The Beaver Moon ...Eclipse
The names of the monthly full moon cycle very much have to do with the natural activities of the season. Beaver Moon is no exception with Beaver prepping their lodges for the winter ahead. Also known as the Frost Moon, for the deepening cold that descends upon us at this time of year.
And this Beaver Moon is not just the normal full moon spectacle but the less common phenomenon of a lunar eclipse.
The second and final lunar eclipse of 2022 is happening on Tuesday, November 8th. This Total (full moon) Lunar Eclipse will be the last one we will be able to observe until March 2025. So between 1am and 5am on the early morning of November 8th, bundle up and head outside for this chilly but memorable experience. This is Mountain Kid worthy for all but it is perfect "homework" for the 1st, 5th, and 6th graders who each feature celestial phenomena for their Earth and Space Science studies in Outdoor Core.
And in the spirit of 11/8 also being tongue twister day -
Many Mumbling Mice
are Making Midnight Music
In the Moonlight Mighty Nice.
Changing Colors & Falling Leaves: The End of Cycles of Life
I'm holding ground on this fall phenomenon since our conditions are still allowing for color changes until our deciduous trees fully lose their leaves in November. Plenty of raking ahead.
The combination of high and low temps, along with the October lack of big storms that bring windy conditions and precipitation really are lengthening our fall color season this fall. My oaks have yet to reach their peak, while the Dogwoods and Big-leaf Maples are just fading from their peak. Of course this varies around the region based on elevation and aspect (slope direction).
Abscission is the moment when the leaf lets go of the tree and falls to the ground. That, is the grand finale of fall! I would also like to recommend one of my favorite books to accentuate this phenomenon and important life cycle ending part of life.
The Fall of Freddy the Leaf (You Tube Narrated Video)
We are All Getting Ready for Winter
Our preparations are not unlike other animals. Invite your Mountain Kids to think about how we prepare for the winter. Then compare our changes with the species you study.
1. Layers. We know the value of a coat when it is cold. So do our mammals. From your dog and cat at home, to every wild mammal who passes the winter in Plumas County, success comes down to a thickening coat.
2. Storage. While we still count on regular shopping for the winter ahead, many people prepare for the winter by canning, hunting, filling their pantry and freezer with food for the months ahead. The Pandemic is a better way to think about gathering and storing for a long, inlonown time. That is how it is for many animals every Winter.
3. Winter Fat. Some of this is because we are less active but we tend to eat a little more heavily to "put on another layer" and ward off the cold. Every mammal is up to that mostly in the lead-up to the slow-down ahead.
4. Snowbird. A lot of our neighbors hit the road in the winter and head south. Some to Arizona and Hawaii. Some go further down to Mexico. But in every case it is using migration to deal with the challenging conditions at home. Birds do that but so do butterflies and other flying insects. They come back when the warming returns. Feels like cheating a bit, but it is a clever way to live another day.
Can you and your kids think of others?
Early Snow
Early November brings a strong storm that will gift a few feet to our high peaks and ridges but also a fun, adventurous measure to our lowest valleys. We normally don't start SnowSchool until December or even January, but if you are in the mood we have the tools to embrace this early winter arrival. It may not last long but while it lasts turn to SnowSchool.
Each of your Grade-level Google Drives includes a Outdoor Core folder with a SnowSchool file and specific activities to guide NGSS learning for your grade. I have also embedded those links in the next column for each grade.
Outdoor Core Units that Fit your Year & the CA Science Framework
WWA
Winter Wildlands Alliance is the home for Snow School and their growing resources. SnowSchool at Home has the full curricular mix of the latest resources that work equally well at home and school. The national curriculum is arranged in grade bands K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12.
To log on for full access use the link and password below.
https://winterwildlands.org/previous-and-upcoming-activities/
password: SnowSchool-2020
A printed copy of this handbook will be gifted to each teacher
Upper Feather River Watershed Video
Mystery Science Support
Nature Journal Connection
How to Teach Nature Journaling
Wild Wonder Foundation
Kindergarten - The Garden Year
Kindergarten Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
TK-K Science
Science at the Kinder level is about the joy and wonder of exploring and discovery. NGSS is clear about it and I hope you are too. Being curious is who they are. Asking questions, which can be bottomless with the littles, is so essential to science. Your Mountain Kids are natural scientists. All they need to grow is time and outdoor space.
Putting the Garden to Bed
November may still include a little slow growth and ripening using frost cloths but the garden season closes. But winter is still an important season in the garden. This is the season of rest. And just like every Kindergarten day should include a nap, every Garden or Farm year must include a time of restful recovery. This putting the hard working garden beds "to bed" is one of the sweetest activities for your Mountain Kids. The tucking in brings a tenderness. Kids can even sing a lullaby or two. Here is a short Winter Garden Lullaby I found from Waldorf, which has always integrated gardening and song.
Pumpkins Post-Halloween
They are fun to grow, carve, and fill with light and imagination but what do we do with the pumpkins once Halloween has passed? There are many options that do not include the landfill. And waste is just so wasteful! You can start with your own school compost. Decomposition slows down in the winter but it never stops and will make the soil for next year's pumpkins. That s a cycle worth celebrating! One other great options for the un-inked and uncarved pumpkins is called Pumpkins for Pigs. We don't seem to have any official pig farms nearby but local farmers and neighbors always have a need to feed if they are over-wintering a pig. Ask around, or at least just talk to your Mountain Kids about the fate of the pumpkin after the trick or treat is done. It feels like a children's book waiting to happen.
Acorn Mast Study (It's not too late to collect and count)
One of my favorite fall activities that fits best in our Black Oak heavy American and Indian Valleys.
- Identify a nearby Black Oak
- Collect every acorn underneath the oak
- Count them
- Put them in a bucket of water
- Remove all of the floating acorns and count them (these have insects within and will not germinate)
- Count all of the acorns that sunk and stayed at the bottom
- Compare. What percent of the acorns are ready to become seedlings?
- Return the acorns beneath the tree
- Option: Keep enough acorns for every child to have one or two. Dry them and store them where they can freeze in the winter. You can germinate the acorns in the Spring and plant them
Weather Watch - Warming up to Getting Colder and Colder and
Weather happens every day and so you have daily opportunities to explore and observe. Keep it simple. Hot, warm, cool, cold. Windy. Cloudy. The first frost has come and gone with many more icy days to come. How low will the temperature go? Cold isn't always fun but it can be inspiring. Have the kids watch the daily lows, graphing the descent to the freezing point of 32 degrees and well below.
Children & Nature Network Gardening Resources
Richard Louv, who published Last Child in the Woods 14 years also helped to start this organization that doesn't great things for kids and nature. Use the following links to check out an article, an interview, and an entire Research Digest edition devoted to Gardening with kids. And if you don't feel like reading, think about eating and please watch this wonderful video about kids eating their education.
First Grade - Year of the Invertebrate
First Grade Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
The Finale this Month
Invertebrates, our spineless Sierra Nevada species which mostly are little creatures - insects, spiders, snails, slugs, centipedes, millipedes, and even crawdads are coming to the end of their cycles of life. Throughout October I noted the last soundings and sightings of many species. November will bring this to a close. Some are still hanging out and hanging on so keep your eyes and ears open for the final buzz and skitters. This is not the end of life, but the end of a life cycle. Life goes on.
November 8 - Tongue Twister Day
A big black bug bit a bigger black beetle
but the bigger black beetle bit the big bug back.
Five fruit flies flew fast.
Flies fly but a fly flies.
A flea and a fly few up into a flue.
Let's fly said the flea.
Let's flee said the fly.
So they fled and flew through a flaw in the flue.
November Locks the Door
Diapause is insect hibernation and it has been claiming more and more species as our lows get lower. Before November ends we will likely see and hear our final insects until Spring. Funny aside, but in England the accent makes diapause and diapers almost indistinguishable.
If you have not already done so, share with the kids that insects don't live forever. Some will migrate, fly away to a warmer place, but most are too small and have to adapt. Diapause is how most of our mountain invertebrates make it through the winter. Di-a-pause means "through the pause/wait". Here is a little YouTube video to help explain.
Explore & Record the Final "Last" Sightings of the Year
While every observation is a scientific record, in November you are recording important Phenology data. This is the important noticing of the year. In the Spring it is exciting to record the FIRST appearance of a species for the year. Equally important is to record the LAST appearance. Insects are the most important group to notice because they are so sensitive. Entomologists all around the world do this first and last recording each year. Please do the same with your Mountain Kids in their journals and share with me. Simply record who they saw, where they were, and when they observed it.
Here are some recent articles and videos related to Invertebrates
- More than Creepy Crawlies: This article is more for you ut it really drives home how important insects are to life on this planet.
- Healthy Flowers / Healthy Bees: The relationship between our important but threatened bees and the flowers they pollinate
- Mosquito Magnet: Are you one of those people that mosquitoes seem drawn to pierce and suck? This article examines why mosquitos suck more for some.
- Bumblebees Play: Scientists have discovered that bumblebees are not all business. They take the time to play, just like your Mountain Kids.
- Shocking Swarms: Scientists have been measuring the electrical charge created in the air by swarming insects. It is nan electrifying article.
Astronomy
The beauty of studying the sun and moon is that they are up there every single day, so every day is perfect for exploring these objects and their phenomena. Of course while the sun and moon are always there, our experience of them changes every single day. This allows Mountain Kids to explore patters, cause and effect, change over time - all very important scientific concepts. Some of the fun phenomena are:
The sunrise and sunset times - Good homework is having the kids record what time the sun disappears at the end of the day. It will vary depending on where they live and the horizon line.
The sun angle and shadows - Because we travel around the sun and the earth is tilted on its axis, as we travel toward the Winter Solstice, the sun passes lower in the southern sky. You can measure this change directly, from the horizon to the sun position. Another fun way is to look at the cause and effect of this sun angle on the shadows around you. Use a tetherball pole, a basketball standard, a fence post or other vertical object that casts a shadow. Go out at the same time of day each week and mark with chalk the end of the shadow. Measure the length of the shadow. Record the change. Graph that change.
Celebrate Full moons & New Moons - You can count down day after day until you reach the Full Moon each month. Since they have names it is easy to celebrate and the names normally relate to the time of year and important outdoor events like this month's Beaver or Frost Moon.
And a Lunar Eclipse - An extra perk this month is that we will have the last full lunar eclipse on November 8th for more than two years. It's a midnight phenomenon and so perhaps not ideal homework for your littles but I don't want you to miss it!
The Mystery Science Spinning Sky Unit also has new lessons to support Sun & Shadows and Moon & Stars.
Second Grade - Year of the Herp
Second Grade Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
Final Sightings of 2022 - Keep Records
EvenYour Mountain Kids can be a part of recording important phenomena as they see their last of each amphibian and reptile species for the calendar year. For each sighting they will record - Who they saw. When they saw it (date and time), and Where they saw it. Please share those with me and your 2nd grade colleagues around the region. Comparing and contrasting observations in different elevations and habitats is great science. And the most important times to record are the FIRST time in the Spring and the LAST time they appear in the Fall. So please record every sighting. There are still a few out there but only after the day has warmed enough and only on those south-facing surfaces that collect the heat.
November 8 - Tongue Twister Day
Faint frogs feeling feverish fed forty four frisky friends
Two three-toed tree toads told
three two-toed tree toads.
Seven slim slimey snakes slither silently to the sea.
A snake sneaks to seek a snack.
The withered wizard lizard slithered hither.
Brumation
In November, B is for Brumation. Before the end of November, the rest of our reptiles and amphibians will disappear until Spring. They don't leave Plumas County, they just go into hiding, a safe place that they can slow down and hibernate. If you have not yet done so, please introduce Brumation as an important science term for the year as it will be the most important word throughout the Winter months ahead. This video from Nick, a reptile lover in Australia, gives a good explanation of how Brumation differs from Hibernation.
Water in November
September's low rain was followed by October's no rain. Luckily the first day of November will pout us on a better path of moisture. This can be critical support for our amphibians who are still transitioning into Brumation for the winter. This is that cold rain but not snow that support our cold-blooded friends before moving into their slow season of hiding and hibernating.
A Few Current Events and Newsworthy Articles
- Large Brain, Camo, & Strong Legs Frogs have a great combination of traits that help it to survive. As the title and linked article share, quick and clever thinking and the best jumping legs in nature are super powers of frogs to avoid the many predators out there. And it never hurts to be dressed for success.
- Endangered Amphibians Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs are endangered in our area. This article highlighted an effort south of us to keep this species alive and in recovery.
- Gecko Gold: This magnified image of a gecko's hand is worth a thousand word and is just beautiful.
- Origin of Species: Where things come from is a constant curiosity among kids. This study shares the dinosaur ancestry of reptiles. This something any kid can tell you from simple observation but it is good to back up claims with a little evidence.
Third Grade - Year of the Mammal
Third Grade Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
November 8 - Tongue Twister Day
My married mom Mary missed mucho macho mammals.
Fuzzy wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Fuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?
A big black bug bit the big black bear.
and of course: Fox in Socks (by Dr. Seuss)
Mammal Changes in November
November is about slowing down and final preparations as cold, stormy weather has our Plumas County Mammals trying out their Winter shelters. Daylight shortening continues as we will move below 10 hours of light this month and migration, hibernation, and adaptation are all in full play. The section above that compared how people prepare for and respond to winter is particularly a great discussion for 3rd grade Mammals.
Acorn Mast Study: Be Like a Squirrel
One of my favorite fall activities.
- Identify a nearby Black Oak
- Collect every acorn underneath the oak
- Count them
- Put them in a bucket of water
- Remove all of the floating acorns and count them (these have insects within and will not germinate)
- Count all of the acorns that sunk and stayed at the bottom
- Compare. What percent of the acorns are ready to become seedlings?
- Return the acorns beneath the tree
- Option: Keep enough acorns for every child to have one or two. Dry them and store them where they can freeze in the winter. You can germinate the acorns in the Spring and plant them
Roadkill Continued
Now this can be a little morbid but the intersection of mammals and cars has always been a violent one. And when species increase their activity levels, it also increases the encounters between us. Spring has the greatest frequency as animals emerge from Winter. Second most common is fall, due to the Winter preparation activity. Nothing to celebrate, but it is science and it happens every day on the roads of Plumas County.
A Few Fascinating Current Articles & Events
- Cats & Coyotes Cats and Coyotes has more to do with the intersection of wild and town and how two mammals fare when the we live so close together.
- What's on the Menu at the Bear Cafe? This article talks more about captive bears, which is another issue, but it suggests that treating a bear like a carnivore will take years off of its life. Omnivorous Wild bears have a varied diet that includes some meat but much more that is not.
- Nose Picking Primate: Your students are not the only mammals that pick their noses. This article highlights a primate species that seems born to pick, with a middle finger that allows it to take this habit to the extreme. Sometimes science is gross.
- Fishers Return: One of our more reclusive mammals, the Fisher, is struggling to survive and thrive in Plumas County. This story, while focusing on Fisher restoration in Washington state is an interesting read. There is an embedded video that shows a fisher mother moving her young.
- Mountain Lions, Wildfire, Habitat: This article looks at how Mountain Lion behavior has been effected by wildfires and the loss of their habitat. This references the Woolsey Fire but it holds true for Dixie and others.
Weather Watch
Weather is a daily and even minute by minute phenomenon and an important part of the 3rd grade year. The weather will be shifting more profoundly in October and so observing those trends is essential. Even watching a local weather forecast is a good regular activity. Here is Meteorologist, Dirk Verdoorn's forecast for Early November.
Keep track of the basics:
- Temperatures (High & Low)
- Wind (Direction & Speed)
- Precipitation (Amount& Type)
- Humidity (The relationship between temperature and humidity)
And remember when you look up the weather forecast, those meteorologists are faraway forecasters. We get to check their accuracy here on the ground. I have a rain gauge and thermometer upon request.
Fourth Grade - Year of the Trout
Fourth Grade Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
Tracking Changes Along the River
We can't exactly experience the changes that our submerged Trout friends go through, but the changes we can observe along the riparian area ripple above and below the water's surface. The changing leaves and their abscission (when they fall off) are a major change. The shade of the broad-leaved trees and shrubs along our rivers and creeks kept the water cool through the hot summer. And yet as we move toward winter that is no longer as important and ironically these same trees and shrubs shed their leaves to keep a little more sun shining through.
November 8 - Tongue Twister Day
Traveling trout tried tricking tracking trackers.
Tricking tracking trackers traveling trout tried.
The falling leaves also fill the creeks and rivers, providing important food for many species who wait all year for the harvest of falling leaves. Specifically, the macro-invertebrate group known as shredders are in leaf heaven each fall and those same insects are essential food for our Trout. This video narrates a book you should have that speaks to this. If you did not share this in October, November creeks and rivers are telling this story every day as they are full of falling leaves and insects that shred!
Feather River Trout Unlimited
Ryan Thoni has stepped down as the Education Coordinator for FRTU. While they are searching for a replacement, the amazing volunteers of FR Trout Unlimited continue to support your efforts to educate and inspire your Mountain Kids in the 4th grade. You and your kids get to learn from real local scientists and experienced anglers in the region.
Post Salmon Run
Going to the lower Feather River to kayak with the Chinook Salmon can be a disconnected "one-off" without the contact that those same fish used to migrate all of the way up to the Upper FR tributaries. They no longer are able to make that journey to complete their natural cycle due to more than the Oroville Dam. A follow-up field trip to the Feather River Canyon to look more closely at the obstructions (dams) that keep our Steelhead and Salmon from returning to their traditional spawning grounds completes the story. Please reach out to me with your interest and potential dates. And don't forget the other FR Canyon field trip - The Belden Quest
Recent Events & Articles
- River Heat Waves: We know that mountain trout need cold, clean, clear water but evidence shows that river heat waves are on the rise. That spells trouble for our trout.
- Wildfire and Trout Survival: This article examined the impact of a wildfire on trout survival. What do you think they found. The evidence may change your claim.
- Salmon Prefer Better Food to More: While this study is more Sockeye than Chinook, it is Salmonid and Pacific and there are important inferences and takeaways.
- Water Board Protects Flows in Mill & Deer Creeks: Two tributaries that are close to Chester and just west of the North Fork FR Watershed Divide had their flows protected by the California State Water Board. Due to the drought it has been difficult to provide sufficient flows for native trout and Salmon populations. While not a part of the the Feather River, they are neighboring creeks that share many attributes of our mountain headwaters area.
Fifth Grade - Year of the Bird
Fifth Grade Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
PAS adds a lot of value to what you do as a 5th grade teacher. You not only have scientists behind you, you have an entire organization. PAS assembled the PEEP curriculum with us 5 years ago that still is a fundamental foundation for your Outdoor Core year. It is in your Shared Drive and a hardcopy binder should be in every classroom.
Liz Ramsey, has confirmed that you can count on one monthly visit each month to support your efforts. Most of you should have had some contact by now, but if not, please follow her link above to schedule.
Owl Pellets
Hope you all enjoyed your owl pellet dissection. Please shout out your thanks to Liz Ramsey and PAS who purchased them this year.
November 8 - Tongue Twister Day
Seven swans swam swimmingly.
Swimmingly swam seven swans.
Migration!!!
Migration isn't just what leaves, and what passes through, but also what arrives and stays. Our region, and especially Sierra Valley, is a prolific winter raptor area. The voles and other meadow-burrowing mammals are abundant and the pesky songbirds that attack our big predator birds are mostly south or west for Winter. November is when these birds of prey settle in. Keep a watchful eye out. It is good homework for your Mountain Kids. A favorite activity for my family was counting the raptors on the poles along the highway as we drove through Sierra Valley. It is good data collection. You can usually find 20-30. One trip we counted 87!
November begins the annual Project Feeder Watch, sponsored by Cornell. It requires a bird feeder of some sort that is mounted for regular observation, registered, and then observed and recorded. Feeder can be easily made and I can help so reach out if you are interested. Plumas Audubon will also help support any interest. It requires responsibility to maintain a healthy feeder but it will reward you with increased bird diversity and quantity of activity. The link will lead you to more information and resources. Also this California Audubon article regarding bird flu reinforces the importance of keeping bird feeders and batch clean. Differing opinions are a good thing
Live Bird Cams are a way to eavesdrop on different species in different places. While we don't have any locally, technology allows us to look at familiar and exotic species. A rich payoff is to invest in a relationship with a given bird or location and follow it through the year. Cornell yet again offers the richest resources on their site.
Going after the Record
Paul Hardy, Plumas County local and son of retired PUSD teachers Richard (PHS Spanish) and Becky (CRC Elementary), is attempting to break the Plumas County record for the most bird species observed in a calendar year. Entering November, Paul sits at 248 species. The record is 251. Can he do it?! Track his progress on eBird https://ebird.org/region/US-CA-063/ebirders?yr=cur&m= I will have him do a video and possibly a live Zoom with 5th grade before the end of the year so that kids can ask questions.
Great Articles
- Facing the Storm This article explores how some seabirds handle a typhoon (hurricane) by flying into the storm rather than away from it. Rather than survive it, they ride it. Interesting metaphor for challenge and conflict too. Be like a shearwater!
- Bird Migration and California Drought California's continuing drought is challenging the already difficult phenomenon of migration.
- When Migration Makes you Sick This fall migration has overlapped with rising cases of avian (bird) flu in California so the spreading has been greater than it would at a different time of year. This article explores the phenomenon.
You study more than birds in 5th grade but there are interesting points of relationship. Nature is very connected. We do like to bundle our science learning so everything from birds migrating using the stars to constellations named for stars are easy connection points. Some constellations are named after birds and are an easy fit to the year. Since summer Cygnus (the swan) and Aquila (the eagle) have dominated the Milky Way. They will be gone from view as we deepen into winter so this is your last month to catch them.
Meteors and More
The Leonids always deliver a good meteor shower. The middle of November will be lit up with this phenomenon and it will coincide with a waning moon so the dark sky will pop all of the more. This is solid homework for 5th grade. Have a competition. Kids sleep out on a clear night, bundled up, and between 8 and 9:00pm have a count off. Who can see the most?
Beaver Moon Eclipse
A full moon is always a good phenomenon but when it becomes a lunar eclipse, and it is the last total lunar eclipse for 28 months, it becomes a capital P Phenomenon. This will be an early morning November 8th experience, beginning just after midnight to 5am. Kids can also set their alarm and catch a small piece of this Mountain Kid homework.
Sixth Grade - Watershed Year
Sixth Grade Outdoor Core Shared Drive
Follow the link to the PUSD Google Drive's shared drives. One of the drives is identified for your Outdoor Core grade level. These are your digital curriculum resources specific to your grade level.
On the PUSD Website and YouTube Channel live the video resources I have created and curated in recent years. Follow the link to get to the main page and then select your grade level. The videos are local phenomena throughout the year made by me as well as other scientists and stewards in the region.
Bead Stack and daily/weekly Science Habits
FREd is where the year really finds its footing but it is reinforced when it carries on beyond camp. Thank you for having the kids so prepared for camp this year. It made the breadstick a big success to already have a foundation. Getting them into a rhythm with regular science is essential as your kids will have science every day through junior and senior high school.
These daily science habits don't have to be massive but they should communicate the value of science in their school day. An easy way is with your morning meeting, or however you start your school day. Identifying the date and then the science of that date - Weather, Moon Phase, Sunrise and Sunset times, will set some foundation stones in place that we will build on all year long.
Watershed - Headwaters
We have begun our headwaters trips already as we move toward Winter. After our November trips we will hibernate a bit until January SnowSchool trips. Below is the list of November trips:
- 11/3 C6 - Lassen NP
- 11/8 G6 - Round Valley Reservoir & Ridge
- 11/9 CRC6 - Sierra Valley Peaks & Creeks
- 11/16 Q6 - American Valley Municipal Water Tour
- 11/17 C6 - Warner Valley to High Bridge
- 11/29 G6 - North Canyon Creek
25 miles - FREd
I have 25 mile stickers for water bottles to celebrate the 25 miles your Mountain Kids logged while we were at FREd. This is no small amount for our 4 days together. 9 miles for Spanish Peak but a lot of 2s and 3s each day and night to grand total our way to a quarter century mileage mark. I will bring these to our next field trip if you do not already have them.
Astronomy
As I have shared, tracking the daily phenomena of changes in the
1) phases of the moon, and
2) sunrise and sunset times to expore light and night length are simple and profound.
Please get them thinking in this daily way. Another phenomenon we study this year a bit is "shooting stars."
The Leonids are the best meteor shower in November. The middle of November will be lit up with this phenomenon and it will coincide with a waning moon so the dark sky will pop all of the more. This is solid homework for 6th grade. Have a competition. Kids sleep out on a clear night, bundled up, and between 8 and 9:00pm have a count off. Who can see the most? Compete with 5th grade.
Beaver Moon Eclipse
A full moon is always a good phenomenon but when it becomes a lunar eclipse, and it is the last total lunar eclipse for 28 months, it becomes a capital P Phenomenon. The Beaver Moon Eclipse is happening early on November 8th, beginning just after midnight and going almost to sunrise for the full show. Kids can also set their alarm and catch a small piece of this Mountain Kid homework.
3 Constellations Each Season -
Fall's Northern Triangle was dead overhead during FREd and will fade from view later this month. Each season of the school year we will feature 3 new constellations. For the fall I choose the 3 constellations of the Northern Triangle. The stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair reside respectively in the constellations Cygnus (the Swan) Lyra (the Harp) and Aquila (the Eagle). I introduced them at FREd but please reinforce them afterwards. 3 constellations each season.
Weather, Winter, & Watersheds
A big part of the year is climate and weather as it really drives the water story and journey we will be a part of all year. Winter specifically is our big season of noticing as winter snow becomes the river flow and everything beyond. Open Snow is my source for snow weather and forecasting. Even though we are still in summer's grasp, NOAA and other's in the meteorological sciences are using forecasting models to explore the coming winter. Check out their long-range winter forecast.
Field Trip Forecasting
For the short range, get into the habit of forecasting the weather prior to our field trips. Use a weather forecast to plan effectively for the conditions to come. Our Mountain Kids should be savvy enough to look up a dependable forecast and decide what to wear and how to prepare.
Even watching a local weather forecast is a good regular activity. Here is Meteorologist, Dirk Verdoorn's forecast for Early November.
Keep track of the basics:
- Temperatures (High & Low)
- Wind (Direction & Speed)
- Precipitation (Amount& Type)
- Humidity (The relationship between temperature and humidity)
And remember when you look up the weather forecast, those meteorologists are faraway forecasters. We get to check their accuracy here on the ground.
Recent Articles & Current Events
- Mountain Water: Responsible for a fifth of the global water supply, mountains, including the Sierra Nevada are critical to downriver communities.
- Fen, Bog, Swamp: A recent book celebrates our wetlands. These include our wet meadows that were a part of FREd.
- The Water Within: Hundreds of feet below the earth is water. This is more than just groundwater people think about with wells.
- Water Harvesting: Droughts bring out more than fighting words (Whisky is for drinking. Water is for fighting over!). Engineers get creative and start thinking outside of the box for how to access fresh water. This may seem a little over the kids' heads but on the Plumas to Pacific this is our final conversation. There's not enough water go around... what are we going to do?
Outdoor Core Mountain Kid
Email: rwade@pcoe.k12.ca.us
Website: https://www.pcoe.k12.ca.us/apps/pages/OutdoorCore
Location: Upper Feather River Region
Phone: 530 283-6500 5257