Bird Tracks

Back before I had kids, I taught Fourth Grade at a private school in Massachusetts.  We structured our Reading units around different genres.  We would give students different books to read within the genre along with literature guides that would help them comprehend what they were reading.  One unit was a particular favorite with the students: The Survival Unit.

We read books in which the characters get stranded out in nature and need to use their wits and their knowledge of the world around them to survive and get back to civilization. Then we did activities as a class learning about nature…things like learning about animal tracks.

So, once I was a mom to two boys who LOVE nature, we’d often do these activities just for fun.

Pro Tip

A light dusting of snow is the PERFECT time to check for tracks.  If you have a dog at home, take your dog out on a leash, and let the kids watch your dog walking through the snow. They will see him making the actual tracks and they’ll be able to see the difference between the prints your boots make and the tracks left by your pup’s paws.  Then, bring the dog back inside before he runs all over the yard and wrecks every trace of fresh tracks. Walk around carefully with the kids to check and see if you can find any other animal tracks.  Bring the phone to take some pictures…the kids will want a record of their discoveries!