What would it be like to live in a toad’s abode, a mouse’s house, or a pig’s digs?

On Thursday, April 2, the kindergarten class at Admiral Byrd Elementary put forth their best efforts to show teachers, students, staff, and parents exactly that. The event at Byrd was an innovative way to bring the children’s science unit, Animals 2×2, to life.  The students have been learning about various animals, their habitats, and how scientists use models to expand their knowledge.

The students created models using various materials such as boxes, paint, pictures, tissue paper, and crayons. They also recorded a video presentation of themselves on their tablets to explain the designs. Guests were able to not only see the habitats but view each student’s video explaining its features and why the animal lives there.

The event was well attended, and comments could be heard around the room such as “very cool”, “I can’t believe they thought of that!”, and “this is so different than what I did when I was in school!”

The students were very excited to show all they had learned and proudly displayed their models for visitors to view. Those whose parents could not attend still presented their model to teachers, the principal, and other students from other grade levels. Many parents who attended listened to all the students’ presentations just “because it was so fun.”

Mary Ellen Esser, Principal of Admiral Byrd Elementary, said of the project, “I was very impressed with the creativity the students displayed and at the choices they made on the best way to represent their chosen animal’s habitat. It really is amazing to see how much they can do on their own.”