If I were King of the Forest

This morning the students learned about forest succession--which is the predictable series of changes in vegetation. Example: weedy growth will give way to shrubs and then to small trees, and eventually to larger trees. The kids saw an example of this, where an area of grass near the woods has been roped off for 11years. They saw how over time, the weeds and grass grow high, and a small oak tree has begun to grow. Students then predicted what it would look like in 5, 10, and 20 years from now.

Later they played a game where half the kids were gray squirrels and the other half were red squirrels. They were each given 8 beans to hide for the "winter". Gray squirrels hide their food in several different places, whereas the red squirrel puts all their food in one spot. The kids were sent out a few times during the "winter" to find their food. They came back to their group and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each squirrel's method of hiding their food. The kids are active, having fun...and learning!