Owl Moon Plans

We studied Owl Moon by Jane Yolen this week and we will continue into next week. This time around we are focusing on owls and forest habitats along with the moon and its phases. Plus, we'll doing some fun art work which hopefully I can add to this post or use to create an update.

We listed animals you can find in a forest- while not exhaustive it was a good beginning.

We used some of our favorite nature books to identify trees found in a forest so they could draw them onto a mural. At right is the Handbook of Nature Study which has photos of quite a few tree skeletons (winter trees)- very helpful.

While doing our work we listened to some owls- most particularly the Great Horned Owl from the story Owl Moon. Note that we now have the CD to go along with our Birds of New York book. They correspond to each other so well that you can find the exact track/page number a bird is on.

Great Horned Owl hooting provided a festive background for creating the forest mural. It's a winter forest mural. I-6 is taking the lead, but he is allowing help from interested siblings. R8 never passes up an opportunity to draw!

The front of I-6's Owl Moon notebook.

I think the Tinted Christmas Tree Painting from Art Projects for Kids will be perfect for an owl moon night as in from the book.

The Mammal lapbook from Hearts and Trees Winter Kit provides a perfect study of forest mammals. I'm looking forward to doing this with everyone. I am really enjoying Amanda's kits (I have last summer and fall's kits too to enjoy- I bought them late so we haven't torn into them yet).

We'll be doing another project from Storybook Art which has an assignment on Owl Moon. I think the kids will enjoy using this technique.
Virtual Owl Pellet- While the real deal is a lot of fun, this time I have decided to do a less messy version of the owl pellet dissection. I played with it a little and it is fun to click on the pellet and watch the bones come out. And no fur to worry about on the carpet...ahem. Here is a look at the first time from two years ago.

Books on Owls:

All About Owls by Jim Arnosky
Owls by Gail Gibbons
Birds of New York
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America

Some Winter Book Titles to Share:

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
Backyard Birds of Winter by Carol Lerner
Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee
Winter Barn by Peter Parnall
In the Snow: Who's Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George
North Country Night by Daniel SanSouci
The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
The Very Last First Time by Jan Andrews
Usborne-The Snowy Day by Anna Milbourne and Elena Temporin
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Snow by Marion Dane Bauer
Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter Scholastic Level 2 Reader
Magic School Bus Arctic Adventure Scholastic Level 2 Reader
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll
Winter Poems compiled by Barbara Rogasky
Stranger in the Woods by Carl Sams II and Jean Stoick
Magic School Bus Lost in the Snow Scholastic Level 2 Reader
The Snow Storm by Heather Amery
All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
First Snow in the Woods by Carl Sams II and Jean Stoick
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

I will try to update this post when we have more to share on our progress. Happy Owling!