Barrett Students Visit Whooping Crane Display

After school this week, two Barrett families went to see the ultralight aircraft and whooping crane display at the Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum.  The students impressed one of the museum guards with all their knowledge about the whooping cranes and the ultralight. If you would like to visit the museum,  please check out my previous blog entry for directions and hours of operation.

a quickr pickr post

Big Whoop Part 4

Do you know how the whooping crane migrates? Watch this episode and learn!

Taylor's Birthday Present - Flying with the Cranes

In the Discovery Lab this week we learned about Father Goose (see previous blog entry), we checked on the current migration of "our" whooping cranes, we made models of ultralights and whooping cranes flying in the sky, read books about migration, and watched a video clip of a journalist flying with the cranes.

We read the online story of Taylor's 10th birthday present of flying with the whooping cranes!  Then each student put a photo of himself/herself in an ultralight glider and we went on a pretend migration around the school.  I'd love to fly with the whooping cranes for real on my next birthday!

Following the Migration on the Map

Migrating from Wisconsin to Florida (Actually from the Discovery Lab to the Classroom, taking the long route around the School)

Video clip of Journalist Flying with the Cranes

Kindergarteners pretend to Fly with the Cranes in an Ultralight

Reading about Migration

Learning about the Migration Experiment of Father Goose

 

Reading about Whooping Cranes

 

Placing the Whooping Cranes in the Sky

Taylor's 10th Birthday Present was to Fly with the Cranes

Ready for our Migration

a quickr pickr post

Father Goose

In the Discovery Lab this week we discussed Bill Lishman's experiment of leading Canada Geese on a migration to Virginia. Lishman, known as Father Goose, and his daughter raised the geese and used an ultralight aircraft to show them the migration route. After the experiment was a success, Operation Migration decided to use this technique with the endangered whooping cranes.

Below are a two video clips related to Father Goose and the movie Fly Away Home. The videos won't play on our school network, but work fine at home.

Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport

I recommend a visit to see the ultralight aircraft that is on display at the Udvar-Hazy musuem. It is the actual ultralight that led one of the whooping crane migrations and was featured in the movie Fly Away Home.

It would be great if you took a photo of your child in front of the ultralight and emailed it to me to post on Barrett's Project Discovery Website. My email address is LaurieJSullivan@gmail.com


From Washington, D.C., and points south: I-66 West to Route 28 North (Exit 53B): Travel on Route 28 North for 5.3 miles. Exit at Air and Space Museum Parkway and follow the signs to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Directions to Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum

Admission to the museum is free. Please note that a parking fee of $12.00 applies until 4pm. On my last visit to the museum I arrived a little after 4:00 and stayed until closing (5:30) so the entire outing was free.

Museum hours are 10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Open every day except December 25.


Photos of Barrett students with the ultralight trike:



Ultralight at work:



Ultralight models in the Discovery Lab: