January Kids’ Corner
from the Gale River Cooperative Preschool
Animal Activity Revealed
As we get new layers of snow, animal activity that was previously hidden from us is revealed! A lot of these animals are active at night but by day we see the evidence of their adventures, including tracks. Tracks are a fun and very accessible way to explore nature in winter. Having a track ID guide with you makes the animal detective work easier. New Hampshire Fish and Game has a simple, pocket-sized track guide that you can take with you on hikes.
Most people think that the shape of the track is the best way to figure out who made it. But more often than not, the tracks aren’t particularly clear. If the snow is very deep or the tracks old, they can be harder to examine. Using the pattern of the track can be a helpful way to narrow down who made it. There are four main patterns animals make. Walkers such as deer, moose, and members of the cat and dog families walk and put their hind feet exactly where their fore feet were. This makes for a very straight line and what appears to be two prints, not four. Waddlers, or pacers, include racoons and porcupines who waddle side to side and have two prints on one side, then two on the other slightly forward. Bounders, such as snowshoe hares, squirrels and mice will plant their fore feet next to each other then swing their hind feet around to land in front. This makes it look like the bigger print is in front and the smaller print in the back but the smaller print landed first! Lastly, the lopers include the weasel family. They move a lot like bounders but their hind feet land where their forefeet were so the tracks appear in diagonal sets of two moving in a straight line.
Once you narrow down your pattern, counting toes, looking for claws, and examining shape can help you figure out who made it. It can also be exciting to find a midden (a pile of pulled apart pinecones) scat, or scratches on a tree as additional animal signs.
Want tips on how to explore tracks this winter? Read below for ideas then head Outside!
Tracking in itself is a very enjoyable activity and easy to do with kids! Make sure you have your track ID card, and a measuring tape. As you find tracks, you could photograph them so you can more closely compare them back at home.
Making your own tracks is a fun way to play with tracking! You could track a family member as they go off and hide in the woods. Or you could use your tracks to create a large design, letters, or numbers!
Interested in track activities and crafts? We’ve got you covered!
Playdough is an easy and fun medium to explore tracks. You can buy it or make your own which is fun to do with kids too! Once you have your playdough, you can roll it out to make a flat layer of snow and either have play animals walk on it or use your hands to create the shape of the prints you’ve found.
A fun early literacy activity is creating stories. Tracks are their own way of writing the story of the animal’s day. Can you draw/write your idea of what the animal was doing? It’s helpful to frame stories as having characters, a setting, and a problem that gets solved. Kids who are a bit young for drawing recognizable images might have more fun with moving play animals around and building a setting. Similarly, you could challenge a student to write out some names of the characters or even the whole story depending on where they’re at.
