The Birds and the Beans

As a demonstration of co-evolution, the class was split into groups, each group then was assigned a different type of plastic silverware. The spoon, fork, and knife were to represent different kinds of bird beaks. Once we where all birded up, a curtain number of beans were spread on the floor, and as a group of birds we tried to get as many beans as possible. After a 30 second collection period we regrouped and counted how many beans our grope had, and divided them into the different kinds of beans.
This activity showed natural selection by slowing eliminating the knife beaked birds. This was the result because they could not pick up the beans as easy as the spoons and fork beaked birds. Also noticed was the slow decrease in beans that were easy to pick up. The larger beans were decreased in number and the ones that are harder to grab increased in number. This is a great example of co-evolution. As the beaks that could pick up beans easier increased, so did the number of beans that were harder to pick up.
Over the course of the activity different strategies were developed. Some of them were things like using ones thumb as a 'tongue', using the side of one foot to push the beans onto the beak, or using team work to scoop a large number of beans back to ones team members.
I thought this activity was great. I could see it being used in the classroom.

Celebrate The Cold

As the temperatures fall it is understood that winter is looming right around the corner. Many complain about the white precipitation and the cold temperatures that come along with it. However, I tend to like it. It adds beauty to a brown land that has seen better days after peak fall colors. The cold slows everything down. Even as water molecules slow and becomes a solid state of ice. The cold brings a crisp feeling to the air and calm to the land.

My celebration came as I steeped out onto the ice for the first time of the season. The ease of my skate blades gliding across the frozen pond brings a smile to my face. The sound that my skates make as they cut into the glassy ice is music to my ears. I could not help but smile. So many memories have been made on the backyard ponds in the winter. The excitement that comes with falling temperatures and waiting for ice to thicken is something I celebrate every year. Must be the Minnesotan in me.