Science: A Trip to the Pet Store and Movement of the Body


Posted by Tonja Armstrong on April 08, 2019 at 8:13 PM

The grade one/two class went to the Menagerie Pet Store in Riverdale. The trip was a cross-curricular excursion. Students engaged with snakes, birds, guinea pigs, and fish. They enhanced their ability to show respect and care for living things as they learned from knowledgeable staff about the animals that were there. After the pet store, we went to the playground at Allen Garden's. It was one of the best playgrounds that the girls have ever played at (they said). They challenged their physical abilities and met their goals of climbing and moving through new equipment. Then the following week, we had a visit from some chicks. They were only 4 days old, and so "super cute". This visit supported the students ability to explore the life cycles of animals and demonstrate an understanding of their characteristics with real animals. In addition, they will increase their knowledge of how living things grow and change.

Below are the students thoughts about their experiences and learning.

When Ke, Ap, Ad, C, M, Ka, G, Tonja and I went to the pet store, I held a Ball Python snake that is 12 years old!!!!!!!! And my class also went to the bird room. We got to talk to the parrot and it was so much fun because I talked to a bird and it talked back to me. I felt scared and then felt much better because I got to know the animals. By Z (grade two)

When I went to the pet store, I saw fish, snakes, and birds. After we went to the pet store, we went to Allen Garden's park. It was so much fun! It was so much fun because I went on the teeter-totter with G. By Ap (grade one)

When I went to the pet store I touched a snake. It felt squishy. I went on a swingthing. I was dizzy and I love the pet store. By Ad (grade one)

I went on the streetcar. I touched a snake. It was fun. Me and Ap had so much fun. By G (grade one)

We saw a Ball Python. I went on the swings in Allen Garden's park. We saw hamsters and the bird room at the pet store. It was fun. By Ke (grade two)

We went to the pet store. One of my favourite parts was the snake, Hissy Elliot, she is a Ball Python. The guy that worked there was Josh. Then we went to Allen Garden's and I went on a spiny thing and I got super dizzy. Ka's mom came to the field trip. By C (grade two)

I went to Menagerie. We saw a snake and the snake's name is Hissy Elliot. PS I got to hold her first :)! Then we went to a park. There was so many pictures taken in the park (by Tonja). PS The park was Allen Garden's park! At Menagerie, I got to hold a guinea pig, YES :)! Ka's mom came with us. This is unexpected, but we got mealworms for our classroom. By M (grade two)

I really liked the pet store because I got to hold a snake, Hissy Elliot, 12 years old, Bull Python, though I thought it was going to bite me! On the field trip, my mom, came with us. After we left the pet store, we went to Allen Garden's park. That was the BEST park I've ever went to. It was so FUN!!!!!!!! It was fun because there were so many things I haven't been on for a very long time or haven't been on in my ENTIRE life! By Ka (grade two) (as per student request, no pictures included)

 

To continue our exploration of animals, we had the pleasure of welcoming some chicks with the Early Learners. They stayed with us for the day, curtesy of an Early Learner parent (thank you for thinking of us!) The Linden community, young and not-so-young, just loved their furry presence by holding them and making sure they were fed and had clean water.

Below are some of the students' thoughts and some pictures of the super cute Linden visitors.

One of the baby chicks was very tough, and one was very soft. The soft one was yellow and I really like the colour of it. One was a corn nut colour and I liked it too. By Ad (grade one)

The chicks were fuzzy and they chirped happily on the carpet. Then the older chick fought with the orange chick. The older chick was chirping for the older chick because it was on the carpet and the other chick was in the box. That chick was trying to fly out to see it. By Ke (grade two)