CombsElementarySchool(MO)

What's in our neighborhood?
How would you describe your neighborhood to someone who has never visited? Brainstorm about 10 phrases to describe your habitat, such as lots of trees, some tall buildings, many trees, blacktop everywhere, etc. 1.planted grasses at homes 2. seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall) 3. planted trees, many that change color, and many evergreen trees -planted at homes and some businesses 4. flagpoles, fences, 5.blacktops around school area 6.many animals - like squirrels, raccoon, 7. at our school we have a small field 8.houses near our school that are close together - established neighborhood - peaceful 9.paved roads around our school 10.our district has many elementary schools 11. we have traffic by our school (busy roads) 12. We have strip mall and other stores located by our school 13. Many vehicles drive by our school 14, We have a local civic center and library 15. We have apartment/condo/duplexes by our school 16. Suburban area/small city = =

** Write an overall description of your habitat, including a photos if you can. **
==The area we will look at surrounds our school grounds. It is a grassy area with a fence around it. In the spring and summer the grass is cut. During the winter and fall, the trees at our school loose their leaves. We don't have evergreen trees in our school grounds. The plants are currently not blooming (they will bloom in the the spring). In the spring we have many tulips, hostas, irises, weeds, etc. This winter has been mild. We have only had one day with light snow this winter. The temp. warmer than usual. (It is around 40 degrees today). Our playground is small. The ground is covered with either grass, mulch, or blacktop. We go on field trips to areas around our school that area nature reserves. Outside our class we have 2 large mature trees. Sometimes we hear woodpeckers. We also sometimes see hawks in the morning on the top our school roof. Sometimes we will see an owl in the tree where our playground is. We have benches by the trees. On our field we play outdoor games like softball or kickball. Sometimes it rains.==

** What features make our neighborhood a suitable place for birds? **
Think about the availability of food, water and shelter. Around our school we have trees that have berries. Some creatures might eat trash from our dumpster. Some animals eat the acorns that fall from the trees. Small insects are eaten from trees or in the ground. We have fungi. Students sometimes drop food that animals could eat. Some animals eat the short grass and plants when they are in bloom. Some animals might eat the small seeds. By our school we have a park that has a pond. On our school grounds, when it rains we have puddles and sometimes our field floods. Trees, playground, and building, shed could be considered shelter.

** What birds do you regularly see on your bird counts? **
You may want to record data from your "Count Birds for Science" lesson.