Henry Builds a Cabin Activity


Birds	Canada Goose	Chipmunk	Ducks

Frogs	Monarch Butterfly	Rabbit	Raccoons

Animal Houses

"How long we may have gazed on a particular scenery and think that we have seen and known it, when, at length, some bird or quadruped comes and takes posession of it before our eyes, and imparts to it a wholly new character." Thoreau, Journal

Animals use their houses for protection, storing food, and rearing their offspring. Their homes can be underground or high in the trees, in the water or dry land. Birds build nests in trees or other convenient place such as a roof crevice in a house. Squirrels gather lots of leaves and build nests between branches of the trees during the summer. In winter they prefer a hole in the limb of a tree. Chipmunks rabbits, and woodchucks burrow underground. So do foxes, They live in a den until the young are able to care for themselves. A skunk likes a ready-made burrow. Web spiders spin intricate geometric designs used for capturing food while insects employ a variety of architectures Some wasps build their homes with mud while others chew particles of wood that mixes with their saliva to make a paper substance. Underwater houses consist of shallow troughs in the sandy bottoms of ponds and streams where fish spawn. The turtle carries his house on his back, but lays its eggs in the sand.

Activity

Observe the wildlife in the movies at the top of the page. Describe what you see. Keep a journal of your own observations of animals that visit your home or schoolyard. Download the Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your sightings.

Animal, Plant, and Weather Observation

Why do you suppose that D.B. Johnson has a turtle in the final page of the story?

"A turtle walking is as if a man were to try to walk by sticking his legs and arms merely out the windows." Thoreau, Journal