Poofy Birds

The weather has turned cold again. We have lots of birds at our feeders.

This is a picture of one of our bird friends. He is an American Finch. He is very cold.

How do I know that he is cold? He has poofed out his feathers to keep warm. When a bird puffs his feathers, the air between the feathers adds warmth.

Are the birds in your backyard cold?

Wolf Moon

Have you seen the moon tonight? I sure wish that I could! It will be the biggest moon of the year. It is called the Wolf Moon.

Our skies are cloudy tonight. I hope that tomorrow the sky will be clear. Then I can see the Wolf Moon, too!

Why is it called the Wolf Moon? Long ago, Native Americans named each moon of the year. They named January's moon the Wolf Moon.

If you would like to take a picture of the Wolf Moon, remember NASA's OWN program. (See my old post called Beautiful Moon to learn more.) Just go to http://mo-www.harvard.edu/OWN/ to use their telescope to take your photo. You will need to type in your email address and a little personal information, so please ask your mom, dad, or teacher to help you.

PS Here's the photo that we took last night with NASA's OWN program. This moon makes me want to howl!!!

Playing Doggie Games

My cousin Sue has been visiting. I have been teaching her how to play. When she arrived, she only played chase. Today Sue learned how to play my very favorite doggie game. This is a movie of us playing tuggie.

Sue is much smaller than me. When we are playing, I have to be very careful not to tug too hard. I am so strong that I could launch her across the room! I don't want to hurt Sue, so I don't play too rough.

Sue and I like to growl at each other when we play. It makes the game more fun!

Are You Ready?

There is a lot of sad news about Haiti on the television now. A lot of kids worry that an earthquake might hit their home.

Almost every place on earth has a chance for a disaster. We live in hurricane country. My dad’s sister and brother live in tornado country. Mom’s mother lives in a place that gets a lot of snow and ice. We have friends that live where it floods a lot.

I think that it is better to be prepared than to worry about a disaster. Are you and your family prepared?

We are. Every spring, our family checks our hurricane emergency kit. Dad replaces the batteries from last year. Mom buys fresh canned goods. We have a list of all the things that we need. We have a special container for all of our supplies.

Are you ready? Here’s a great activity book to help you and your family. Just go to http://bereadyutah.gov/family/documents/ReadySetPrepare02.pdf. If you and your family work together, it can be fun!

Sniffer Dogs

My heart hurts for the people of Haiti. The earthquake that hit their country has left so many people injured and homeless.

The good news is that dogs will help. Search and rescue dogs from all over the world are coming to Haiti. These dogs are known as sniffer dogs.

Sniffer dogs are trained to help humans. A search and rescue team is made up of a dog and his handler.

How do sniffer dogs find people? Dogs have a special sense of smell. They use their sniffing ability to find people. The team walks around each fallen building. When the sniffer dog catches the right smell, the dog leads their handler to the trapped human.

Sniffer dogs get the job done quickly. A single dog team is better than 20 to 30 trained human searchers when looking for a missing person.

Would like to know more about sniffer dogs? Just go to http://www.fbi.gov/kids/dogs/search.htm. You can also check this great book out from your library: Meet the Search and Rescue Dogs by Christi Judah.

How Animals Keep Warm

The cold weather makes it hard for everyone to stay warm. Do you have extra blankets on your bed? Are you wearing more layers of clothes?

Animals can't put on a heavy jacket when they get cold. They must learn to adapt to the cold weather.

We have a squirrel family that lives in one of our bird houses. This winter, five squirrels live in the tiny space. They huddle together to keep warm.

This picture shows one of our squirrels. He is very smart. He laid on our black roof in the sunlight. Black absorbs heat. His belly is warm because of the roof. His top is warm because of the sunlight.

Animals adapt to the cold in many different ways. Animals with fur grow a heavier coat in the winter. Birds poof out their feathers to help them keep warm. Some animals store up fat to keep them warm in the winter months

If you would like to know more about how animals keep warm, you can print out a great little book. The book was written by Stephen Whitt. At Home in the Cold tells how Arctic animals stay warm. You can find it at http://onramp.nsdl.org/eserv/onramp:18095/at_home_45_book.pdf.

Wildlife Friendly!

Would you like to see more wildlife? It's easy! Just make your space wildlife friendly!

Animals need the same things that people need. They need water, food, and a place to live.

Any size space will work. You can hang a bird feeder outside your apartment window. You can plant trees and bushes with berries, seeds, or nuts in your yard. You can plant flowers for pollen and nectar. You can put a birdbath in your space for water.

Your family can work together to make your space wildlife friendly. It is a great school project, too! When you’re done, your space can become an official wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation.

Would you like to learn more about making your yard wildlife friendly? Visit the National Wildlife Federation's website! Just go to http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Outdoor-Activities/Garden-for-Wildlife/Create-a-Habitat.aspx