Sky Ranch Nature Expedition

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One activity our 5th grade students participated in during their visit to Sky Ranch Science Camp on March 6th-8th was the Sky Ranch Expedition. Students became part of an expedition team exploring terrestrial ecology. They traveled to the Sky Ranch Expedition base camp to learn about animal characteristics, animal behavior, anatomy, physiology and taxonomy.

Students observed live animals such as a boa constrictors, iguanas, sugar gliders, ferrets, a tarantula, a hedgehog, hissing cockroaches, a pancake tortoise and a corn snake. They discussed the environmental habitats these animals would be found. They discovered predator/prey relationships, habitats, food webs and learned and inherited traits.

Sugar glider was being very shy!

Hedgehogs are handled very carefully!

Students traveled into the woods and meadows of Sky Ranch to collect insects and study forest dynamics including the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, ecological niche, plant succession and tree rings.