When Nightime Falls....

..... the creatures of the night come out and we go to sleep.  We've been learning about nocturnal animals in our classroom.  During reading, we've read Cynthia Rylant's Night in the Country as part of our author study and nature walk theme.  Our recent Scholastic News introduced us to three nocturnal animals that scientists recently discovered.  Plus, we've learned a lot about owls both through fiction and non-fiction texts.  So, it was time to meet with some experts in the field.

We had the privilege to visit the North Carolina Zoo last week to meet some of creatures that come out when we are asleep.  Through Skype, we learned from Mr. Steve Gerkin and Ms. Hannah, both educators at the zoo.  Mr. Mark MacAllister helped us set up this special experience and ran everything behind the scenes tech-wise.

We saw the skeleton of a bat on Mr. Gerkin's iPad and learned how the wings are the fingers.  Ms. Hannah showed us a live owl and we learned about how she was injured and now cared for by the zookeepers.  Mr. Gerkin put on soft-ball glasses to give us an illustration of how large owls eyes actually are compared to the size of their heads.  The students loved that part and giggled galore.  We heard an owl call that was rather humorous in its uniqueness as well.  Students also met a hedgehog.  She was so adorable and amazing!  They saw her eat some treats and opened up a special place in their hearts for this nocturnal creature.

Thank you for giving us some "night vision" during this wonderful Skype experience!