OHC - SQUIRREL HUNT

This week's outdoor challenge is Chipmunks, but as we do not have chipmunks in the UK, we focused on squirrels instead, primarily the indigenous red squirrel.


We started our indoor time reading the first few paragraphs of Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin - an impertinent little red squirrel.

Using our encyclopedia, we then did a little reading about squirrels as well as how they differ from chipmunks. 


Then we looked at the red and grey tree squirrels. The red squirrel is indigenous to Europe and the UK but in ever decreasing numbers. 

About 200 years ago, the grey squirrel was introduced to Europe and the UK to the detriment of the red squirrel - primarily for 2 reasons: 1) the grey squirrel is bigger and stronger and can easily take over the territory. They are also more hardy than the red squirrel; 2) the grey squirrel carries the deadly squirrel pox virus that can kill a red squirrel within 2 weeks.


Using Red squirrels in Britain and  Save our squirrels we learnt about the food, habitat and family life of red squirrels as well as the differences between red and grey squirrels. We also did a Nutitude Test :)


Then we went out for our squirrel hunt. We knew that we wouldn't find any red squirrels as they live primarily in coniferous woodlands (the grey squirrels don't like the little seeds of the pine cones) as well as more to the north of England and Scotland,but initially it looked like we wouldn't see any grey squirrels either. But right near the end of our walk, our perseverance paid off and we saw 2 little grey squirrels:

Back home, we completed a notebook page.

Then, after looking at pictures from our next impressionist artist, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), we painted squirrels using acrylic paints thickened with egg shells, flour, sand, salt, etc. Berthe used heavy globs of paint, thick brush strokes and bright colours. 

Miss A's picture

 While the girls did their paintings, I finished reading Squirrel Nutkin to them - a sweet, enjoyable story, regardless of how old we are :)