honduras) , Belize and Cozumel You might of guessed we took a cruise ! So I took a few pictures of things I explored to show you .This was our day on Isle of Roatan - a Honduran island situated just off the Central American Peninsula . Do you remember the difference in a peninsula and an island ? 

Here I was in a rain forest park called Mayan Eden .
I got the opportunity to hold and observe this rain forest mammal called a Kinkajou. 
Above right - They use their tails like a 3rd hand . He did not mind being carried like this at all . He was surprisingly heavy and very soft !

 Of course they had the spider
 monkeys too that
 lived in the tall trees They
 would just jump on your
 shoulders ! ..  My husband 
was not so happy to have
 them jump on him! 

We saw this beautiful butterfly that uses the adaptation of mimicry for protection .
do you see how it looks like an owl's eyes ? 

This is the other side of the same butterfly ! When the butterfly is perched on a flower and closes its wings, the owl eyes are visible ! Nature is so very cool ! 

Check back and  I will show you what we did in Belize !