In a suitable outdoor location, any site that is close to the school or your house, search the landscape for an organism. Pick a creature to observe and answer following questions.

1. How does the creature move?
2. What does it eat?
3. Where does it spend its time? In the air? On a plant? On the ground? If it
stays on a plant, what does the plant look like?
4. What is unusual about the way that this creature looks?
5. Does it make any noise? What does it sound like?
6. How does the creature react when other organisms approach it?
7. What are the weather conditions today?
8. Is this a sunny or shady spot most of the time?

In a suitable outdoor location, any site that is close to the school or your house where grass, weeds, trees, or other plants are growing, search the landscape for insects, spiders, and other arthropods. Pick a creature to observe and answer following questions.

1. How does the creature move?
2. What does it eat?
3. Where does it spend its time? In the air? On a plant? On the ground? If it
stays on a plant, what does the plant look like?
4. What is unusual about the way that this creature looks?
5. Does it make any noise? What does it sound like?
7. How does the creature react when insects or other animals approach it?
8. What are the weather conditions today?
9. Is this a sunny or shady spot most of the time?

A Bird Came Down
Emily Dickinson

A Bird came down the Walk –
He did not know I saw –
He bit an Angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,

And then he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass –
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass –

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad –
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought –
He stirred his Velvet Head

Like one in danger, Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home –

Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam –
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon
Leap, plashless as they swim.

Think about this lovely poem by Emily Dickinson. How would you describe the way she chose to start the poem? Things get interesting when she noticed that the bird was afraid. What do you think the bird was afraid of or watching out for? 

Spend some time outside and watch the birds around you. How would you describe them, not just what they look like but what they are doing. Why do you think they are doing that? How do you think they are feeling and why are they feeling that way?

Write your own poem about the bird you saw. 

Penn Alexander School is committed to helping the Earth and doing all we can to celebrate Earth Week!

Here are a few things that you can do to help:

• Get an adult and help pick up trash 
  
• Recycle bottles, cans or paper.
  
• Clean up your yard.
  
• Build a birdhouse or birdbath.
  
• Plant something in your yard or a community garden. 
  
• Turn the light switch off in rooms that you weren’t using.
  
• Turned the water off while you were brushing my teeth until you needed to rinse your mouth and brush.
  
• Ride your bike or walk somewhere instead of taking the bus or a car. 

Last week we brainstormed some ideas. This is the week to take action! Tell us about how YOU celebrated Earth week!

For this week's observational homework I would like you to take a walk around your neighborhood and think about three things you find beautiful and really like about the natural beauty around us and one thing you think could improve the natural beauty of our neighborhood. 

Monday April 22 is Earth Day and Friday April 26 is Abor Day. 
We are going to celebrate both days in school on Friday April 26th and in the school garden on April 28th. 
Please RSVP for our garden day on April 28th on the homepage of this website! 

Share your observtions from your walk and make some suggestions on how we could celebrate Earth Day or Arbor Day here!

Use your senses to find Springtime around you:
To do:
1.Take a walk around the block.
Things to See:
1.A wildflower: What color is it? What is the name of it?
2.A tree flowering: What color are the flowers? Where did you see it? What is the name of the tree?
Things to Feel:
1.Something Smooth: What is it? Where did you find it?
2.Something Rough: What is it? Where did you find it?
Things to hear:
1.A bird chirping: What kind of bird was it?
2.Running water: Where was it?

In your entry this week summarize your walk.Tell us when you went, describe what your saw, heard, and felt. If you want to take pictures or draw pictures you can bring them to class to be put on the site.