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How can you find animals in the woods?

Animal Secrets Unit
Lesson 3 of 4
Animal Needs: Safety
4.8 (6503 reviews)
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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Nature Walk Tips

  • Ask students what they think they'll see on their walk. Have them draw their answers. (Drawing prompt handout

  • Talk about looking for any animals — from birds in the trees to bees in the flower bed.

  • Discuss a “no squishing” policy for creepy crawly critters, like worms, beetles, and ants.

  • Tell students to listen for animal sounds (birds chirping, squirrels scolding) and to look for signs that animals have been there (spider webs, animal tracks, nests).

  • After the walk, have students discuss what they saw and draw something they want to remember. (Drawing prompt handout

Slide Image

animal


1 of 9

a living thing that needs to eat other living things
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Slide Image

safety


2 of 9

protection from getting hurt
Slide Image

food


3 of 9

something that animals eat
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needs


4 of 9

things an animal or plant must have in order to live

survive


5 of 9

to stay alive
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behavior


6 of 9

what an animal does
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different


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not the same
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similar


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somewhat the same
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pattern


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something that happens again and again and again in a way that can be predicted

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Other
person in boots walking in forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Alones
praying mantis spreading its claws by CaPro
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of person lifting log by Hidden Villa Science and Nature Video Series
video of praying mantis applying self-defense by duncantakeru
praying mantis spreading its claws by CaPro
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
toad by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Tom Reichner
video of praying mantis climbing branch by Pond5
video of snail expanding its antennae by Epigrafx
video walking through forest by Zenvision TV
boy standing (1) by Hogan Imaging
boy standing (2) by Sergey Novikov
girl standing by Sergey Novikov
red eft by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Jay Ondreicka
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
video of praying mantis climbing branch by Pond5
video of snail expanding its antennae by Epigrafx
video walking through forest by Zenvision TV
boy blue sneakers and jeans by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Veja
boy standing (1) by Hogan Imaging
boy standing (1) by Hogan Imaging
boy standing (2) by Sergey Novikov
boy standing (2) by Sergey Novikov
girl standing by Sergey Novikov
girl standing by Sergey Novikov
ladybird beetle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: BUFOTO
praying mantis on branch by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Viacheslav Matiukhin
praying mantis pose by Ferran Pestana
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
video of praying mantis applying self-defense by duncantakeru
gopher hole by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: schankz
owl in a tree hole by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Thitisak Mongkonnipat
praying mantis on branch by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Viacheslav Matiukhin
praying mantis pose by Ferran Pestana
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
snail shell by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Imageman
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of praying mantis applying self-defense by duncantakeru
close-up of praying mantis by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Fernando Verdu Brufal
kid looking up at insects by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Philippe Put
praying mantis pose by Ferran Pestana
snail on leaf by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: thechatat
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of snail expanding its antennae by Epigrafx
white soundflower seeds in palm of hand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Shyripa Alexandr
child sitting on stump thinking by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Aleksandra Nikolaeva
father talking with children in forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Monkey Business Images
sitting praying mantis by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Muhammad Naaim
video of gopher coming out of hole and discovering sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of praying mantis applying self-defense by duncantakeru
video of praying mantis applying self-defense by duncantakeru
young teen asian girl looking through gopher hole by dangdumrong
large hole looking upwards toward the sky by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Oppdowngalon
video of gopher coming out of hole and discovering sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of praying mantis applying self-defense by duncantakeru
video of snail expanding its antennae by Epigrafx
video of woodpecker pecking wood by Benjamin Slade
young teen asian girl looking through gopher hole by dangdumrong
large hole looking upwards toward the sky by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Oppdowngalon
video of gopher coming out of hole and discovering sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video walking through forest by Zenvision TV
young teen asian girl looking through gopher hole by dangdumrong
video of person lifting log by Hidden Villa Science and Nature Video Series
white soundflower seeds in palm of hand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Shyripa Alexandr
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
video of gopher eating sunflower seeds by Alex Brandin
white soundflower seeds in palm of hand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Shyripa Alexandr
video of land snail moving across pavement by Wishlessness
white soundflower seeds in palm of hand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Shyripa Alexandr
video of praying mantis climbing branch by Pond5
two children running in the forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Monkey Business Images
father talking with children in forest by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Monkey Business Images
video of crawling rolly polly by Walter Kessler
Credits
How can you find animals in the woods?
Animal Secrets Unit
Lesson 3 of 4
Animal Needs: Safety
4.8 (6503 reviews)

Featured Reviews

“The kids love moving around---they had never heard of a gopher before so they were excited to see that! I had them hide like gophers under the table and I spread some beads out on top as seeds--they loved grabbing one at a time!”
· Kate · Teacher
“Students enjoyed getting out of their chairs and acting like animals.”
· Sara · Teacher
“The children especially loved the videos about the animals in the tree! I love how either Doug stops or I can stop and ask questions of the students to check for understanding!”
· · Teacher
“Students were engaged! Loved using it with my nonverbal autism students. ”
· · Teacher
“Acting like the animals is always fun! The students enjoyed a nature hike around the playground and left sunflower seeds by some holes they found. They were so excited to go back days later and find evidence that an animal or animals had eaten some or all of the seeds. It was a mystery!”
· · Teacher
“Students enjoyed learning about how to better find animals. They appreciated the action activities. At recess they were looking for animals outside and sharing their new information with friends in other classes.”
· Amy · Teacher
“This was super fun! I love Doug's clear explanations and the question prompts are encouraging wonderful discussions in my class. My learners LOVED pretending to be animals. We also enjoyed watching and discussing the extra videos provided. I followed this up by showing my class some small video shots I had made recently while trekking in the jungle, of orangutans (we live in Sumatra, Indonesia). Thanks so much! I can't wait for the next mystery in this series. ”
· Liz · Teacher
“There were some funny surprises from Pat :) This lesson got us excited to explore outside and find some hiding spots for animals!”
· Julie · Homeschooler
“Kids loved moving like animals. They all understood that they acted that way to stay safe. great activity!”
· Debra · Teacher
“Amazing how engaged the students are and love learning about how animals seek safety to survive. ! ”
· Amy · Teacher
“I love this website and my students are so engaged in the lessons. We actually did this one more than once! ”
· Jackelyn · Teacher
“Our kindergarten students LOVED these mysteries! The anticipation of what animals we will see next combined with the movements for each was great! So much fun! We also loved the extension videos of 'who is living in the hole in the tree'!”
· Jenny · Teacher
“The movement based learning! The kids LOVED the gopher hole activity~ it's PERFECTLY geared towards kindergarten! The concept came across loud and clear!”
· Kristine · Teacher
“Great body movements again along with great sequencing. The students loved it.”
· Danita · Teacher
“We are learning about insects right now and this fit perfect. Thank you for having movement and short, engaging videos for my grade-level. ”
· Anna · Teacher
“I love to see and hear my students' excitement!”
· Sandra · Teacher
“I love that you give space in the presentation for think time/discussion, that you have 3 animals to consider and contrast with, and that you have the children moving. It makes it fun when you surprise us with funny pictures. Great job! I hope that there are more videos.”
· Vicky · Teacher
“The students really grasped the concept of the ways animals protect themselves. They continue to LOVE being able to act things out. I absolutely love how engaging these lessons are, and I really hope you make more. ”
· Nicole · Teacher
“Students love getting up and pretending to be the different animals. They quickly learned to follow along with Pat and to sit back down when instructed.”
· Cheryl · Homeschooler
“These are both really fun and perfect for kindergarten. My class is now totally excited to go out looking for animals!!”
· Kaia · Teacher
“The kids loved this lesson! No prep for me and very engaging and interesting for the kids! They loved it!”
· Samantha · Teacher
“Doug, You are an amazing instructor! My scholars loved this mystery.”
· Deborah · Teacher
“Acting like the animals. Today's lesson was even more fun than the first one!! It was really nice to have a very engaging, low-prep activity to do connected to the animals we are studying in class!”
· Karen · Teacher
“My class really liked the moving parts again. I added another strategy in with the discussion parts so they could be up and moving and discussing with different people. I am really loving these lessons and can't wait to get to the next units.”
· Erin · Teacher
“My students couldn't wait to ask if we would do Mystery Science! It was extremely informational and interactive. It gave age appropriate extensions to expand on what they've learned. They loved implementing their knowledge on a "nature walk" outside the school. We can't wait to do more lessons! ”
· Kara · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students observe different animal behaviors and work to discover another pattern: all animals seek safety in order to survive. The activity, Gopher in a Hole, includes physical movement in which students pretend to be snails hiding in their shells, praying mantises scaring away predators, and gophers popping out of holes.
Preview activity

Vocabulary

Assessments

Prep Instructions

This activity does not require supplies.

Make sure students have enough space to move around as they pretend to be different animals.

Since there’s so little prep for this activity, we recommend you plan on doing one of the activities in the Extensions. To understand how animals seek safety, it’s important that children have a chance to observe them. You can provide that opportunity by keeping pet snails, exploring a grassy lawn, going for a nature walk, or watching videos to learn what animals make their homes in a hole in a tree.

Standards

Jump to

Exploration

8 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Wrap-Up

7 mins

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Credits
 
Animal Secrets Lesson 3: How can you find animals in the woods?

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