Sweden ”What´s behind our school”

What´s behind our school

We worked with the animals in the surrounding area around our school. The pupils had to choose which animal they wanted to learn more about. The pupils got research around the animal, and many of them chose birds and insects. They found out how they grow up, how they winter and what kind of living they prefer. Those who chose birds and insects were then commissioned to make bird and insect caves. They found out what kind of hatch their bird / insect would like to live in, count on the usage of materials and how to set up the hole without damaging the "host tree".

An example of text about an animal near our school:

Cat Owl
Kattuggla is called Cat Owl in english, and is found in almost all of Europe, including the forest outside the school. The cat owl gets about 3 kids each year and is very beautiful. The cat owl is not a migratory bird. The cat's owl is not endangered. The cat owl eats whole mice and rats.

Cat Owl

When the students were finished, they reported their skills to each other and materials were ordered. During a few intense weeks, many lessons was devoted to building different kinds of hollows.

Measuring and sawing the different parts

Cat Weed hollow under production

Insect cavities are sown and drilled

Some of the hollows made by grade 6

When it was finished it was time to put up the different hollows, climbing aids were called in and the first hollows could be set up. Sadly, we could not put the hollows around the school as we planned, as there are plans to build houses in that area. We have instead deployed hollows in different places in the immediate area where there are no building plans.

Insects cavity on Place in the Birch

 Hollow in a birch

Another hollow

After the hollows were set up we arranged a quail egg and an egg whipper to follow the course from egg laying to hatching close up. After seventeen days, six small quail hooks were hatched and moved into an aquarium, very loved by our students.

The Pupils have learned a lot about different animal species and that has raised a lot of questions all around, why some species move while others stay in Sweden? Why do some birds put more eggs than other birds in one summer? Why do not all migratory birds go abroad? How do they find the right way when they have never been there before? There have been many funny questions and facts and very knowledgable searching in books and online.