Posted on

Lewis and Clark and Me

Author: Laurie Myers

Think as you read:

Seaman is a Newfoundland dog. What traits make Seaman a good swimmer?

What new kinds of animals did Lewis and Clark and Seaman discover on their trip?

The Newfoundland dog breed has some special structures, like webbed feet. What function do these type of feet have for Seaman?

What are some other special structures and their functions that Seaman has?

Compare the structure of Seaman’s feet and tail to a beaver’s feet and tail. How are they the same and different?

Seaman used all his senses to observe his surroundings. Take a few minutes to sit outside and use all of your senses. Record what you observe. Draw a sketch of it, record a short video about it, or describe it in writing.

Would you like to share your thoughts about this book with other Smart Pegs? Choose a question above and add your answer to the comments section!

Like someone else’s ideas? You can reply to their comments, too!

Posted on

Virtual flower garden

Let’s make a virtual flower garden!

Go outside and hunt for the prettiest, most unique flower you can find. Take a picture, then post it and tell us where you found it in the comments below. Let’s see how many different kinds of flowers we can collect!Wildflowers, Meadow, Grass, Plants, Nature, Flowering

Posted on

What’s that smell?

Test your sense of smell.

Your sense of smell gives your brain information about the world around you. Let’s see how strong your sense of smell is!

Ask a parent or sibling to choose 3-5 similar foods to test your sense of smell. The foods could all be fruits, cereals, drinks, or something else. To make it easier, ask them to tell you the names of the foods they picked. To make it more challenging, ask them to only tell you the type of food but not what each food is.

Use a blindfold or just close your eyes really tight. Ask your parent or sibling to hold each food under your nose one at a time in a random order. No peeking! How many of the foods can you guess correctly? Which food was the easiest to guess? Which was the most difficult? Share your results in the comments below!Dog, Nose, Snout, Animal, Head, Eyes, Pet, Close Up

Posted on

Yellow treasure hunt

We’re going on a treasure hunt!

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Go outside and hunt for living things that are yellow. Set the timer for 5 minutes again. This time, hunt for nonliving things that are yellow. Did you find more living or nonliving things that are yellow? Post a picture of what you found and tell us about your treasures!Bird, Yellow, Nature, Colorful, Branch, Perched

Posted on

Follow the Moon Home

Authors: Philippe Cousteau & Deborah Hopkinson

Think as you read:

What did you like best about this book?

What connection does Viv discover between the beach house lights and the baby turtle problem?

How does this book show that kids can make a difference?

Clearly sharing information is important. Describe the students’ different methods of getting the word out about Lights Out for Loggerheads.

Why would businesses in a community be willing to get involved in a project that was planned by kids?

Viv makes this statement: “The lights in the beach houses are the problem.”
Think about the steps of the scientific method. Which step best fits Viv’s statement?

Would you like to share your thoughts about this book with other Smart Pegs? Choose a question above and add your answer to the comments section!

Like someone else’s ideas? You can reply to their comments, too!

Posted on

What do you hear?

What do you hear?

Science has shown that focusing on one of your senses can help calm your body and mind. Let’s give it a try!

Choose a place to sit. It could be inside your house or outside. Sit down and notice how you feel. Then get comfortable and close your eyes. Listen careful for a few minutes, keeping your eyes closed and your body still. Notice how you feel again after you open your eyes.

Tell us about what you heard and how you felt. How many different sounds did you hear? The longer you listened, did you hear more sounds that you hadn’t noticed before? Did you feel differently before and after focusing on your sense of hearing? Why do you think that is?

Posted on

You discovered a new species

You discovered a new species!

A species is a type of living thing. Dogs, sunflowers and humans are all different species.

Let’s pretend: While hanging out in your backyard you found a species that has never been identified before. Is it a plant or an animal? How did you find it? What are you going to name it? Draw, paint or make a model of it and show us!  

Girl, Bicycle, Garden, People, Outdoor, Romantic, Young

Posted on

Soap and germs model

Try this soap and germs model.

A model represents something in the real world. Scientists use models to study things they can’t easily see or touch.

Germs are things like bacteria and viruses that can make us sick. We can’t see germs without a super strong microscope, so let’s make a model to learn about them!

Do this experiment and then share your thoughts with us in the comments!

You need: a bowl of water, some ground pepper, and hand soap.

1 – Put about 5 shakes of pepper into the bowl of water. The pepper represents germs and the water represents your skin.

2 – In the middle of the bowl, gently stick your finger in the water. Hold your finger in the water for a few seconds and then pull it back out. Did you notice anything happen?

3 – Rub a drop of soap onto your finger. Make a prediction: What do you think will happen if you stick your finger in the water now?

4 – Gently stick your finger in the water again. Was your prediction right?

5 – Answer the question: How does this model represent what happens with soap and germs?

Posted on

Focus on an Individual

Today, focus on an individual.

(Individual means one.)

Find an individual organism and get to know it as well as possible. Maybe it’s a little ant, or a small leaf on a tree, or a baby duck on a pond.

Slow down. Sit still. Watch. Listen. Try to imagine yourself as part of its world.

After you have spent some time observing, draw and record your observations in your nature journal.

Would you like to share your nature investigation with other Smart Pegs? Take a photo or a short video of your journal entry and add it to the comments section!

Like someone else’s ideas? You can reply to their comments, too!

 

Posted on

Find your name in nature

Find your name in nature.

Go for a walk, sit in your backyard or look out your window. Find something in nature that starts with each letter in your name. Draw a picture with your name and all the nature things in it. Share your picture with us!

Nature, Title, Text, Logo, Theme, Lettering