squirrel complete

8/13/2019 Squirrel Complete

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Squirrel Lapbook


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Squirrels!A multi-book theme unit written by Wende and Ami

LESSONS from Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman

Focus: Squirrel Anatomy

Squirrel Anatomy: Body Parts Learn the various parts of a squirrel. Let your student label the "SquirrelAnatomy" diagram. Look through Earl the Squirrel . Ask your young student topoint out Earl's tufts of hair, claws, bushy tail, whiskers, powerful legs, etc.

Squirrel Anatomy: Amazing TailsA tree squirrel's tail has many functions!1. As a squirrel jumps from tree to tree, his tail acts as a parachute; it also helpshim land softly if he falls.2. When he swims (as some squirrels do), he can use his tail as a sail.3. When he runs along a tree limb, his tail helps him balance.4. In the rain, his tail acts as his umbrella.5. When he sleeps, his tail wraps around him becoming his warm blanket.

Story Starter Use the story prompt to help your student write a story about a squirrel!


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Squirrel Poem Use this poem for copywork for your older student.

WHISKY FRISKY

Whisky Frisky,Hippity hop,Up he goesTo the tree-top!

Whirly, twirly,Round and round,Down he scampers

To the ground.

Furly, curly,What a tail!Tall as a feather,Broad as a sail!

Where's his supper?In the shell,

Snappy, cracky,Out it fell!

LESSONS from Miss Suzy by Miriam Young

Focus: Different Kinds of Squirrels, Squirrel Habitats

Choose some of the following lessons to complete after you've read the booktogether:

Types of SquirrelsThere are three types of squirrels-- tree, ground, and flying. Flying squirrels havefolds of skin between their bodies and arms. You can tell the difference between


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a ground squirrel and a tree squirrel in this way-- if one is scared, a groundsquirrel will run to his burrow in the ground while a tree squirrel will climb to ahigh place. The squirrels in this book are tree squirrels.

Gray Squirrels Identify what kind of squirrel Miss Suzy is. Read about Gray Squirrels on page 163of Fun With Nature . Does your student remember what kind of squirrel Earl is?

Complete the "Kinds of Squirrels" tab book using the information you read aboutin Fun With Nature.

Red SquirrelsIdentify the kind of squirrels that took over Miss Suzys home. Read about Red

Squirrels on page 165 of Fun With Nature . Continue with squirrel chart.

Now that your student has learned about gray squirrels and red squirrels, youmay want to use the Venn diagram provided in the printables section to chart thesimilarities and differences.

Animal Classification Older students may want to further research squirrels, and their classification.They are in the Animal Kingdom, Chordata Phylum, Mammal Class, and Rodent

Order. Introduce what these terms mean and how they apply to a squirrel. If youare notebooking or lapbooking, your student may want to include theclassification mini-book.

HabitatsIdentify the kind of tree Miss Suzy lived in. Read about oak trees on pages 254-255 in Fun With Nature . Also mention that much of Miss Suzys food and dishescame from the acorns of the oak tree. Many squirrels live in the holes of treetrunks just like Miss Suzy; they make very nice two room homes called

dreys . Others live high in the tree in abandoned birds' nests and ground squirrelslive underground in burrows . Read about other squirrels in Fun With Nature tolearn what other kinds of homes squirrels live in.

Maple Trees


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For an extra activity, Identify the kind of branch Miss Suzy used to make a broom.Read about maple trees on pages 252-253 of Fun With Nature .

Nature Walk

Go for a squirrel hunt in a wooded area, looking for squirrels, nests, or other signssuch as tracks or scats (they have small droppings; they are about the size of araisin, and light brown in color). Refer to page 202 of Fun With Nature .

If desired, take the prepared page ("Squirrel Hunt") on your hunt. Each time yourstudent finds a squirrel sign, let him color the box or put an x in it. You can usethis page multiple times until all 25 boxes are filled.

Collect nuts found during your nature walk; you can use them to make a Nut Ball

when you complete the activities for Timmy Tiptoes (see below).

LESSONS from Timmy Tiptoes by Beatrix Potter

Focus: Eating Habits

Choose some of the following lessons to complete after you've read the book

together:

Various Diets:Read more about different breeds of squirrels in Fun With Nature . Compare whatdifferent squirrels eat? What is the most common food? What is the mostuncommon food?

Gathering NutsAt the end of fall, squirrels become very busy gathering acorns and nuts. They

store their food in many different places-- holes and nooks around the treeswhere they live. Just like in the story, they often forget where they've hiddentheir supplies.

Feed a Squirrel!Using the nuts you collected during your nature walk (or with some store bought


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peanuts still in the shell), make a Nut Ball (see Fun With Nature page 173) for thesquirrels in your neighborhood. If you don't have any squirrels around, take it toa wooded area and hang it.

Nut GraphBuy some different kinds of nuts and have a taste test with your student(almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts,peanuts, pistachios, etc.). Try each nut. Have your student make a marking on hisgraph for each nut that he likes; have your student also make a marking on hisgraph for each nut that is liked by each family member. (If you want more data,allow your student to call some friends or family members and ask them if theylike each kind.)

You can use the printable graph with a container of Planter's mixed nuts.

Hiding Acorns GameJust for fun make some acorns out of construction paper. Hide them around yourhouse for your squirrel to find. Once she finds them let her hide them for you tofind. A page of acorns is provided in the printables section.

Hibernation Tree squirrels do not hibernate, but ground squirrels do. When ground squirrels

hibernate, they go into their dens to sleep through the cold of winter for five tosix months. Their body temperatures drop so that they are only about one or twodegrees higher than the temperature outside; it can drop below freezing (thefreezing point of water)! Their breathing and heart beats slow down. A groundsquirrels heart will beat only a few times in a minute during hibernation. Ev eryweek or so, the squirrels wake up for about 12-20 hours and then go intohibernation again. Some ground squirrels don't hibernate if they are in climateswhere the winters don't get too cold.

Library List

Nuts to You! by Lois Ehlert

Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant


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The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

Merle the High Flying Squirrel by Bill Peet

A Squirrel's Tale by Richard Fowler

Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo and Still-Mo: Lessons in Living from Five Frisky RedSquirrels

Busy, Busy Squirrels by Colleen Stanley Bare

Hello, Squirrels! Scampering through the Seasons by Linda Glaser

Materials and information may be used for your own personal and school use.Material may not be used for resale or shared electronically .

Homeschool Share


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C u t o u t b o o k a s o n e p i e c e . F o l d i n h a l f o n t h e b l a c k l i n e . C u t o n t h e d o e d l i n e s t o f o r m t

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C u t p o c k e t o u t . F o l d b a c k a p u p a n d w r a p s i d e a p s a r o u n d t h e

b a c k a n d g l u e d o w n . G l u e t h e b a c k o f y o u r p o c k e t i n t o y o u r l a p-

b ook .


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Cut on solid black lines. Stack booktogether. Your student will have sixtabs to ip through (two at the top,two on the side, and two on thebo om).

Choose six types of squirrels to learnmore about. Write the type of squir-rel on each tab. Fill in each page withthe descrip on, diet, and habitat foreach kind of squirrel.

Kinds of Squirrels


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Cut on solid lines. Fold on do ed lines like an accordion (back and forth, back and forth).

SquirrelClassification

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order


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S q u

i r r e

l A

n a t o m y


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Bushy Tail

Claws

Powerful Legs

Big Eye

Whiskers

Squirrel Diagram Cut and paste the words to the appropriate places on thesquirrel diagram.


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SquirrelHunt!


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Do all squirrelshibernate?

Do squirrels always remember wherethey hide their food?


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Help the mother squirrel find the way to her babies!


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SquirrelObservations

Date

Place

Activity

Date

Place

Activity

Date

Place

Activity

Cut pages out. Stack book together with cover on top and staple at the top ofthe book. Use book at a park or nature area to observe squirrels.


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Date

Place

Activity

Date

Place

Activity

Date

Place

Activity

Date

Place

Activity


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Nuts bout Nuts!10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Almond Peanut Cashew Hazelnut Brazil nut Pecan


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How Many Nuts? (Feed the Squirrels!) Print and laminate the following page. Mom needs to write numbersin the second column. The student should use play -doh to make nuts.

The student should then place the correct amount of nuts for eachsquirrel in the third column.


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Copy the poem on to the page provided.Use your very best handwriting.

WHISKY FRISKY

Whisky Frisky,Hippity hop,Up he goes

To the tree-top!

Whirly, twirly,Round and round,

Down he scampersTo the ground.

Furly, curly,What a tail!

Tall as a feather,Broad as a sail!

Where's his supper?In the shell,

Snappy, cracky,Out it fell!


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Whisky Frisky


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Find the Acorns Print page on brown paper, if desired. Play the Hiding Acorns gamefound in the lessons.


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How Many SquirrelsDo You See?

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