Primary Students Connecting and Sharing
The Local Environment in Sointula
Welcome to week 4 of the “Our World, Our Stories” project!
This week the topic is:
Our Local Environment
We thought we would share what the local environment is like on our little island. Sointula is located on Malcolm Island.
We live in a temperate rainforest, which means that we get a lot of rain and it never gets very hot or very cold. We are surrounded by beautiful forests, the ocean, and the mountains. Our island is home to birds, deer, mink, and otters. The waters surrounding our island are full of porpoises, whales, seals, sea lions, salmon, octopuses, and many other creatures.
It has been very rainy this last week, so we used the green screen to make a video showing you some of the different areas of our island. We hope you like it!
*Photos from iwona-kellie, Jeff_Werner, Loutron Glouton, paulhami, Michel Van den Bogaard, and juicylucymamma (Flickr Creative Commons)What is it like where you live?
What sort of animals share your environment?
| Print article | This entry was posted by Melody Watson on November 13, 2011 at 7:09 am, and is filed under Local Environment. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 1 year ago
Wow what a cool video. I’m going to show it to my 2nd graders on Monday. Then I’ll have them post comments here telling you about the Texas Gulf Coast.
The green screen effect was really cool. We don’t have that capability yet. You all spoke very clearly and I could hear everything you said. Your island sounds neat.
I’m hoping to go to BC in a few years to visit my Uncle and cousins. Then go to Albert to visit some more relatives. I’ve never been to the west coast of Canada. My Mom is from PEI and I spent many summers there visiting relatives.
about 1 year ago
Dear Ms. Herbert,
Thank you for leaving us such a nice comment. We’d love to hear what it is like in Texas. The Texas Gulf Coast sounds like it will be an interesting area.
No one in our class has been to Prince Edward Island (PEI), but we think you will really enjoy the west coast. We think you’ll love seeing the different animals, plants, and sights!
Sincerely,
Mrs. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
I live in the middle of the United States and it’s one of the best times of the year. It’s not too hot and not too cold. Today the sun warmed things up by mid-morning and made it very fun to rake bags and bags and bags of fallen leaves.
We’ve had rain and in the night, it can get so cold that it sort of turns into snow. But the kind of snow that melts when it hits the ground. We won’t start having snow for another month or two.
I loved your video. Keep up the good report. You can check our blog at http://lmsblogs.org
about 1 year ago
Dear Ms. Ratzel,
We’re not sure when, or if, we’ll get enough snow to play in (sometimes we don’t).
Thanks for your wonderful comment!. Raking leaves sounds like fun. We like to jump in the fall leaves, but right now it is too wet for that. Today it actually tried to snow a bit for the first time this year (the kids can’t wait )
Thanks again! We’ll have to visit your blog too.
Mrs.. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson’s 2/3 class,
I loved your green screen video! You all did a fantastic job explaining the images behind you. The video gave me a good sense of what it is like where you live.
I Think I would enjoy hiking on your island. I liked the photo with the mossy wooden steps going up into the woods. I love to hike here in Connecticut. We have lots of forests and fields to hike in, but not as much moss as you seem to have.
We also have a lot of deer where we live in Connecticut. They are beautiful, but they do eat a lot of gardens and they are a little overcrowded because all of their natural predators, like wolves, have been killed off. We also have raccoons, coyotes, fisher cats, foxes, opossums, squirrels, and skunks here. And, just like you, we live right on the ocean.
Do you like living on the island?
Your friend,
Mr. Salsich in Connecticut, USA
about 1 year ago
Dear Mr. Salsich,
What a great comment! We certainly do have a lot of moss! Hiking in our forests is a lot of fun. The ground is spongy and feels bouncy when you walk on it. We’d love to take you for a hike in our trails and show you the different plants and animals.
There are no natural predators here either. Sometimes a bear or cougar will swim over from the mainland and there have been wolves spotted before as well.
You have a lot of cool wildlife where you live! Has anyone in your class ever been sprayed by a skunk? We don’t have skunks. Do the coyotes cause trouble for people?
We love living on our island. Have you ever read the story Jessie’s Island? It is a great book about a girl who lives in a little island and writes a letter to her cousin who lives in the city.
Your friends,
Mrs. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson’s 2/3 class,
This is a wonderful post to your blog. You live on a beautiful island with interesting scenery and wildlife.
While I live on an island, it’s a pretty big one. According to our geographers, Australia is the largest island but smallest continent. There are islands near where I live but they aren’t big enough for people to live on.
I do live along Australia’s coast so the sea is part of my everyday life as well. We also have orcas in our area. They are an interesting part of our local history back when a nearby town to mine was involved in whaling.
Old Tom was an orca and leader of his pod. The orcas would, if they could, herd a humpback whale into the town’s large bay. Old Tome would then come to alert the whalers. He would even sometimes take the rowing boat’s rope in his mouth to help the whalers get out as quickly as possible. As a reward, the whalers use to give the tongue and other parts of the whale they didn’t need to the orcas.
Whaling finished in that town many years ago. Now, it is a fishing centre for professional fishing boats. You can already see some of the similarities to your island.
I am a little further up the coast from that town. My town has become a tourist town and becomes particularly busy in summer when people come to visit our towns, hike in our national parks, surf at beaches and shops. They stay in motels, caravans, cabins and tents.
Now for the animals….
We have kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, a poisonous snakes to be careful with, may parrots, kookaburras, lyrebirds, some koalas and other creatures in our area. I often see some of these on my long hikes through the bush. Luckily the snake sightings are rarer.
I think there are some wonderful similarities and differences in the places we live. I really enjoyed hearing about your wonderful island.
Ross Mannell (teacher)
NSW, Australia
P.S. In case you wonder why I don’t have a class writing this, I returned from full time teaching a few years back and no longer have a class of my own.
about 1 year ago
Dear Mr. Mannell,
Thank you very much for leaving us another extremely interesting comment!
We thought your story about Old Tom was fascinating. We felt bad about the whaling though. Old Tom sure was smart!
People like to come to our town in the summer too. They come to camp, hike, and go fishing. There is a fancy lodge on our island that does fishing charters.
We would love to see some of the Australian animals you mentioned! We are glad that we don’t have poisonous snakes here. What is your favourite Australian animal?
We think that we are both very lucky to live where we do!
Your friends,
Mrs. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson and class,
Your local environment is beautiful! I think it is very nice that you have deer in your backyard and you can watch whales.
In my opinion, I live in a beautiful place. From my house I can see a valley and some mountains. It feels like I have a view of the whole world. One thing I love about California is that you can see the mountains, valleys, deserts, and beaches all in one day.
I have squirrels, coyotes, and bunnies in my backyard. Five minutes ago, I saw a little squirrel outside our window sitting by our pool! We don’t see as many animals as you do because we live very close to Los Angeles.
Do you most people know each other on your island since it is so small?
How often do most people leave the island?
Sincerely,
Leila♥
about 1 year ago
Dear Leila,
Thank you for leaving us a comment! California sounds lovely. Jacob’s older brother lives in California and Brooklynn and Kennedy went to Disneyland last spring. The rest of the students would love to go there one day!
We know almost everyone on our island. It is kind of funny because people stop there cars right in the middle of the road to chat.
Some kids in our class leave the island every week for things like dance lessons or skating. Others go to the other side every few weeks or so. Some people go over to the bigger grocery stores or to visit family and friends.
Your friends,
Mrs. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs Watson and Grade 2/3
Your island is very cool. We looked on google maps so that we could find it and see how little it is!
We have deer in the bush around Reefton. Some people also farm deer around here.
We also have wild pigs so hunting is a popular sport around Reefton.
Reefton is a farming area with mainly dairy farms and some sheep farms.
A pest in our area is the possum. They destroy the forest and bush.
Some of the birds around Reefton are wekas, pukekoes, moreporks, kereru (pigeon), hawks and magpies.
In the river we have eels and trout.
warm wishes
B4
about 1 year ago
Dear B4,
I wish I was in your grade becase you Have a fantasico canten.
about 1 year ago
Dear B4,
What a fantastic comment! We can’t wait to Google all those birds to see what they look like. We have pigeons and hawks, but not any of the others. Some of the birds we have are: blue herons, eagles, seagulls, blue jays, ravens, crows, woodpeckers, Canadain geese, steller’s jays, robins, and chickadees.
We are a little concerned about the eels in the river! How big are they? Are they dangerous? We have eels in the ocean (wolf eels), but not in our creeks and streams.
Your friends,
Mrs. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson and Grade 2/3,
Your local environment is extraordinary! I would just love to visit. Maybe one day I can! In my opinion, California is a beautiful place to live. But I agree that Sointula is a wonderful place to live. One of my favorite things about living in California would have to be the weather. I love the weather because it can be cold in the morning, and then at four o’clock, it is eighty five degrees! For me, that is amazing!
One of my favorite slides on your video, would have to be the Orca whale picture in the ocean. The reason why I enjoy the picture is that is tells a story in that same picture. It tells that the Orca whale is swimming in the ocean. When I look at it, I think that it is annoyed because it looks like it is flopping around. (In my eye.)
In my very own backyard, we have squirrels, bunnies, and a little baby blue bird that comes only when it is dinner time. I think he smells the food that we are eating. When my family goes to the beach, on the drive we see a pack of deer. That is why there is a sign that says, “Deer Crossing” so everybody knows not to run the deer over.
Sincerely,
Mia ♥
about 1 year ago
Dear Mia,
Wow what a fantasic comment it was a butefull comment ever.
do you have a brother or a sister?
what have you been up today after shcool?
do you have a pupy or a big dog?
From Jacob
about 1 year ago
@ Jacob,
Thank you for saying that my comment was beautiful! I appreciate it! For a matter of fact, I do have a dog. He is a big, black rottweiler. But, I am getting a white and brown Shih Tzu tomorrow!
Her name is going to be Lulu.
I do have an older brother, but I don’t have a sister. ( I wish I did though.
) He is in fifth grade and goes to our school. He is going to middle school next year! He is two years, four months, and a week and four days older than me. He sometimes bosses me around. If I get bullied, he is always there to protect me. That is why I don’t want him to leave to a different school. I would miss him too much.
I don’t quiet understand what you said to me. You said, ” What have you been up today after school? ” I don’t quiet understand it yet, but I will think about it.
Do you have a brother or sister?
Do you have a dog?
Jake has two brothers.
Sincerely,
Mia and Jake
about 1 year ago
Dear Mia,
Thank you for leaving us such a magnificent comment! We would like to visit California as well (only a few of us have been there before)! You definitely have warmer weather than we do and a lot less rain.
You sure have a lo of animals living in your backyard. When we read your comment, we thought of Chippy (the chipmunk who lives in the forest at school). We bet the bunnies must be cute! Some students in our school have bunnies for pets. Does anyone in your class have a pet bunny?
We don’t have deer crossing signs here, we’d need way too many of them!
Thanks again for your great comment!
Mrs. W and the 2/3s
about 1 year ago
WOW! Awesome video. I am working with a teacher here in Rocky Mountain House, AB Canada area (Condor Actually) who’s class is studying landmarks. You did a wonderful job of showing us some of the landmarks of your community. I made a connection in your video. Although you live near water and I live near the prairies and the mountains we have something in common with you. We have alot of deer as well. They roam the streets and I often find them on my lawn. As you said the one thing that I is frustrating is that they eat my garden. I hope you enjoy studying about local environments.
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson’s 2/3 class,
We really like your video. It was awesome to see the different backgrounds. The picture that a lot of us liked was the baby orca. Kayla was wondering if you really get to see them up close.
Some of our gardens also get eaten by deer, and they leave behind small round presents. Do you know what the “presents” are?
We were surprised that you had so many hiking spots. There was a lot of moss on the steps.
Creighton was wondering how big the ferry is. How many people can it fit?
Sincerely.
Mr. Salsich’s class
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson and 2/3 class,
What a great video! It is so beautiful where you live! I wish that I could see whales and sea lions where I live! All though my dad does work in Sana Barbra, so I do see dolphins and other sea life!
My brother once went on a field trip to go mining, and he brought back some gold! I always remember that night where he left at 2:00 A.M., and he came home in the morning.
Your blogging buddy,
♥Sasha♥
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson’s 2/3 class,
You are lucky to have those animal’s like orcas, seals, sea lion’s,and other kind’s of whales and porpoises. We have those animals but they are in the aquarium they don’t really live around here.
Your friend from Mr Salsich’s class,
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watsons 2/3 Class,
Great post! You have a great environment around your school. I have always wanted to see a sea lion or a killer whale up close.
Have you ever seen one up close?
Your friend from Mr. Salsich’s Class,
Joey
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson’s class,
I like your slideshow. How big can your drift wood get? I saw some giant branches in your pictures! How many people have seen whales before? Do you have big waves or small waves? Do you have places to have picnics?
Sincerely,
Jennifer
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson and the 2/3′s,
Awesome video!
I really liked it.
Do you ever see any aquatic mammals? If you do, what is the commonest type that you see?
The driftwood pieces look gigantic! I think your local environment sounds (and looks) really cool.
Well, bye for now!
your friend from Mr. Salsich’s class,
Taylor
about 1 year ago
Dear Sointula
Wow! You have wild deer! We sometimes see deer, but not at school. If you drive in the local canyon, you might see some deer.
We noticed you have a lot a driftwood on your beach. We read a story, and the boy brought home a huge piece of driftwood because it reminded him of his adventure.
Does anyone ever take the driftwood home?
Also, neither of us have ever seen an octopus! Once Sammy saw a baby squid.
Sincerely,
Rexon and Sammy
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson’s 2/3 class,
You made a great video about your environment. I also like your light house because it is square and ours is round. I wish it was square like yours.
Your friend,
Anthony in Mr. Salsich’s class
about 1 year ago
Dear Mrs. Watson and class,
I liked your video and your back grounds. How close have you ever got to
an orca whale or have you ever seen any in person? My favorite back
ground was the orcas.
Your blogging buddy from Mr. Salsich’s class,
Dylan
about 1 year ago
Love the video. Great work, keep it up.