November 2011 Pre-School Newsletter Colorful Animals

Dear Parents,

This month’s enrichment program was not only educational it was also very colorful. Your children were introduced to the world’s most colorful animals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Not only are these creatures beautiful to look at, they also have unusual behaviors and life styles.
Under the sea we explored some very magical and unique fish. We met the clown fish, the mandarin fish, the weedy sea dragon and the sea nettle jelly fish. Did you know that the clown fish has the ability to switch from male to female? Since the clown fish live in the quiet corners of the coral reef they were never hunted. Due to the popularity of ‘Finding Nemo” the clown fish has become a very popular inhabitant of salt water aquariums. The mandarin fish is the most colorful in the seven seas. It is also the most popular fish in salt water aquariums. Mandarin fish do not survive well in a reef tank due to their finicky eating habits. Their scale-less body of the fish is blue or green in color which has orange wavy lines across it. The tail is bright red with blue edging. Other colors can be found in their pattern as well. The weedy sea dragon resembles a modern day dinosaur scaled down. Adult weedy sea dragons are reddish in color with yellow and purple markings. The sea dragon feasts on seaweed, sea grass, and small organisms that live in the rocky reefs. The weedy sea dragon can be found on the coastline of Australia, Whales and Tasmania. Scientists have discovered that the jelly fish has been roaming the sea for over 500 million years. The jelly fish does not have a brain or central nervous system, but rather has a loose network of nerves located on the epidermis. Watching the Jelly fish in their natural habitat was a beautiful and soothing sight to see.

We then leaped over to the amphibian and reptile family. The blue poison dart frog and the Panther Chameleon were a sight to see. The blue poison dart frog is noted for their majestic blue coloring. Their coloring being so intense that it acts as a camouflage when they are in the water where they like to reside. An interesting fact: This colorful and poisonous frog was not even discovered until 1968. Scientists and researches now believe these beautiful creatures have been around for centuries. The panther chameleon lives in the eastern and northern parts of Madagascar in a tropical forest. The panther chameleons are typically a vibrant blue, red, orange and green. They grow to be about 20 inches long and the male chameleon is more vibrantly colored. Color change is, for the most part subconscious; it is affected by temperature, mood and light. A chameleon cannot change to a particular color if that color is not in sight.
Flying over into the bird world, we discovered the beautiful flamingo, the rainbow lorikeet, and the scarlet macaw.   The flamingo gets its pinkish color from the algae they eat. The algae contain photosynthetic pigments that give the birds their pink color. The flamingo also likes to snack on shrimp. The very colorful and playful rainbow lorikeet is in the parrot family. The lorikeet parrot has patches of emerald green, orange, midnight blue, dull blue, ruby red, lemon yellow, purple violet and greenish grey colors. They are said to live over 20 years old in the wild and some have in captivity had the ability to chatter words and phrases.
Last but not least is the very entertaining and funniest animal on the planet. The blue footed booby. They are greatly known for their bright blue feet and their unique courting dance. The blue footed booby is a monogamous animal and shares the responsibility of the incubation period with their partner. They travel in parties of about 12 and they dive from great heights to get their food from under the sea.
     This was truly one of the most enjoyable subjects to teach. The children’s laughter and   desire to see what species would be next was truly a very rewarding and entertaining teaching experience for me. Try searching the web for these amazing creatures and have your children tell you what they have learned. Next month they will join me for a tour of famous world scenery. We will see the likes of Big Ben, Stone Gardens in Tokyo Japan, Machu Picchu in Peru the sea board in Willemstad Curacao and many more beautiful sights that grace this planet.

Sincerely,