Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day!!
Have you ever seen a flying squirrel? What about a squirrel touching up her lipstick?
I have the pleasure of belonging to a group of women who scrapbook and our mascot is the squirrel. We have had many “squirrely” adventures! So indeed I have seen a squirrel stop, pull over and touch up her lipstick.
Today we are going to focus a bit more on the 3 types of squirrels you may encounter in nature: the flying squirrel, the tree squirrel and the ground squirrel.
The flying squirrel doesn’t really fly… remember the scene in Toy Story – where Buzz Lightyear is “falling, with style” – that’s exactly what a flying squirrel does… They glide through the air after launching off a tree branch. Fascinating for sure. Check out this great video by National Geographic Wild: World’s Weirdest- Flying Squirrel
Tree squirrels, as their name implies live in trees. Some of the most recognized of the tree squirrels are the grey, red and fox squirrel. They may bury food in the ground so tgey have it for later.
Ground squirrels can sometimes be mistaken for gophers due to their burrowing underground. They eat nuts, seeds and plants. They even eat small insects.
Did you know chipmunks and marmots are also in the squirrel family? There are so many cool squirrel facts I compiled a list of my favorites and created a copywork activity pack. Here is a sample you can use. The full version is available in my TPT store for only $1.25. It comes with 9 facts in print and cursive.
I can not resist sharing this youtube video…. If you can not get out of the house to go squirrel watching today – have no fear. This Mom and her babies will keep you entertained for quite some time. Squirrel Clown Car
One of my favorite websites as a classroom teacher was SCI Show Kids. It’s geared at kids TK – grade 3, but my 4th graders loved it, and I dare say – kids are kids. The information is great. They have a video called: Why do Squirrels dig? I have created a FREE companion worksheet to go along with the video.
Watch the video and use this FREE companion worksheet! (answer key not included, but you can get it in my Squirrel Appreciation Day activity Pack!)
Some other great activities you can do:
String Fruit Ring Cereal on yarn and hang it outside
TP Tube and squirrel food with peanut butter
Do you have a park that has lots of squirrels? Why not load an empty egg carton with different food samples (nuts, fruit, etc) … set it under a Tree and watch what happens!
Make a felt puppet or stuffed animal. The complete instructions, pattern and other great Squirrel Appreciation Day activities are available in my TeachersPayTeachers Shop.
If you are looking for a GREAT BOOK to compliment nature studies, begin nature studies or just as a stand alone book about squirrels – I highly recommend this one:
The Series of animal stories by Thorton Burgess is a MUST HAVE for every household! You can get many of them for FREE as Kindle editions.
I hope your appreciation of Squirrels has increased!
Come back again for another fun Homeschool Holiday to explore- because there is always something to learn!
With Love,
“Mrs. Crabtree”
Please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate and as such the links I post are affiliate links.
For my full DISCLOSURE go HERE.
Sources:
Sources: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/squirrel-appreciation-day-january-21/
https://www.whatdosquirrelseat.org/where-do-flying-squirrels-live/
