Red-tail Hawkhttp://www.kiwifoto.com/galleries/birds/red_tailed_hawk/
I think that I prefer the title Schoolyard Scavenger Hunt over Schoolyard Safari because the term safari conjures up big game hunting in Africa. While the students were on a hunt, it was a small-scale hunt for life or signs of life. Each student was given their own spiral nature journals...Thanks to Mrs. Jackson.While we were outside today looking for life in our outdoor classroom (OC), we observed a red-tail hawk soaring overhead. It was a beautiful sight. One of my students even tried to sketch the predator in her journal, after attempting to coax me into drawing it for her.
Today was the second time that we found time to sketch in nature, but the first time that we combined sketching and a Project Learning Tree (PTL) activity. Schoolyard Safari gave the students a sense of purpose for their writing and observations. They used magnifying glasses to get closer perspectives on living things in nature.
The students were given two primary directives (like in Star Trek): 1) Respect all living things. (Observe, Record, Leave it alone) and 2) Be quiet in this outdoor habitat. Those are the two rules that I wish ALL people would learn when interacting with nature. One student even commented that it was great when students come outside and be quiet at the same time. After the activity ended, the students wrote silently about their experience. When it was time to stop writing, I had to practically force them to stop. What a wonderful world it is... when students want to keep writing.
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