Learning Like a Second-Grader

What do local second-graders want to know about animal adaptations? Now living through another year of visiting students through the omnipresent screen, I've fielded many questions on the topic, and perhaps even more off the topic.

Students ask direct questions: "Why does the bobcat skull have a missing tooth?" They ponder the profound: "Does Otto (the Museum's resident Great-horned Owl) want to live at the Museum?" They'll grill me, "How old are you?" and "What is your favorite animal at the Museum?" Some will even try to redirect our conversation from rusty-orange beaver teeth to dinosaurs: "If those teeth are strong because of iron, do dinosaurs have bones made of iron?"

Rodents tend to have strong teeth to allow for constant gnawing at tough 
materials, from bark to bone. Beavers in particular benefit from high concentrations
of iron, rather than magnesium, in the enamel of their front incisors. This makes them
more wear-resistant and also rusty-orange. 

I try not to giggle on camera at the apparent absurdity of some inquiries, but at a deeper level these are actually all fantastic questions that demonstrate the development of important critical thinking skills. 

Why does the bobcat skull have missing teeth? This question may lead us to discuss the preparation process of skulls in our collection, which must first be cleaned of all their tissue (including the cementum and periodontal ligament holding teeth in jaws). I could expand that to a conversation on the importance of careful handling, as many of our MuseumMobile specimens come back with broken or missing pieces. I could talk about the different life cycles of teeth, how animals adjust to missing teeth, or even return the question to them: "I don't know, what do you think?" 

All these questions means I may have to cut out a round in our carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore skulls game or show one less video of Otto just to make time. Honestly I don't think anyone minds. Second graders may ask a lot of questions, but isn't that how we all learn?