Animal Tracking ( 1 hour)

Winter is the best time for tracking and is one of the best ways to discover the secret lives of animals. Students will learn where to look for footprints, how different animals walk and how to match an animal track to its owner. Students will use the knowledge they learn to identify an animal track reproduction and make a plaster cast of their track to take home.

Students will learn the differences in animal prints, size, shape, (triangular, oval, circular), number of toes, (two, four, five and combinations of four on the front foot and five on the hind foot). By viewing mounted Connecticut mammals students will be able to differentiate these physical traits. Track patterns (straight line, imperfect, bounding and hopping/ leaping) will be illustrated, as well as the mammals that posses these patterns.        

Next, students will prepare to make a plaster casting by first randomly choosing a rubber footprint of a Connecticut mammal. Then armed with a blank animal track sheet, students will deduce what mammal their track is from. Available for their assistance in identifying their track will be many mounted mammals with which the students can try match up their foot with that of the animals. In addition to the mammals actual plaster casts will be available for the students to try to fit their footprint. During this round of detective work, students in groups of five will assist the instructor in casting their own animal track. By using a paper form filled with plaster of Paris students can drop in their track to create their own take home project.

Next, a fun tracking detective game will enable students to fill in the blanks on their animal track sheet, which will also be taken home for tracking adventures around the house. A slide presentation featuring a winter time tale of predator /prey relationships will give students insight on how to read the stories in the tracks. At the end of the program, students will retrieve their casting and discover the identity of the animal that helped create their own unique track project.