Nature Note #127: Common Animal Misconceptions
After working with 5th and 6th grade kids, you definitely have a different perspective on the world. You realize how hard it is for kids in school these days with deluges of exams, the new Common Core standards, parental expectations, lack of recess and adequate physical education, and much more. But more than that, most kids and by extension, most adults, know little about the natural world around them. Through my years in the environmental education field and musings while on my own travels through nature, I always wonder how much other people are noticing about what's around them. As such, there are a lot of misconceptions about the wild creatures that we are increasingly coming in contact with as habitat fragmentation, housing developments, and other human-wildlife conflicts become more common. No more is the occasional raccoon raiding the bins or bear steal seed from the feeders, the wilderness is here and we better learn to live with it. That being said, I found with teachi...