Nature study can be as simple as a short walk in the neighborhood or as elaborate as a week in a National Park. Don’t make it hard. This month, We are going to look for Squirrels. They are typically pretty easy to find in Oklahoma in the fall. If you can’t find these critters in your yard, you’ll be able to find pictures of these creatures and many others online to explore with your children. Remember: you don’t have to know all the answers to your kids’ questions because you can look up the answers together.
Ponder
- Where do you see squirrels?
- How do they run in the trees? on the ground?
- What color is your squirrel?
- Does your squirrel always follow the same route?
- How does a squirrel carry food?
- How does the placement of the squirrel’s eyes allow it to observe its environment more easily?
- What kind of house does it build?
Resources
Websites
Oklahoma Squirrels https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/gray-and-fox-squirrels.html
Squirrels in Oklahoma https://birdwatchinghq.com/squirrels-in-oklahoma/
Videos
Books
- Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks: Take-Along Guide by Mel Boring
- The Squirrels’ Busy Year: A First Science Storybook by Martin Jenkins
- Squirrel’s Family Tree by Beth Ferry
- Rowan the Red Squirrel by Lynne Rickards
- Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep by April Pulley Sayre
- Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman (fiction)
- Urchin of the Riding Stars by M. I. McAllister (fiction)
Handbook of Nature Study
Have you heard of Anna Botsford Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study? It’s a fantastic book that covers all kinds of creatures, plants, and habitats. Since it has all sorts of resources in it, you should download it for free at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Nature_study_for_Teachers_an/CjPbAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0
Anna Botsford Comstock talks about Squirrels on pages 233-239 of the linked edition of the Handbook of Nature Study. Take a few minutes to read those pages, and then keep those ideas in mind as you and your kids watch the weather this month. That way, you may remember the answers to some of their questions, and you have another handy resource to check when you can’t.
