Date: Fri 30-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

HOM-animals-school

Full Text:

To Migrate Or Hibernate, That Is The Question

(with photos)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Children in Carol Howard's kindergarten at Head O' Meadow School learned that

just as they make changes for winter, so do the animals.

Some animals migrate to where food is more plentiful. Some hibernate or cat

nap. Still others remain active through the winter months.

Brenda Brede and Jean Marie Winokur, parent volunteers trained by the

Connecticut Audubon Society, discussed what animals do in the winter, then put

on a puppet show to bring these ideas to life for the children.

Mrs Winokur asked the children, "How do you know winter's coming?" A young boy

said, "You're cold, and you have to wear jackets too." Mrs Winokur agreed.

Animals grow thicker coats to keep warm.

She also reminded the children of another way to tell that winter is coming.

Children can't go out to play after dinner now because it gets dark too early.

Animals know when it starts to get dark earlier too, and they get ready for

winter.

Hummingbirds migrate. Frogs hibernate. Squirrels remain active. Mrs Winokur

asked the children, "What does a skunk do?" Many hands went up and children

called out, "I know what they do! They stink!!"

Children learned that raccoons and skunks cat-nap in the winter. They sleep

through the coldest weeks, then get up and find something to eat.

One girl commented that her cat does that all year round. Her cat curls up in

a ball and goes to sleep. It gets up to eat, then it goes back to sleep.

After the puppet show children played games to learn what different animals do

for the winter.

This program was run in each kindergarten class at HOM, with parents

volunteering in their child's class.

Praxair, Inc of Danbury supplied materials for the show.