The answer to the clues may be found at the bottom of this column.
Teachers and Parents: Enter to win an entire set of Dawn’s nature books of one title for your home or classroom. It's fun and easy!
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Just read the clues below. They describe an aspect of nature—a plant, animal, mineral, habitat, or natural process. |
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When you're ready to make your guess about who or what I am, click ENTER NOW. |
Who Am I?
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Clue 1: I'm a member of the "dog family." |
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Clue 2: I live throughout North America in deserts, prairies, forests, and even in towns and cities. |
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Clue 3: You might hear me howling at night to communicate with my pack. |
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Clue 4: Don't let me trick you—I am NOT a wolf. |
Do you think you know who I am? ENTER NOW.
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Entries should be submitted no later than noon on Friday. |
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If you guessed correctly, you’re automatically entered into the monthly drawing for a set of nature books from Dawn Publications. |
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A contest winner will be announced at the end of September. |
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Throughout the school year, clues for a new Who Am I are posted no later than Sunday night, so you can use them with your class on Monday morning.Good luck! |
Kiki’s Reef is the Place to Be
This week I’m happy to introduce you to On Kiki’s Reef —my latest book!
Kiki is a green sea turtle. The inspiration for writing “her story” was sparked by some of the amazing encounters I had while snorkeling in Hawaii.
The array of color on the coral reefs was breath-taking, and swimming with a huge green sea turtle was a definite highlight for me. I felt a special connection with her as we floated together across the reef and slowly made our way into a shallow inlet near shore.
This endearing little sea turtle will delight young and old alike as she takes readers on a journey through her busy reef and the cycle of her life. . . . I found myself smiling again and again as I followed Kiki through her lively underwater world. – Anna Jedrziewski
INSIDE: Edible Coral Polyp
One of the most amazing things about a coral reef is that it’s alive. It may look like a rock, but it’s covered with a layer of living corals. Corals are tiny animals called polyps. Follow these directions to teach your students about corals as they create an “coral polyp” they can eat from easy to get ingredients.
This activity is adapted from the California Academy of Sciences.
OUTSIDE: Clownfish Tag
Kiki discovers that animals on the reef help each other—”In and out and all around, lots of teamwork can be found.” The symbiotic relationship between a clownfish and an anemone is an example of a “perfect partnership.” Give your students an actual experience of the value of this partnership by playing Clownfish Tag.
This activity is adapted from my book, A Swim Through the Sea Teacher Guide.
MORE FACTS AND FUN ABOUT OCEAN
These books explore the coral reef and sea creatures in fun and interesting ways:
- A Swim Through the Sea—Ocean creatures A to Z.
- Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef—Young children count baby coral reef creatures.
- Granny’s Clan—Life as an Orca Whale is a family affair.
My children have asked to hear this lovely, underwater story repeatedly. You follow Kiki, the sea turtle, as she is born, survives life on a beautiful coral reef and returns to her starting point to lay eggs of her own. I liked this story because it gave enough information for my children to feel attached to Kiki but plenty of hard facts on the life of a sea turtle so that there was much to discuss and re-read. —Erin, Amazon.com review