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Backyard Explorer 3 to 5 / Week 08 / Explorer Day
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Week 08 · Living in Groups

Explorer Day

Explorer Day: Group Watch
// Flocks, herds, schools and colonies, and why they help
⏱ about 15 min

Explorer Day: Group Watch

Rocket sets a timer on the park bench. "Fifteen minutes. We tally every animal we see."

Raven draws two columns in the field notebook: alone, and in a group.

"What do you notice first?" she asks. "Birds on the wire. That is a group."

Nova hovers low. "Count the group as one line," she hints. "But write how many were in it."

Rocket nods and keeps his eyes on the sky.

  1. Animal groups have names: flock, herd, school and colony.
  2. Groups are safer. Many eyes spot danger, and alarm calls warn everyone.
  3. Groups find food faster, share it, and keep each other warm.
  4. In a colony, the queen lays eggs and the workers do the rest.
  5. Groups have problems too, so some animals live alone.
◇ EXPLORER DAY: A FIFTEEN-MINUTE GROUP WATCH
Pick a spot with a view: a yard, a park bench or a window.
Make two columns in your notebook: alone, and in a group.
For fifteen minutes, tally every animal you see. Birds, insects and squirrels count.
For each group, write how many animals were in it.
Watch one group closely. Do you see a safety, food or warmth trick?
At the end, compare your two columns. Which had more?
Safety first
Watch from far away. Never follow, chase, feed or touch any animal.
Some insects sting and some plants itch. Look with your eyes only.
Stay with your grown-up the whole time and wash your hands afterward.
For a grown-up
Any animals work: ants on the sidewalk count as a group.
Ask: why might this animal be alone right now? Why might that one be in a group?
Help your child write a claim and one piece of evidence at the end.
GROUP WATCH CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
You see twelve birds feeding together on a lawn. What is that?
A squirrel sits alone on a fence. Which column does it go in?
Name one way a group helps its members survive.
WHY THIS EXERCISEGroups help with safety, food, warmth and raising young.

Excellent tally, explorer! Next week we follow living things from birth to the end of life.

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