The 2nd and 3rd graders have been hard at work in the Shared Space, thinking about populations of predators and prey.
 |
| Our ongoing 2/3 study - red harvester ants digging tunnels in their farm |
We began by thinking about the importance of predators and prey in food chains - we asked the questions, what happens when a predator is removed from an ecosystem? As an extension of this thinking, students worked in the drama space using projections to tell stories of animals from a variety of habitats. Stories of sharks and seals, owls and mice, jaguars and monkeys - students used research and knowledge to create vivid scenes together.
 |
| Red Fox by Lily |
Students were also challenged to create an art component by making a paper collage of a predator they know, but with 2 requirements; no scissors were permitted - all paper had to be torn to the right shape; and no paper pieces could be larger than a thumb, which forced students to look closely and hunt for the right size and color of paper pieces.
 |
| Ladybugs enjoying a meal |
 |
| A hungry damselfly nymph hunts its prey, a daphnia. |
Lastly, students had the opportunity to observe and research live animals in the Shared Space in our study on omnivores, carnivores and herbivores. Damselfly nymphs were brought in as a carnivorous predator, and we fed them daphnia (water fleas) that feed on algae. Students used droppers to feed these creatures and observed them hunting. We also watched omnivorous ladybugs feed on plants and other creatures by feeding them bell peppers and using them to clean aphids off a bean plant!
