Category Archives: Biology

Manatees

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*Manatee Family – Photo By Fran W.
 
*Personal note about the photo: The larger manatee in the photo above is nursing her newborn calf. The larger of the young manatees, to the right of the mother, is learning how to care for the younger manatees. She travels with the mother and helps her care for the younger manatees. It is a truly beautiful site.
 
General Information
 
Defenders of Wildlife: Florida Manatee – Fact Sheet
 
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission: FWC’s Manatee Program – Find out about a program designed to help manatees.
 
Wikipedia: Manatee – General information about manatee, including: Taxonomy, description, behavior, ecology and more. 
Also on this site: West Indian Manatee – African Manatee – Amazonian Manatee
 
National Geographic: Manatees – Aquatic life, populations, parenting & diet, threats to survival, photo gallery, videos and more.
 
National Geographic for Kids: West Indian Manatee – Offers very brief information.
 
Soundwaves: Fieldwork: Famous Manatee “Chessie” Sighted in Chesapeake Bay After Long Absence – Information about Chessie, a manatee that has been spotted in the Chesapeake Bay area.
 
Activities To Do
 
Manatee Curriculum – A curriculum written by Maia McGuire and Ruth Francis-Floyd filled with information and activities.
 
Super Coloring Pages: Manatees
 
Save The Manatees: Printable Coloring Pages – PDF format
 
Crazy For Jigsaw Puzzles: Manatee – Play online
 
About: Homeschooling: Manatee: Word Search, crossword puzzle and other manatee related activities.
 
Cams & Videos
 
Save The Manatee Club – Wild Manatee Cams at Blue Spring State Park 
 
EarthCam: Manatee Cam
 
 
Below, you will find a few of the many videos that can be found in the manatee playlist that has been created for this topic. Enjoy!
 
Baby Manatee Feeding

 
Meet Snooty the Manatee

Ocean Stories 2 – Manatees and Molas

Thank you for stopping by!
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Sea Turtles

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Sea Turtles
Defenders: Sea Turtles – Basic facts about sea turtles: Diet, population, range, behavior, reproduction, etc.
SeeTurtles: Sea Turtle Facts – Habitat & Diet, Human Threats, Life Cycle, Species
 
World Wildlife Federation: Sea Turtle – General information.
 
Sea Turtle Conservancy – Information about sea turtles, their habitats and threats to their survival.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment – Habitat & Distribution: Distribution, habitat, migration, population, etc.
 
National Geographic Kids – Green Sea Turtle – General information.
 
Wikipedia: Sea Turtles – Description, taxonomy and evolution, distribution and habitat, life cycle and more.

Activities
 

Videos



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10 Creatively Cool Butterfly Activities

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It’s butterfly season! That means these beautiful flying creatures can be found fluttering all around your yard, neighborhood, park, and garden in all their colorful glory! If you like, or even love butterflies, then you may find one or more of the following activities really fun!

  • Make a butterfly poster. Base it on the butterfly facts you find most interesting or use a fun and whimsical theme.
  • Plan a butterfly garden. If you have a yard, deck, patio, or an area for a garden, design and plan a colorful garden full of flowers that will attract butterflies. You will need a small budget, lined and copy paper, and a pencil for this activity. The Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum has a cam for you to watch.
  • Make butterfly fact cards. Draw, use stickers or graphics, or take pictures of real butterflies, and make a fact card for each of the ones you find most interesting. You can use index cards or cardstock and drawing/craft supplies for this activity.
  • Create your own butterfly. Make a variety of butterflies in a virtual butterfly garden or draw your own one-of-a-kind butterflies. Make up some facts about each one. Ex: Where it lives, what it likes to eat, habits, etc..  
  • Grow your own butterfly. Kits can be found in stores and online. Make sure you get one for your area. You may be lucky enough to find one in your yard to observe as well.
  • Make a butterfly board game. Cut out a butterfly-shaped game board from cardboard, then design a game around it. Make cards, game pieces, and tokens with a butterfly theme as well. You will need craft and drawing supplies.
  • Make up a butterfly action game. Base the game on what you already know about butterflies from your observations. Consider making props from cardboard or foam for the game. Play inside or out.
  • Visit a public garden. Observe butterflies at a public garden, or any place there are flowers, to see how they behave. Consider grabbing a drawing or writing journal to capture the moment. Use a recording device as well.
  • Visit a butterfly house, farm, or garden. This is a great way to observe the different stages of life. Don’t forget your journal or camera! A fee may be required for this activity.

FranW.com: Butterflies – Links to informative butterfly resources.

Related Posts:

Summertime Fun June, Volume 1

Summertime Fun July, Volume 1

Summertime Fun August, Volume 1

Summertime Activities

 
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Woodpeckers

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Wikipedia: Woodpecker – General characteristics, distribution, habitat and movements, behavior: diet and feeding, breeding, and systematic evolution.

All About Birds: Woodpeckers and Allies – Site includes the following info – A variety of woodpeckers, their identification, life history, and a sample of the sounds they make. Some videos have been included for some of the woodpeckers as well.

Defenders:  Woodpeckers: Basic Facts – Info includes – Diet, population, range, behavior, reproduction, and protection status.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Article: 
Woodpecker Images in the Late Prehistoric Southeast

FranW.com: Bird Watching Activities – Offers a variety of ideas for bringing birds to your yard.

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Black-rumped Flameback

When To Plant

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Anytime of the Year

Urban Farmer: What to Plant Now

Almanac: Gardening 
Click on ‘Personalized Planting Calendar‘, type in your zip code to find out what and when to grow, and when to harvest.

Spring & Summer
Articles & Information

About: Organic Gardening: Vegetable & Herbs To Plant In August
Radish


Fall & Winter
Articles & Information

 

Mother Nature Network: Fall Vegetable Garden

 
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Tomatoes

Sharks

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Defenders: Sharks: Basic Facts – Basic facts, dietary information, population, behavior, protection status, and more.

Wikipedia: Sharks – Etymology, evolution, anatomy, physiology, senses, history and more.

USA Today: Article: Virtual reality gives stunning 350-degree view of great white sharks – Information about the company that did the project video.

Shark Sider.com: This site offers a lot of great information about sharks including: Types of Sharks, shark anatomy, history of sharks, facts & FAQ’s, and a shark blog.

National Geographic: Sharks – Page offers information about sharks, including informative videos, and an online puzzle.

Shark Friends: Swimming – Facts about the way sharks swim, including why they can not swim backward.

Shark Savers – Shark’s Teeth – How many teeth does a shark have in a lifetime?

Prehistoric Wildlife: Top 10 Prehistoric Sharks – Find out some information about prehistoric sharks.

Kidzone: Sharks – Shark activities, facts and pictures.

Enchanted Learning: All About Sharks – Includes: Size, anatomy, varieties, skeleton, teeth, diet and more.

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Orange Resources

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General & Nutritional Information


Wikipedia: Orange (Fruit) – General information about oranges, including cultivation. 

World’s Healthier Foods: Oranges – General health information.

Nutrition and You: Orange – Fruit – Health benefits.

Purdue University: Orange – Growing and technical information.

LiveScience: Oranges Nutrition Facts – Health benefits, risks and nutrition info.

Sunkist Oranges – Types of oranges.

Visual Merriam Webster: Fleshy Fruit Citrus Fruit – Labeled Diagram of an orange.

The Visual Dictionary: Orange – Parts of the orange and their function.

Care2: 13 Health Benefits of Oranges – Find out how oranges are good for your health.

Orange Diseases

CBS News: Incurable Bacteria Citrus Greening Destroying Floridas Citrus Industry

TechTimes: Greening Disease Threatens Florida Citrus Industry

Medical Daily: Florida Orange Trees Threatened by Citrus-Psyllid Asian Bugs Carrying Bacteria

Educational Activities
 

The Homeschool Scientist: Orange Science – Does an orange float or sink?, Which rots first? and Will it rust?

Math Is Fun: Crates of Fruit Puzzle – Can you solve the puzzle without looking at the solution?

Sunkist: Recipes. 

Lil Snappers: Fun & Games

Momables: Homemade Orange Soda Recipe


Orange Peels

Beauty Glimpse: 13 Health Benefits of Orange Peels and 10 Magical Powers of Orange Peel Powder – Find out how orange peels benefit your health, skin and hair.

WonderHowTo: 14 Uses for Orange Peels – Illustrations and brief instructions for how to use orange peels to deter ants and garden pests, make a bird feeder, an emergency oil lamp and other cool things.

Care2: 12 Surprising Uses for Orange Peels – Household uses for orange peels…freshen and shine your sink, shine wood, as a body scrub and more.

LiveStrong: How to Extract Oils from Orange Skins – Step by step instructions for pulling the oil from orange peels.

Trash Backwards: What To Do With Orange Peels – Site offers a list of things that can be done with peels and links for many of those things.

The Sprouting Seed: 30 Ways to Use Orange Peels – How to use peels in foods, around the house, as a medicine and a few other ways.

Penny-wise Women: Many Uses of Orange Peels – Site recommends ways to dry and store orange peels and some ways to use it.

Strangers & Pilgrims: Uses For and How to Dry Orange Peel – Offers ways you can make your own seasoning, extract, grilling salt, and custom tea blends with your own orange peels.

 
YouTube Videos
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Snowshoe Hare (Rabbit)

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Snowshoe Hare, Shirleys Bay
Photo by: D. Gordon E. Robertson
National Geographic: Snowshoe Hare
Information, audio file, facts, map.
 
Wikipedia: Snowshoe Hare
Photos, habitat, food.
 
National Wildlife Federation: Snowshoe Hare
Description and facts.
 
BioKids: Snowshoe Hare
Kid friendly site.
University of Michigan: Museum of Zoology Version
 
EEK! Critter Corner: Snowshoe Hare
Information, food for thought, and how to track

 Alderleaf Wilderness College: Hare and Rabbit Tracks & Sign
An online guide.

Draw a Snowshoe Hare

We Draw Animals: Snowshoe Hare
Scroll down to the bottom of the page for drawing instructions.

Exploring Nature Educational Resources: Snowshoe Hare Tracks
Identify snowshoe hare tracks. 

Video 17:34: How to Draw the Snowshoe Rabbit from Jan Brett’s, “The Animals’ Santa” 
 

 

 

More YouTube Videos

 

 
 
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Reindeer/Caribou

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Two Scottish Reindeer Photo by Adrian Pingstone

Did you know…

Reindeer are also known as caribou!

Make a caribou Diorama

They say a picture is worth a thousands words and dioramas are a great way to show

off what you have learned!

You will need:

  • Recycled box such as a shoe, cereal, cracker or pasta box
  • Pictures of a caribou’s habitat
  • Craft supplies including but not limited to: Clay or playdough, toothpicks, cotton balls, construction paper, plain paper, news paper, paint, paint brush, scissors, white glue, tape, masking tape, markers, colored pencils, or crayons, pencil, etc.
  • Envelope 
  • Index cards

Set-up:

Label each index card with what you want to know about reindeer.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Food
  • Habitat
  • Interesting facts
  • Where they can be found in the world
  • Anatomy
  • Predators
  • Habits
  • Caribou and people

As you learn about caribou, write or draw interesting facts on index cards.

What to do:

Once you have your information, create a 3 dimensional scene (real or fantasy) based on those interesting facts about caribous. Use a recycled box, craft supplies and your own imagination to depict your new-found knowledge.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Use the inside, outside or top of your box to create your scene.
  • Make your scene vertical or horizontal.
  • Make your diorama simple or detailed.
  • Use a variety of mediums to create your 3-D props.
  • Create a background for your scene.
  • Use items from around your house such as toys for props.
  • Use items you find outside for your diorama – sticks, rocks, dry grass, etc.
  • Make a mountain, river, and/or tundra scene.
  • Make a winter or summer scene.
  • Make a caribou scene that is whimsical or serious 
  • Depict caribou pulling a sleigh, eating, drinking, migrating, or fighting.
  • Make a mother and baby caribou
  • Make domesticated or wild caribou

When your diorama is complete, tape or glue an envelope behind or under it so you can store your index cards and any other information you would like to keep for future reference.

Question of the day:

Where can caribou be found in the world?

Learn more:

Enchanted Learning: Reindeer

Printable information about anatomy and behavior

Sheppard Software: Caribou

Learn about appearance, characteristics, and behavior of caribou

Reindeer Theme

Printable reindeer activities including: paper, coloring pages, and cards. Plus, reindeer related games and recipes

Reindeer Walking Around Town

Watch reindeer as they walk around a Finland and Norway

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Dolphins – Research Resource

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Dolphin Photo by Fran W.

Dolphin Resources Across the Curriculum

Animal Planet: Dolphins
This site offers The Ultimate Guide to Dolphins a series of 9 videos that talk about echolocation, strandings, cousins and more.

Facts about Dolphins
Animals: About offers a series of facts about dolphin anatomy and family info.

National Geographic: Dolphins
Find out where dolphins can be found, listen to dolphin sounds, and get quick facts such as weight, size and life span.

Science for Kids: Fun Dolphin Facts for Kids
Short list of dolphin facts.

Bottlenose Dolphins
Sea World offers general and environmental information about dolphins. It also offers an Info-Book Index filled with lots of information about dolphins and Classroom Activities in PDF format.

Dolphin Activities and Crafts
First-school offers printable pages, facts, crafts and an online puzzle.

Learning about Dolphins
Homeschooling: About offers links to dolphin facts, word activities (puzzles, games, etc.), coloring pages, dolphin themed paper and more.

Wild Animal Watch: Dolphins
Scholastic has put together a dolphin information site that talks about wild and captive dolphins, and offers a Teacher’s Guide. This site also offers information about Winter, the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, from the movie, Winter’s Tale. Winter lives at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, located in Clearwater, FL. Watch Winter & Hope’s Cam. Check this Winter/Hope Cam too.

Dolphins at Daybreak – Lesson Plan
A full lesson plan for the The Magic Tree House book: Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne

Dolphin Tale 2 (Movie)
The Homeschool Movie Club offers a curriculum about dolphins. You will need to register to download the pdf files and movies.

Navy Dolphins
Learn how dolphins help the Navy.

Wikipedia: Dolphins
Wikipedia offers information about dolphins and includes a list of dolphins that can be learned about.

The Guardian: Pink Dolphin – Article: Rare pink bottlenose dolphin surfaces in Louisiana lake.

If you have a dolphin resource you would like to share, please leave me a comment with the link.

Dolphin Anatomy

Dolphin Anatomy
The Dolphin Research Center offers labeled pictures of the inside and outside of a dolphin.

Dolphin Anatomy – Label Me!
Enchanted Learning offers a printable dolphin that can be labeled. Outside view only.

Dolphin Anatomy – Interactive
This site offers an interactive view of the inside and outside of a dolphin. Move the viewing circle to the parts you want to look at, and the name of the area being viewed can be found under the dolphin.

Dolphin Anatomy – Various views
Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network offers various labeled pictures of a dolphin including: The outside, the organs and the skeletal structure. It also provides close up pictures of the bones of the fins in comparison to the human structure and other informative pictures.

Dolphin Anatomy – Video
Ocean Today offers a 3:00 minute video about dolphin anatomy. Narrated.

Dolphin Cams

Dolphin Research Center
Offer a webcam from 9:00am – 4:30pm daily. Click on the button “Web Cams” located in the menu to the left.

Dolphin Cam Featuring Winter and Hope
Ustream tv offers a Winter/Hope Cam and archived videos of Winter, her adoptive mother, Panama and Hope.

Dolphin Videos

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