Common skink/ mokomoko marea

As part of our involvement with Kids Restore the Kepler we have been studying meet the locals.  This week it was the common skink.  We have found out that skinks are reptiles and are cold blooded.  This means that they cannot move fast or digest food if they are cold.  The common skink needs to bask in the sun to warm itself up before it goes hunting for insects.

Skinks and geckos can drop their tails if attacked by a predator.  While the predator is distracted by the still-wriggling tail, the skink can escape.

Most of the world’s skinks lay eggs, but New Zealand skinks give birth to babies instead.   Baby common skinks are just 2.5 cm long from snout to tail tip.  Adult skinks can grow to 14 cm long.

Skinks need: stones to bask on, long grass to hide in and insects to eat.  Skinks also eat small berries and drink nectar from flowers. 

At Nature Discovery today Mrs Shaw said she would try and find a skink by the jumping rocks where we often find them, try and catch it and take it back to Kindergarten to show the rest of the children.

 We were very excited when Mrs Shaw turned over a rock and there was one, we had a container especially for it, and with the help of Moretta (Will's Mum) we caught it and put it in the container.  But not before it bit Moretta on her hand.

Will "When we caught it, it was scared.  It really wanted to go back under the rock.  It bit my Mum's hand.
Zack "I like it's colours.  It likes to eat spiders.  It like to live under rocks.  It's warm under the rocks."
Ruby "We found the skink at the jumping rocks. I liked looking at it, I like it's colours."
Bailey "We caught spiders and bugs for his food.  It likes spiders and plants. I like her colours"
Ben "It bited Will's Mum, we brang it to Kindergarten to show all the other kids.  He can move fast and hide".
Sasha "We found it at the jumping rocks.  It was hiding under the rocks.  I like its eyes"
Neve "It bit Moretta because she catched it.  I like its colours,. It eats spiders".
Lexi "It was at the jumping rocks.  Will's Mum caught it and it bit her.  It likes rocks because they get hot. The tails breaks if something tries to eat it."
Lily "We moved a rock and we saw a skink.  We got it and the skink bit her hand and then we took it to kindy.  Mrs shaw went round and round with the skink so everyone could see it.  I like the stripes on its back.  It is beautiful."
Libby "We find the skinks at the jumping rocks. They are hiding.  They like to eat plants and insects.  If a cat tries to eat it, its tail comes off and they grows another tail."
Iris "They are long and they have four legs. I like the stripes of them."
Jazz  "We find them at Nature Discovery.  Skinks have a head and four legs.  They eat worms.  I like the brown and black colours."
Hayden "They live under rocks.  Because they like to keep warm. I like his stripes".

Some of the children from Te anau Primary were up at the park too, and as Mrs Shaw knew they were learning about skinks too, so she took it to show them.  Later that afternoon the skink visited the school for everyone to see.
Mrs Shaw put him in the storeroom where it was cool and dark for the night.
The next day at Welcome Time we sat in a big circle and Mrs Shaw took him around for us all to see.  In the afternoon the teachers took him back to the jumping rocks-his home.  He will be happy.

After exploring bugs, climbing trees and playing in the mud the children wanted story.  The story of the day was the Three Little Pigs.  We decided to make the houses out of things we could find in the park.  Grass for the straw house, sticks for the stick house and mud for the brick house.  Little pine cones were used for the pigs and a big pine cone for the wolf and so the story began.  This story wasn't the traditional story as everyone added their own twist it was the best story I have heard.  Later back at the shed while sitting around the camp fire we talked about what was our favourite thing that happened today, for many it was making the houses and telling the story.  Story time is always magical.