The Last of Its Kind???
Posted November 9, 2011
Just before the arrival of the afternoon class (and the rain) I was gazing above the meadow watching a Red-tailed Hawk drifting towards the east, when a tiny colourful speck caught my eye. I quickly looked at my wrist-watch to confirm the date – November 9th. Lifting my head back up, I relocated it. […]
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Winter Finch Forecast for 2011-2012
Posted November 7, 2011
Each year, information from many sources is compiled and posted online by Ron Pittaway, a well-known and well-respected ornithologist. I enjoy reading to see which irruptive species might be visiting the local area and which ones are remaining up in the north – all a result of food availability. I had read the forecast when […]
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Another Bald Eagle
Posted November 7, 2011
On Friday morning I arrived a little earlier than normal. I was setting up for the class and as I was walking around I was enjoying the colours of the rising sun on the frost. I was standing about 15m from the edge of the forest, with my back to it. I heard a ‘fffff’ […]
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Bird Species 109 for 2011
Posted November 2, 2011
Today with a Gr 7 class from Westheights the 109th species of bird for 2011 flew over us and gave really great views – Bald Eagle! It was a species that most of the students had never seen before (called a ‘lifer’). So a lifer for most and the 8th record for the property since […]
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Wordle
Posted November 1, 2011
Susan Watt, our Technology Support Teacher, has begun an “Idea a Day” thread, and her first suggestion was for the creation of “Wordles.” So I have. This is what was created when I pasted the text of the Water World 2 blog entry from outdooredguys into Wordle. Pretty cool. Thanks, Susan!!
Reduce, Re-use, Upcycle
Posted October 24, 2011
Upcycling is creative re-using, where someone turns something old, worn-out or unused into something useful or valuable. Earth Day Canada is holding an upcycling contest. Here are the guidelines: Projects will demonstrate the importance of re-use and waste reduction with adherence to good safety practices. Projects will be filmed or photographed as tutorials to help […]
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Water World 2
Posted October 19, 2011
You’ve just seen some of the amazing micro-organisms found in pond water – here we see a few examples of the equally awesome macro-sized pond animals. While grade 6 students manned the microscopes, grade 4’s studying Habitats and Comminities handled the pond nets In the video, a teacher and her students take inventory of the […]
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Water World
Posted October 17, 2011
The video below is of a tiny rotifer called Conochilus. It was taken through a microscope with a digital camera, while also being displayed on a SmartBoard for students to see. This is a very engaging activity for Grade 6 students studying Biodiversity at the Blair Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre – you can hear […]
We’re back…
Posted October 11, 2011
We’re back!! The “outdooredguys” have let our blogging lapse a bit, what with summer holidays and the busy return to school everyone has experienced. But we’re back, the new year is well under way with class visits to the Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres, and there are lots of things going on in the natural […]
And they’re off…
Posted October 10, 2011
It’s fall, and that means migration time for many birds and insects. Migration is a strategy for dealing with harsh or inhospitable conditions – in our case, winter!! Birds like robins eat worms, and that’s a pretty difficult meal to secure once the ground is frozen and covered in snow. For the insect-eaters, it’s the […]