Mammalian Engineering in Action

The Rieke Kinders had a special guest visitor from Tryon Creek State Park who taught them about an amazing mammalian engineer - beavers!  The students were able to share what they knew about beaver like strong teeth, webbed feet, paddle tail and took a close look at these features on the visiting mounted animal.  In the lesson we were able to connect these adaptations to how beavers can change a habitat and help many animals in the wild such as creating ponds and clearing trees to allow for new growth.  The students were then asked to take the beaver engineering challenge - how would you design a mini dam with sticks and mud?  What followed was muddy teamwork, fun, and a new appreciation for our local mammalian engineer!