Bible
We read from "God and Me": 365 Daily Devotionals. We read from Genesis 1:11-13 about the plants and caring for them.
Zoobook: Sharks
New things we learned today:
– Carnivore- eats meat
-The Caudal Fin is the tail fin that propels the shark forward. Sharks can swim up to 40mph.
-Sharks have slits on the side called gills. The gills filter oxygen from water for breathing.
-Fish have swim bladders that can be filled with oxygen or a gas to allow the fish to float, but sharks do not have this and most must constantly swim or they will sink. Some can rest on the ocean floor or on a rock, while others engage in a sleep-swim state, but sharks do not sleep like humans do.
-The Pectoral fins are the two fins on the sharks chest. These help the shark ascend or descend.
-The shark is a predator. They hunt for their food, the prey.
–Ampullae of Lorenzini– the small holes below the shark’s nose and chin that detect electrical impulses coming from all living beings.
–Lateral Line– A lateral row of holes along the sharks sides that helps sharks to sense all activity around them.
-up to 2/3 of the shark’s brain focuses on smell.
–Feeding Frenzy– A bunch of sharks will suddenly bite anything in sight, including themselves and each other.
-Sharks don’t chew; they swallow items whole.
–Remoras are fish that will keep the shark clean in exchange for bits of the sharks food.
–Thresher Sharks-Have a tail up to 10 feet long (or half it’s body length) that can be used to herd fish for feeding or used as a bat to stun their prey.
–Nurse Sharks can give live birth to 20-30 pups at a time, each about one foot long.
–Tiger Sharks can have up to 80 pups at a time! They are usuall 4.5 feet long.
-The largest organ on a shark is their liver. It can be up to 25% of the sharks body weight. It is typically full of oil used for vitamins, makeup, and paint base.
-Sharks HATE the Moses Sole. If they bite one, a chemical is released, and they will spit the fish out. Scientists are trying to recreate this chemical as a shark deterrent for humans.
-Sharks also hate the Pufferfish, for obvious reasons. A shark can die if the Pufferfish blows up in its throat.
-Sharks are not too picky about what they will eat. these items have been found in the belly of a shark:
- a bucket of nails
- a case of wine bottles
- jewelry
- a suit of armor
- coats
- a torpedo
- street signs
- a drum
-6 people on average die in the world every year from a shark attack. 50,000 people die in the U.S. alone in car accidents every year. Staticstically, the bee is deadlier than the shark.
Safety guidelines when swimming:
- Never trust a shark, no matter how small. if you see one, get out of the water and tell others to do the same.
- Don’t swim in murky water. Sharks know where you are, but you won’t know where they are.
- Always swim with someone else. Sharks are less likely to attack a group.
- If you have a cut, stay out of the water.
- If a shark has been sigthed recently, stay out of the water. They have been known to stay on an area for over a week.
If you are attacked:
- don’t panic. (yeah, riiiight…) Sharks get excited over panic.
- Hit the shark on the nose. Go on the offense. This confuses and distracts the shark.
- Stick your fingers in their eyes and up their nostrils
- Get to a doctor as fast as possible.
We finished the Shark Word Search. I helped the boys find the words and they worked hard to keep the lines straight in crossing out the words.
The boys also worked on the Shark Vocabulary Sheet. I picked smaller words for them to practice writing (shark, case, line, pup, dorsal fin). They also had to identify the parts of the shark listed on the sheet and their purpose.
The boys colored the Great White Shark (‘R’s favorite shark) and the Hammerhead (A’s favorite shark.). I took pictures. Maybe some day you will get to see them!
Lastly, we looked at National Geographic short videos of different sharks on YouTube.com.
I am sure the boys are loving this!!