March 15 Blog
Zoology (the study of animals) is a large component of the Montessori curriculum. We study animals for a variety of reasons. They are interesting, sometimes cute and sometimes scary. Learning about animals helps children classify the world around them.
As children study animals, they develop powers of observation. By looking at the physical characteristics of an animal, we can tell if it is a mammal, a reptile, a fish, an amphibian or a bird. Once we can recognize what kind of animal we are looking at, we know a great deal of information: Mammals are warm blooded, breathe with lungs, have fur or hair on their bodies and give birth to live babies. Reptiles are cold blooded, also breathe with lungs, have skin or scales covering their bodies and most of them hatch from eggs. Fish are cold blooded, breath with gills, have scales covering their bodies and lay eggs. This month we learned that amphibians and reptiles have much in common. They are both cold blooded. But while reptiles breathe with lungs, amphibians start their life under water and breath with gills! As they grow, their bodies change and they develop lungs. Their bodies are covered with skins and they lay their eggs in water. All of these types of animals have one thing in common: they are all vertebrates. (Next month, we will wrap up our vertebrate studies with birds!)
Studying animals also helps us learn about the world. Different animals live in different places and need different things to survive (environment, food, water, shelter). Penguins can survive in the extreme cold of Antarctica, Bighorn Sheep can live in hot, dry deserts and coyotes are so adaptable they can live just about anywhere! This leads to an understanding of habitats and an appreciation for our planet as well as the importance of taking care of it so animals can live and thrive.
Learning about animals leads to reading, writing and research activities. As children develop reading and comprehension skills, they love doing their own research on animals. We always have books on the different animals we are studying so that students have the opportunity to look at pictures, make observations, read information and learn on their own.
Here are some pictures of past and current animal studies in P1.
Thank you all for meeting with us for Parent Teacher Conferences. It was wonderful to take the time to talk with you about your children!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel let us know.
Thank you!
Ms. Melissa, Ms. Diana and Ms. Kini