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

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animal

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a living thing that needs to eat other living things

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safety

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protection from getting hurt

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food

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something that animals eat

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needs

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things an animal or plant must have in order to live

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survive

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to stay alive

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behavior

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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

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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

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 (2) 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 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

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

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

“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!”

“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!”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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'!”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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!”

“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.”

“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! ”

How can you find animals in the woods?

Vocabulary