How Are You Like a Fish?

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In our Living Science classroom, our teacher Heidi began an exploration of animals that live in water.  To start the experience, she asked our 2-year-old students, what animals live in water?  The children quickly identified fish, turtles and frogs.  Heidi then read the story Life in a Pond by Carol K. Lindeen.

Following the story, she presented the children with a fish of their own to explore.  Heidi began pointing to different attributes fish possess such as gills, tails, and scales.  One by one, each child took a turn examining the fish.  Heidi asked children to identify different parts of the fish. 

While some children were hesitant to hold the fish, others could not wait to pick it up.  One child commented that the fish "wasn't heavy".  

Another mentioned how "slippery" and "slimy" it felt.  

While most of the children were content pointing at specific features and picking up the fish, others were more curious to investigate the fishes' characteristics.  One little girl was surprised by some of the similarities she and the fish share.