Fulmar Road kindergartners recently embarked on an exciting journey into the world of animal architecture, thanks to a visit from PNW BOCES naturalist Sam Pierce. During this hands-on program, the students explored the fascinating ways animals act as nature’s architects, building shelters and structures to survive and thrive in the wild.
Pierce began the program by posing a question to the students, “Are animals really nature’s architects?” To find out, the kindergartners observed natural artifacts, interacted with a live animal and rotated through interactive learning stations to gather evidence supporting this claim.
Pierce introduced the students to several real-life animal builders. They learned how beavers use their powerful teeth to cut down trees and construct watertight dams, with underwater entrances that protect their homes from predators. They also discovered how paper wasps create nests from chewed wood pulp to house their eggs and how termites build tall, rock-hard mounds from sand.
A highlight of the visit was meeting Reddy, a red-footed tortoise and the program’s live animal ambassador. Reddy helped the students explore how tortoises can be architects, using their sharp claws to dig cooling burrows in the earth.
After meeting Reddy, the students rotated through three learning stations. At one station, they examined artifacts created by insects, such as wasp nests and cocoons. Another station featured artifacts from larger animals, offering a tactile experience with items like a beaver pelt and skull and various bird nests. At a different station, the students used their imaginations and creativity to build their own structures with LEGOs, applying what they had learned about structure and design in nature.
The immersive experience not only supported science learning but also sparked curiosity, teamwork and creative thinking.
