Summer Learning Journey - Day 3: Awesome Animals

Activity 1: Fantastic Beasts [4 points]

In New Zealand we have many unusual animals. One of the most unusual is the kiwi bird - a bird that does not have wings and can not fly. Pretty strange, eh?! J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, has recently written a new book about strange or unusual animals called ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.’

For this activity, please watch this cool book trailer. Year 7 and Year 8 students in South Auckland, New Zealand helped to make it. Once you have watched the video, use your imagination and create your very own beast. What does your beast look, smell, feel, and sound like?

On your blog, post a description of your beast. Use interesting adjectives (describing words) to tell us about your beast.

My beast is about the same size as a Armadillo, it's nose is like an elephant. It's body is very furry like a cat. It smells like wet grass. It makes a loud noise to scare off other animals.

Activity 2: The Secretive Skink [4 points]

We have a number of small lizards (geckos and skinks) living in New Zealand. One of the least common is the Chevron Skink. According to the Department of Conservation, Chevron Skinks live mostly on two islands - Great Barrier Island and Little Barrier Island. These islands are ‘animal reserves.’ Very few people, other than staff working for the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), are allowed to live there. The DOC staff are called ‘Rangers.’ Their job is to protect the wildlife (animals and plants) living on the island.

Would you like to be a DOC ranger and live with the animals on Great Barrier Island?

On your blog list three pros (good things) and three cons (bad things) about working as a DOC ranger. At the bottom of your post, tell us whether you would like to be a DOC Ranger or not.

Three Pros

* You get to go to an island many people cannot. 

* You get to live with different kinds of animals.

* You can learn about more about the animals there. 

Three Cons

* You are away from your family.

* The animals there might harm you.

* You might feel lonely and isolated.

Activity 3: The WWF: World Wildlife Fund [10 points]

In 1961, a number of people came together to start an organisation called the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The main goal of this organisation was/is to protect life on earth. Hundreds of WWF staff work in countries all over the world trying to protect our planet and the animals who live here, including the Maui Dolphin. At present there are only 63 Maui Dolphins left in the world and the WWF is asking for our help to protect them. They have created a petition that everyone in New Zealand is invited to sign. If you would like to sign the petition to save them, please follow this link.

For this activity, we would like you to learn more about other work that is done by the World Wildlife Fund to save endangered animals. Please click on one of the two links below and watch the short video.

Clip #1: Freshwater Seals

Clip #2: Tigers

Once you have watched the video, go to your blog and, using full sentences, tell us:
1) The name of the animal the WWF is working to save.
2) What the WWF is doing to help the animal.

3) What, if any, success they have had protecting the animal.

1) WWF is trying to save The Saima ringed Seal.

2) WWF is building snow banks for the seal's pups so they aren't vulnerable to any dangers.

3) From the video, it does not say anything about how many seals they have saved yet.