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Wildlife Food Drive a Huge Success!

Rama Central's "Second Annual Food Drive for Orphaned Wildlife" brought in an astounding number of natural food donations. Over a span of three weeks, we collected boxes and boxes of acorns and pine cones, and also received donations of maple keys, wind fall apples, black walnuts, chestnuts and sumac seeds. Our class would like to thank the entire Rama Central P.S. community for participating.

Four carloads of food have been delivered to Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, in Rosseau, Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge, in Pefferlaw, and Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary, in Minden. (Click on any photo in this BLOG post to enlarge it.)

Mrs. Black's car is now loaded for a second delivery to Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge:

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This morning, we engaged in some math problem-solving involving the food drive. We calculated how many kilograms of acorns and boxes of pine cones we collected, in total.

IMG_5245We collected 217 kilograms (478 lbs.) of acorns and eight cartons of pine cones.

Then, using information we obtained earlier about how many acorns are in a kilogram and how many pine cones fit into a standard-sized box, we estimated how many acorns and pine cones we collected.

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Here are the totals!

IMG_5249We collected approximately 58,590 acorns!

IMG_5254We collected approximately 7, 200 pine cones!

Afterwards, some students tackled a "challenge question" using consumption estimates provided by Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary. Woodlands estimated that, if a young squirrel ate only acorns, it would eat about 30 in a day. Based on this information, students calculated how long our acorns would last one squirrel.

IMG_5255If a squirrel ate only acorns, the acorns we collected
would last that squirrel approximately 5.4 years!

This math problem led to a discussion about healthy eating (our current topic in health). Students learned that, like us, squirrels actually eat a varied diet, consisting primarily of nuts and seeds, and that a varied diet is what provides squirrels with balanced nutrition and ensures good health.

At the end of the food drive, students in our class polled the school to determine how many students participated in the food drive. We were excited to learn that 20 percent of students and 25 percent of staff brought food to school for the animals!  We distributed Certificates of Appreciation and I Saved a Life wrist bands (courtesy of Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge) to everyone that participated.

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food-drive-certificates1 Students in our class with their certificates and wrist bands

 This project has provided students with some wonderful hands-on learning experiences in math, literacy, science and character education, but the best part of the food drive is seeing orphaned animals at local wildlife sanctuaries enjoying the fruits of our labours!

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A flying squirrel kit eating one of our acorns,
at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Above and below: raccoon kits at Aspen Valley
Wildlife Sanctuary, enjoying our acorns.

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SOH-squirrelA baby squirrel at Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge
enjoying our acorns and pine cones.

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Link to video of baby squirrels eating our acorns,
at Shades of Hope 

SOH-porcupine

An injured adult porcupine dining on our acorns and pine cones,
at Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge.

woodlands-deerWhite-tailed deer fawns enjoying our sumac, acorns and maple keys,
at Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary.

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OCTOBER 7TH UPDATE:

One day, when we were a week into our food drive, the supervisor and students that attend the school's before-school daycare came to Mrs. Black's class to tell her they had found a flightless bird on the schoolyard.  Mrs. Black and Ben, a Grade 4 student in our class, contained the bird and brought him into the school. Mrs. Black e-mailed Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge and they recommended that she bring the bird to them for treatment.

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The bird, a male finch, spent two weeks living in one of the aviaries at Shades of Hope, recovering from a wing injury. When Mrs. Black took Shades of Hope their second food drive delivery, she picked the finch up and brought him back to the school, for release. This morning, Ben released the bird, while the other daycare kids cheered the bird on. Here is the video of the finch's release.

Link to high definition version of release video:
http://www.blackdeer.ca/wildlife-rehab/RamaCentralFinchRelease.mp4

To thank the children for rescuing the finch, students involved in rescuing the finch received I Saved a Life wrist bands (courtesy of Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge). The kids of Rama Central's before-school daycare program are wildlife heros!

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OCTOBER 18TH UPDATE:

After the food drive officially ended the food just kept on coming, creating the need for a third food delivery to the closest sanctuary, Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge!!!

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

1 thought on “Wildlife Food Drive a Huge Success!

  1. Woodlands Wildlife Sanctuary

    Big rumbling applause to all you amazing students that hauled your collections to the school, and sorted, cleaned, counted, analyzed, and then packed it all up to be delivered to us for our wildlife to enjoy all winter long. You are an amazing group of animal lovers and our country's future conservationists! Our deer and squirrels are already appreciating your buffet of goodies! Thank you for all your hard work! And a sincere thank you to the girls that donated their coins to help the fawns...we will use it towards the purchase of a new salt lick for them, which they absolutely love!!

    Reply

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