Grade 4 on a field trip

Grade 4 went on a field trip this week to the Nehru Zoological Park. This field trip was in connection with our current UOI topic of Adaptation. Children were exploring animal and plant adaptations, the different types of adaptation and the natural habitat of the animals they saw in the zoo. Although highly educational, it was a fun trip. The students were given a sheet with the different adaptive features of the animal that you see in the zoo, and they had to identify the animal, observe it in the zoo and make notes about its natural habitat. Our tour started with chimpanzees and lemur monkeys, and we were lucky enough to see 4 white tigers chasing each other. That was a majestic sight!! Did you know that the white tiger is a rare pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger? The kids then saw leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, the Royal Bengal tiger and lions. This covered the creatures from the feline family. The kids learnt that these felines have soft pads on their feet that allow them to walk on their toes and sneak up on unsuspecting prey. They also learnt about ‘Learned’ Behavioural adaptations where the cubs rely on their mothers to hunt for their food, until they are capable of hunting for themselves. Also, the tiger’s stripes help it to blend with its surroundings.  The stripes make them nearly invisible because they create similar patterns to the sunlight beaming though trees. The kids then moved on to observe rhinos submerged in water for extended periods of time to stay cool as their bodies cannot take too much heat. Then, off course the tall giraffes that were eating leaves from the tall trees. The icing on the cake were the peacocks- doing the dance, with their feathers all fanned out. Oh, what a sight to behold - Nature’s beauty at its best!! We also saw a white peacock with its feathers fanned out. It was almost like they were so delighted to see us and were waiting for us to show off. The kids were absolutely thrilled. White peacocks are not albinos; they have a genetic mutation that causes the lack of pigments in the plumage - Another new learning for the day. 

The children then sat down to have their lunch and once they were energized, they got back on to the school bus and headed for school. One successful, completely educative and enriching field trip this was.
Some new learning for all of us to sleep on

1.      A male baboon can kill a leopard.

2.      Hippo yawn is not a sign of sleepiness, but a sign of threat.

3.      A group of Rhinos is called a crash.(Integration with LA on collective nouns)

4.      The collective noun for a group of bears is a sleuth or sloth. (Integration with LA on collective nouns)