School News: 

Students from SMPS learn what it takes for animals to survive in our forests!

On Friday March 22nd, grade 4 and 5 students from Sioux Mountain Public School went to Cedar Bay to learn how boreal forest animals survive and thrive. The students and their teachers were invited by the Dasno/Culham family to play the Survival Game. In this game, students were assigned an animal and challenged to collect food and water. Each animal had a specific diet. Herbivores had to collect food from food stations hidden in the forest. Carnivores had to hunt the herbivores and omnivores to collect life cards. Omnivores could collect food from the food stations and by taking life cards from the herbivores. Students could gain extra lives by swapping reproduction cards with other animals of the same species.
The majority of the students thought that the carnivores would win and be crowned the ultimate survivors! They were surprised to find out that it was easier for the herbivores to find food and gain points. Beth Dasno taught us that when you go into the woods and look around, you see many more plants than animals. It was no wonder that the herbivores had an easier time finding food! The deep snow also slowed the predators down and made it easier to hide in the forest.
After the game, the students enjoyed hotdogs and marshmallows roasted over the fire. Friends of Cedar Bay donated the food and Florence Woolner heated up the Cozy Cabin and brought the food down to the lake shore.
The students learned all about energy pyramids and wrote reports to share their learning with others. Thank you to the Dasno/Culham family, Friends of Cedar Bay, and our parent volunteers! It was a fantastic day of learning at Cedar Bay!

Suzie Hughdie, SMPS teacher