Stony Brook Class Trip

Today we visited Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. We started out by thinking about how a sanctuary is different from a zoo. We learned that all of the wildlife here can come and go as they please! We learned that we had to look carefully and listen hard as we walked through the the three habitats.

Forest habitat

We stopped to check out a pine tree and learned that one way to tell how old a tree is would be to count the ring of branches. 

We searched for pill bugs, salamanders, and beetles under logs!

Pond

Next we stopped at the pond. We learned all about turtles; what they eat, where they get their water, and what they used for shelter.

We looked for fish, frogs, and painted turtles. We also learned about a "beaver deceiver" that was there to keep the beavers from building dams and causing flooding.

Meadows 

We stopped at the meadow to check out a "lunchbox" of clues that gave us hints about animals that you could find living in the field. We learned specifically about the red fox and a coyote! We even got to touch some fox fur!

What a great day! We learned so much about the habitats we can find right around our homes. Thank you to our parent volunteers, tour guides, and Stony  Brook for such a memorable experience for our first graders!