Observing Winter Survival

"How does the summer coat of a deer feel different than its winter coat?" We might not often associate such a question with our experience of museum specimens. Perhaps a simple "do not touch" might feel more appropriate. Still, guard hairs and undercoats can be difficult concepts to explain to kindergartners. When it comes to learning about our natural world, sometimes objects provide more of an educational opportunity than words can. 

I never enjoyed learning from lectures growing up. I wanted to experience the concepts that were addressed through my own senses. Memories from my early childhood, like of my father showing me how to poke at a puffball mushroom to release its spores, stick in my mind far more readily than any classroom discussion on plant (or fungi) reproduction ever has. I was and am a kinesthetic learner, and throughout school coveted hands-on experiences. When I was first hired as museum staff in my  adult years, I dreaded the regular scolding I imagined I would have to deliver to children who simply wanted to experience the world as I did. I was horribly unaware that a number of our specimens are  actually designated for hands-on use. 

I now often have the pleasure of witnessing the familiar spark in a child's eye when they get to touch what they are learning about. An indoor lesson is quickly transformed with the use of a few teaching specimens. 

Take, for example, insulation as illustrated by two small squares of white-tailed deer pelts. Today I pack these to help children readily observe the drastic difference between a summer and winter coat. A coat of reddish fur helps to reflect the sun's heat away from a deer's body during hot summer months. Throughout fall, deer will transition into a thicker coat of dark fur which both provides additional cover and absorbs more of the sun's heat. 

At left, a section of a white-tailed deer's winter coat. At
right, a much thinner summer coat.

Some of my favorite teaching specimens to use are a collection of bird and mammal feet fixed to handles. I often observe children "walking" a pair of feet across a table or marveling at how sharp the animal's claws are to the touch. Ruffed grouse have particularly interesting feet because of the comb-like projections seasonally found on their toes. Allowing children to feel some feet or look closely better helps to demonstrate this. The foot of a grouse harvested during winter reveals the many small pectinations which work much like snowshoes to help the bird maneuver snow covered terrain. 

The comb-like fringes of a ruffed grouse's toes, called
pectinations, develop each fall and shed in the spring.

The Museum also has many animal pelts which provide hands-on opportunities beyond functioning as a creative cape or scarf. In one instance, I can pass around the white pelt of a snowshoe hare to prompt a lesson on camouflage. This is certainly more engaging than simply telling children that a hare's winter pelt is the same color of snow for a reason. Or, I may bring out a beaver pelt to address topics ranging from our area's history of fur trading to the function of insulation. 

A snowshoe hare's white coat helps it to hide against snow
from its predators. 

It's no wonder why humans have historically sought out the pelts
of beavers--the thick fur provides excellent insulation.

Not all learning opportunities may take place outdoors--but that doesn't mean that the many lessons from our natural world cannot be brought into a classroom. As I prepare for an indoor program addressing winter survival, I know that the teaching specimens I bring will help to engage children with the content of our lesson. Observing first-hand how animals prepare for winter will hopefully help the children to understand the importance of insulation, or recognize the connections between how humans and other animals can safely survive the Northwoods.