When I was a young boy, my mother instilled in me a love for red headed woodpeckers. There was a forest directly behind our house and whenever she spotted a red headed woodpecker, she would excitedly shout to everyone in the house to look out the window.
They are a very beautiful bird. This video from Peterson Field Guides provides an informative overview of the red headed woodpecker. You can even listen to the red headed woodpecker’s voice!
Grizzly bear. NPS Photo by Bryan Harry
Have you ever wondered if polar bears and grizzly bears could share the same habitat? I hope they can.
A great reminder about the large range of habitat required by grizzly bears is highlighted in “Grizzlies moving into polar bear region” in the Green Space column on Philly.com. Scientists have confirmed that grizzly bears have moved northward into Manitoba, Canada — previously considered to be the exclusive realm of polar bears. Learn more.
"The Riddle in a Bottle" DVD features loggerhead sea turtles
Federal wildlife agencies proposed Wednesday increased protections for loggerhead turtles along both U.S. coasts, according to the article “U.S. wildlife agencies seek protections for loggerhead turtles” in The Baltimore Sun.
Ever since viewing the first clips from our award winning movie, The Riddle in a Bottle, featuring baby loggerhead sea turtles drifting along the ocean currents under floating mats of algae, I’ve been intrigued by these graceful and calm creatures. A loggerhead sea turtle is also featured in our award winning children’s nature book, A Pirate’s Quest.
According to the article in The Baltimore Sun, it was discovered that the status of seven of nine population groups of the turtles around the world had worsened to the point that they should be considered endangered. Learn more.
Huron Valley School Board Member Lindsay Cotter, and Kirt Manecke from Carl R. Sams II Photography, hold up the books being donated to help kids read. Photo by Carl R. Sams II
In keeping with their tradition of helping kids read during March is Reading Month, Carl and Jean donated 185 of their Find My Friends board books to the Head Start program at Huron Valley Schools Apollo Center near Milford, Michigan.
Carl and Jean are also donating their award winning In the Woods series (Lost in the Woods, Stranger in the Woods, First Snow in the Woods) of children’s picture books to the teachers at Apollo Center so they can read to the children and teach them gentle lessons of nature.
Huron Valley School Board member and Milford resident Lindsay Cotter collected and delivered the books. Lindsay said, “They are putting the books in the hands of the children that need them the most. Reading is the key to their future. The kids are so excited!”
We want to thank Lindsay Cotter for helping us make this happen and for delivering the books.
Created in 1965, Head Start is the most successful, longest-running, national school readiness program in the United States. Nearly 25 million pre-school aged children have benefited from Head Start. Learn more about Head Start.
What do bullfrogs eat? Do you know the answer? I thought I did until I watched this amazing video by National Geographic. It turns out that bullfrogs eat a lot more than just insects.
Did you know that bullfrogs also eat birds? Watch the video!
To teach kids more about frogs and other wildlife, be sure to check out our children’s books and movies that teach gentle lessons of nature.
Preservationist Jack Finch has spent 30 years putting up bluebird nesting boxes all over his farm and North America. Seeing the bluebird nesting boxes on his farm inspires me to want to build some myself.
I admire Jack Finch’s dedication to the preservation of the bluebird. Enjoy the video.
I came across this unbelievable story, “Golden Eagle attacks White-tailed Deer at Nachusa Grasslands!”, and series of amazing photographs on the Illinois Birders’ Forum. A golden eagle attacks a running white tail deer and the drama is captured by a photographer.
Don’t worry, the deer is fine. The story and photos are amazing. Learn more.
This video of a mother polar bear and cubs is amazing. The images are taken from the Arctic circle as a mother polar bear emerges from her winter long sleep with two new polar bear cubs.
With brilliant images of mother polar bear sledging down the slopes and cute cubs first taste of the Arctic air, this is a video you don’t want to miss from the BBC natural history masterpiece ‘Planet Earth’.
Celebrate National Wildlife Week March 15-21 and get children outside. The National Wildlife Federation offers a number of outdoor activities for children.
If you are a teacher, look over our Lost in the Wood and Stranger in the Woods Curriculum Guides. Each guide contains 54 fun-filled activity pages plus 12 additional “project cards” with great ideas for bringing Lost in the Woods and Stranger in the Woods to life in the classroom.
The challenging activities in the guides were developed to meet the Michigan Education Assessment Program’s (MEAP) requirements in Language Arts, Science, Math, Music or Art.
And finally, Crayola offers some fun activities for kids during National Wildlife Week. Enjoy and please comment to keep us informed about your activities.
The NWF (National Wildlife Federation) is holding their Great American Backyard Campout on June 26, 2010. To start building excitement for this important event that gets kids outdoors in nature, we want to share this informative video, featuring National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski and Rebecca Cohen from Rebecca Plants, with you.
Are you planning to participate in the Great American Backyard Campout? Comment and let us know your camping plans.
