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The Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park Activity Book and accompanying Teacher’s Guide were designed for Parker Jordan Metropolitan District by Valerian llc. Booklets are being paid for by the Parker Jordan Metropolitan District with public funds. Please contact R.S. Wells LLC, District Manager, at 303-779-4525 if there are any questions or concerns. This book is intended to be used for educational purposes only and may be reproduced or disseminated only with the prior written consent of the Board of Directors for the Parker Jordan Metropolitan District, Arapahoe County, Colorado. Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park is owned and managed by Arapahoe County Open Space Park and Trails in cooperation with Parker Jordan Metropolitan District. Copyright © 2008 Parker Jordan Metropolitan District Second Edition 2008 You Are Part of Nature Do you know what a seed is? Of course you do. And you also know that every seed needs to be planted and nurtured to grow up and be a healthy plant. Well, the same is true for you and everything else in nature. Nature is made up of all living things. The universe, earth, plants, and animals are all a part of nature. All living things are divided into two kingdoms: animals and plants. All animals need food, water, shelter, and habitat to survive. All plants need light, water, soil, and habitat to survive. Come explore the Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park and be sure to show respect for the park and the creatures that live here. 1 You Make a Difference You have completed your Activity Book. You can make a difference and keep nature and the Eco Park a special place for everyone. There is much more you can learn about ecosystems. Always remember the seed and what it needs to grow, just like you. You can make a difference! 50 Your Activity Book Make A Difference! This is your Activity Book. It will help you learn more about the Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park (Eco Park). The Eco Park is a place where animals and plants share a place that provides energy, water, shelter, and space. This place is something called an ecosystem. What is an ecosystem? An ecosystem is a group of plants and animals that live together in one place. These are special groups that have adapted to live together. You are part of the ecosystem. To enjoy this park safely, please take a few simple steps to be prepared: • • • • • • Hat Whistle Water Snack Notebook Pen/Crayon Stay on the trail unless you are with an adult guide. Energy, Water, Soil, and Place 49 2 Today is: 3 48 Now You Know Your Park Seasons in the Park Well, you have almost completed the book. On the next page is a fun word search to help you remember some of the things you learned from completing the previous activities. Complete the Eco Word Search and you will have completed the book! What do you think of when you think of the Eco Park? The Earth is always moving and changing. The Earth travels in a circle around the sun. Each trip around the sun takes one year. One way that we can tell the Earth is spinning is by observing day and night. As the earth takes its path around the sun, sometimes we get more energy from the sun (summer) and sometimes we get less (winter). In Colorado we have four seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer. Circle the answer that best fits each question. 1. Which season is it now? A. Fall B. Winter C. Spring D. Summer 2. The sun is... A. shining. B. covered by clouds. 3. The sun is... A. high in the sky and warm. B. low in the sky and cool. 4. What do the clouds look like? (Draw a picture below of what you see.) 47 4 5 Fall Equinox Biotic or Abiotic? Around September 20th, days and nights are of equal length. Days are getting shorter and soon there won‛t be enough sunlight to keep the leaves green. Trunks, branches, and roots will stay alive and grow new leaves when there is more light in the spring. Trees and plants adapt to the energy shortage by dropping their leaves. How do you save energy? Circle the abiotic things found in this picture. These are the things that are not alive. Have you seen any other abiotic or biotic things on your visit to the Eco Park today? 46 What is Here Today? The Eco Park is a very special place where plants and animals and their homes are protected. It is a place for people to have fun and a place to explore nature. There are many living and non-living things that can be found in the Eco Park. Living things such as grass, leaves, and butterflies are called biotic. Non-living things such as rocks, a sign, or a bench are abiotic. What is in the park now? 45 Colors of Fall One of the first signs of fall is that the leaves start to change color and drop to the ground. Find a leaf and trace the shape. Use crayons to show the color of fall. 6 Settlers Winter Solstice Around December 20th, days are short and nights are the longest of the year. How do you know when winter is here? The nights are long and the days are short. The sun is low in the sky. Are we getting much energy from the sun? Many trees have no leaves. Instead of rain there is snow! When you are outside on a winter day blow in the air and see your breath! How do other animals adapt to the winter weather? How do you adapt to winter weather? Settlers used wagons and pack animals to move all of their belongings. What do you think the settlers brought with them? What do you think the settlers ate? Bison Deer Oats Corn Berries 7 Pig Chicken 44 Settlers Almost 200 years ago, more people moved here from Europe and the Eastern United States. Settlers from the East traveled West along rivers, creek, and streams. The settlers followed Cherry Creek as they made their way to new homes in Colorado. Why would they follow the Cherry Creek? Look around the park. If you were settling here, what would you use for food, water, and shelter? Measuring Your Shadow Materials Needed: - pen or pencil - yard stick or measuring tape - a friend Your shadow varies in its size and direction depending on the time of the day. Procedure: 1. The first measurement you take of your shadow should be early in the morning. With the help of a friend, stand in a place where it is easy to measure your shadow. 2. Record the measurement in your notebook and note the time you took the measurement and the direction your shadow was going. 3. Mid-day take a second measurement of your shadow and record the results in your notebook. 4. At the end of the day take a third measurement of your shadow and record the results in your notebook. Stand in the same place and face the same direction each time. Conclusion: What are the differences of the 3 recordings? Why do you think they are different? Time 43 Length of Shadow Direction of Shadow 8 Spring Equinox Around March 20th, days and nights are of equal length. Spring, leaf, flower, here come the rain showers! In the spring (the Vernal Equinox) days get longer and trees and plants turn green and grow new leaves! The days get warmer and the creek fills with water from rain and snow melt. Song birds and water birds return to the park and many start to prepare for new babies. Spring is a great time to visit the park to see everything begin to bloom and grow! Native Americans Native Americans had very colorful clothes and some lived in teepees. The color and patterns they put on their clothes and teepees communicated to others who they were. How do you communicate to others about who you are? Draw colorful patterns and designs on the teepee that represent you. Have fun when you visit the Eco Park but it is also important to follow these important rules: • Be careful around the open water. • Stay on the trails. • Try not to disturb animal families, they need their privacy. 9 42 41 Native Americans I Spy! A long time ago, there were people who lived here in groups called tribes. Each tribe had a name. Some tribes were called Arapaho and others were called Cheyenne. The people lived off the land. They hunted bison, gathered roots, berries, and plants to eat. They used bones, stones, and plants to make toys, tools, and decorations. They made clothes and made their own shelter using bison skins. Time to explore new places and things. See how many of these things you can find. Cross out the items with an “X” as you find them. Gazebo Flower Bridge Insect Creek Animal Tracks Bird Leaves Boardwalk 10 Summer Solstice After spring comes summer! Around June 20th, days are the longest of the year and the nights are the shortest. One sign that summer is here is that days are long and hot because the sun is high in the sky. All energy comes from the sun. Plants get energy from the sun. Animals get energy from the plants and other animals they eat. Summer is a good time to bring your energy to the Eco Park. 11 Long Before People There were many animals that lived in the wild. Connect the dots and find out what kind of animal this is. 40 Long Before People A long, long time ago Cherry Creek looked different than it does today. The land was full of animal life but very few of the animals were people. Animals came in many different body shapes and sizes. Are you an animal? Bees are very important to our ecosystem because they pollinate trees, flowers, and other plants which produce food for us to eat. Without bees and other pollinators, there would be no food available for us to eat. Other pollinators are flies, wasps, butterflies, moths, birds, and bats. Help the bee find his way to the Wild Plum blossom. 39 12 Water in the Park My Tree Materials Needed: - notebook - pen or pencil - adult to take you to the park You can adopt a tree in the park and observe and record the changes that it goes through during the year. Procedure: 1. Along the Eco Park trail, find a special tree that you like. 2. Make a rubbing of a section of its bark. Use this as a picture for the front of your book. 3. On the first day, also write what you see in your book. You might write, “My tree is very tall. It has yellow leaves and it has a big chunk of bark taken off of it.” Draw a picture of it. 4. If your tree is a deciduous tree, dry and press one of its leaves to add to a page in your book. If it is an evergreen tree, paste some of its needles in the book. 5. Go to the park at least once a month. Write the date, something about the tree that has changed, and draw another picture. 6. Do some research on your tree. Find out its name, other areas where it grows, what animals live in it or eat it, and other information. Include these facts in your book. 7. At the end of the year, have an adult help you bind all of the pages together. 13 38 Evergreen Tree Parts There are some kinds of trees that we call evergreen trees because they do not lose their leaves. They stay green all winter. This is a branch. Evergreen branches can sometimes be hard to see through the needles. Branches move water up to the leaves and twigs and down to the roots. This is the root of the tree. The roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil. The tree canopy is made up of many, many needles. The needles transform energy from the sun into food. This is the trunk. It has bark which protects the tree. Water in the Park Water is very important to all forms of life. Without water, plants and animals would not be able to live. In this section, you will learn about the Water Cycle and how water moves around the Earth. You will also learn about watersheds and some of the neat things that make water so special. Put a check mark by the statements that are true. Water is... ___ wet (when it falls as rain) ___ cold (when it is ice) ___ hot ( when it is boiling) ___ hard to see (when it is vapor) Water can be found... ___ in the ground ___ in the sky ___ in lakes and streams ___ in the oceans ___ in water fountains ___ in glaciers Water is used by... ___ farmers ___ businesses ___ wildlife ___ plants Needles (Needles are a type of leaf) 37 Some trees have seeds like this one. This seed came from a cone. 14 The Water Cycle Deciduous Tree Parts The sun‛s energy heats liquid water in the oceans, lakes, and rivers. The heated water turns into vapor (gas). When water vapor is warmer than the air it rises into the sky where you see it as clouds. This is called evaporation. Plants release water vapor into the air. This is called transpiration. There are some kinds of trees that we call deciduous trees because they drop their leaves in fall and sprout new leaves in spring. The tree canopy is made up of many, many flat leaves. The leaves transform energy from the sun into food. Clouds (Condensation) Snow (Precipitation) Rain (Precipitation) Mountain Creek Creek Plants Vapor This is a branch. Branches move water up to the leaves and twigs and down to the roots. Lake Lake Ground Water 15 Plants Leaves on a cottonwood branch This is the trunk. It has bark which protects the tree. This is the root of the tree. The roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Cottonwood trees have seeds like this one. 36 Plant Types There are four main types of plants in the park. How many of each type can you find in the park? As water vapor cools it turns back into a liquid. This is called condensation. Liquid water is heavy and cool. Sometimes it is cold, so cold that it turns to ice (solid) and falls back to the Earth as snow, hail, or sleet. Trees Vapor Plants River Ocean River Shrubs 35 Grasses Flowering Plants Ground Water 16 Water Cycle Experiment Materials Needed: - handful of soil - water - plastic zip-top bag - strong tape - sunny window Plants in the Park Plants are a part of the ecosystem of the Eco Park. They help create the oxygen that we breathe, and they are food for people and animals. In this section, you will learn about what makes different types of plants unique and how to identify them in the park. There are also some fun activities for you to complete! Procedure: 1. Put the soil in the zip-top bag. 2. Sprinkle a little water on the dirt, just enough to make it moist. 3. Close the bag tight and tape it to the sunny window. 4. Watch what happens in the bag. What do you think will happen? What happened? Do you know why? 17 34 Plants in the Park Different Water Bodies Water covers most of the Earth‛s surface. These areas of water on the ground are called water bodies. An area of land where water drains into the same water body is called a watershed. Which water body below does Cherry Creek look like? Creek River Pond Puddle Lake Ocean 33 18 Did you Know? Circle the correct answer for each question. Draw Your Home What does your home look like? Draw your home here! 1. How much water does a person use daily? A. 50 gallons B. 10 gallons 2. How much of a tree is water? A. 1/4 B. 1/2 C. 125 gallons C. 3/4 3. How much water is used to flush a toilet? A. 1-2 gallons B. 2-7 gallons C. 7-10 gallons 4. How much has the amount of water decreased over the past million years? A. None B. 10,000 gallons C. 1,000,000 gallons 5. How long can a person live without water? A. 1 day B. 7 days Look for homes in the Eco Park. What does a wild animal use to build a home? How is your wild animal home different from your actual home? How is it the same? C. 2 weeks 6. Where does the water from the Cherry Creek flow to? A. Gulf of Mexico B. Pacific Ocean C. Atlantic Ocean 7. How much of an elephant is water? A. 1/4 B. 1/2 C. 3/4 (Answers can be found on page 23 of the Teacher‛s Guide.) 19 32 Animal Homes Wildlife in the park live in all kinds of shelters. Do you know what kind of homes these animals live in? Write the correct letter next to the animal type. A. Den E. Stream 1. Spider 2. Prairie Dog 3. Cat B. Web F. Nest 4. Beaver 5. Frog 6. Bear 7. Deer C. Grass G. Burrow 8. Fish 9. Rabbit 10. Grasshopper 11. Snake D. Lodge H. House 12. Fox 13. Ant 14. Sparrow 31 What Needs Water Look around the Eco Park. Make a list of things that need water to live and need water to be made. HINT: A shirt is made of cotton. Cotton comes from a plant. The plant drinks water. What else do you see that uses cotton? Wood comes from trees. Trees need water to grow. What do you see that is made of wood? 1.________________________________________ 2.________________________________________ 3.________________________________________ 4.________________________________________ 5.________________________________________ 6.________________________________________ 7.________________________________________ 8.________________________________________ 20 Where Do They Go? Wildlife in the Park Do you have a favorite animal that you can find in the summer, but it is not around in the winter? Some animals move from one place to another when the weather gets cold. This is called migration. Other animals sleep through the winter months. This is called hibernation. Some animals live in the Eco Park all winter long. Extra-thick fur or down feathers help to keep these animals warm. Fun Fact: 21 • Birds hide in dense bushes to stay dry during rain storms. • Great horned owls pant to keep cool from the hot sun. • Bears‛ teeth keep growing so they have to chew on trees to wear them down. • During rain showers, butterflies use leaves as if they were umbrellas. • Cold-blooded animals, like snakes, will sun themselves to keep their bodies warm. 30 Wildlife in the Park Match the Tracks Can you match which tracks are made by each animal? Draw a line from the animal to the tracks that each makes. The Eco Park is home to wildlife. Wildlife is another name for animals and insects. Deer, beavers, snakes, and dragonflies are all wildlife. They can all live without care of people. Dogs, cows, and parakeets do not count as wildlife. They need regular care from people. In this section, you will learn about many animals and insects that can be seen at the park. When you are completing the activities for this section remember that all the animals and insects are connected as part of the ecosystem and that they depend on each other and Cherry Creek to survive. How to watch wildlife: • Wear clothing that is not brightly colored • Keep still. Wait for animals to find you. Do not follow them. • Do not stand where you are fully visible. Crouch down low to disguise yourself. • Move slowly and quietly when you do move. • Freeze if an animal you are watching looks your way. • Listen for animal noises like buzzing and plopping. • Sniff out unusual smells. • Use your senses to explore the Eco Park just like an animal would. • Do not feed or bother the wildlife. 29 22 Know the Wildlife Insects There are many different animals and insects in the park. You may not see these animals when you are exploring the Eco Park but they are here. Look for clues! What colors are these animals? Tick Mammals Grasshopper Daddy Long Legs Fox 23 Fox Tracks Raccoon Raccoon Tracks Mosquito Spider 28 Insects Mammals Bugs are wildlife. They are an important part of an ecosystem. There are many colorful bugs at the Eco Park. Bugs have no backbones. They wear their skeletons on the outside of their bodies. They have at least 3 pairs of legs; sometimes as many as 15 pairs of legs. How many pairs of legs do you have? Beaver Rabbit Ant Beaver Tracks Rabbit Tracks Bumble Bee Dragonfly 27 Deer Deer Tracks 24 Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish Turtle Birds Turtle Tracks Hawk Tracks Hawk Fish Frog Frog Tracks Heron Tracks Snake 25 Snake Tracks Heron 26