A few weeks ago, we learned so much about snakes in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Like usual, we read lots of good picture books, did a handicraft, learned a fun song, and memorized a poem. We also journaled in our nature journals. In this post I will share the picture books about snakes we read, our learning activities, and our snake observations.
First, I will list some of the snakes that live here in the Sonoran Desert. Obviously, the Western Diamondback rattlesnake, which is venomous. There’s also the king’s snake (not venomous), the Arizona coral snake (venomous), the sidewinder (venomous) , and the Mojave rattlesnake (venomous). Click on this link to read more about snakes in Arizona. Basically, stay away from snakes. Luckily, I don’t live in an area where we have snakes (Or so I thought. Keep reading to find out).
Picture Books
Here some of the picture books that we enjoyed. Some include information about other types of snakes that do not live here in the Sonoran Desert, but we still learned a lot from them. Most picture books about snakes almost always include rattlesnakes anyway.
Snakes by Gail Gibbons
Snakes are Hunters by Patricia Lauper
Rattlesnakes by Sandra Markle
about procreating.
All About Rattlesnakes by Jim Arnosky
I (Don’t) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies
to teach children facts about snakes.
Little Britches and the Rattlers by Eric A. Kimmel
belongings till she has nothing left.
Then she outwits them and gets
everything back.
Snake Observations
We had three opportunities to observe snakes or signs of snakes. The first was in my neighborhood. That morning, I read Snakes by Gail Gibbons to my kids. Then I showed my them a video of a snake shedding his skin. Then we went on a walk that same day, and found a three-foot long snake skin close to our house! I didn’t think snakes lived in my neighborhood, but I guess one does. Of course, I took it home with me.
We also went to a local community college where they had a free reptile exhibit. It was perfect! It had plenty for everyone to see, but it wasn’t overwhelming or too much. According to this lifespan board, a rattlesnake lives for about twenty years. That seems like a long time for a venomous snake to be alive. There were a few snakes, but also a lot of lizards.
Lastly, we went hiking and we saw a snake. It was a tiny, so I am guessing it was a baby snake. It was all black, and we aren’t very sure what type of snake it was. Once spring comes, rattlesnakes can be close by on the trail. If you aren’t familiar with Arizona, it’s common for trails to post signs warning hikers not to go off the trails due to rattlesnakes.
Handicraft
We used rolled clay out into the shape of a snake, and then painted them to look like snakes in the Sonoran Desert….notice the pink rattlesnake. It’s very venomous. We used Crayola air-dry clay, but I would recommend using Crayon Model Magic. Some of the snakes we made cracked and fell apart.
Last Thoughts
I really don’t like snakes. It was nice to learn about them, but I don’t like that rattlesnakes are present on hiking trails. This was probably my least favorite unit because a rattlesnake bite for a small child can be deadly. I have actually never seen a rattlesnake, and I hope to keep it that way. About 250-350 rattlesnake bites each year in Arizona. During monsoon season (August and September), rattlesnakes come out more. However, my children think snakes are really cool. I guess I did my job and got them interested in learning about snakes. Now, let’s move on to lizards. Those are a bit friendlier (some of them).
Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
