The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) visited Lockhart students, teaching them about animal groups and what makes them special and unique. Students had the pleasure of sharing their stories, asking questions and learning from Miss. Scales and Miss. Z, who even brought some smooth and fuzzy friends with them for students to pet.
First Graders took part in the program, “Meet The Animals,” and got to see and pet a hissing cockroach, blue-tongue skink, a hedgehog, and a snake. All very different, but Miss. Scales and Miss. Z talked about each of their habitats and the animals' defenses.
Second Graders took part in “What’s Wild?,” and were told a story about a day in the life of a squirrel. The educators then shared the same story about a day in the life of a dog. They were asked to compare the stories and discuss how a squirrel and dog got their food, and how they spent their day. Students learned a big word: “domesticated”. Students were given a picture of an animal and they had to decide whether it was a wild animal or a domesticated animal with the help of a story board. They learned about a box turtle named Gertrude and were taught to never keep a wild animal as a pet. They even got to meet and pet Sushi, the chinchilla, which is the 2nd softest animal in the world.
Third Graders sat in on the “Reptile” workshop, which coincides with their classroom science unit. They met and had the opportunity to pet Gertrude, the box turtle; a blue-tongue skink, and a corn snake. They got to touch and see a taxidermy alligator up close and feel a snake’s skin.
Fourth Graders learned about “Wild Defenses,” and how animals have specific defense mechanisms to protect them from predators. This includes skin or shells that are camouflage such as a stick bug or a peacock that opens its feathers to make them look bigger.
The Fifth Graders took part in a program called, “Vertebrates.” There were lots of animal skeletons on display, including fish. Students were engaged and had lots of questions and they are all looking forward to the DEC visiting each year.