- Good morning, my dear, sweet, beautiful, brilliant students of Arkansas.

Today, we are going to investigate and explore how animals use their body parts and their senses to meet their needs.

Take a look at these three pictures.

What physical characteristics do they have in common?

What looks the same?

That's right, they are all animals.

And?

Yep, they all have legs.

Oh my gosh, you all are so smart.

Now, I'm gonna give you a harder question.

Are you ready?

Okay.

What physical characteristics are different?

What does not look the same?

Yep, they are different colors.

What else?

Exactly, one has feathers, and one has fur, and then the other one has scales.

I thought I was gonna stump you with that one, but I didn't because you all are brilliant.

So, let's look at the bear.

It has fur, which is another word for animal hair.

Why do you think a bear needs hair?

Right again.

To help keep them warm when it's cold outside and to help them hide.

It also protects their skin.

Now, let's look at the bird.

Instead of fur, remember we mentioned, it has feathers and these feathers help them survive all kinds of weather.

Do you know how?

Or, what else they do?

Yup, they help keep them warm and they help them fly.

(Stacey chuckling) Alright, finally, let's look at the alligator.

It has really hard things called scales.

Now, you can't feel this, but they're real hard.

And why do you think they have those?

Oh my goodness.

You all know everything.

You're right again.

It's to help protect them from other animals and to help them blend in and hide.

One time, I went on an alligator search in the swamps of Louisiana.

We spent hours riding up and down the bayou looking for alligators.

Sometimes they were really hard to see because they would blend in perfectly with the trees.

But, we did get a good look at a few.

And look, I even got to hold one.

Even though I was smiling, I was so scared.

Well, our time together is almost up, but before I go, I want you to remember that animals have different coverings to help them survive and stay alive.

The next time you see an animal, think about how their coverings help them.

Better yet, do me a favor.

Take out a piece of paper and draw a picture of a bird, a bear, and an alligator.

Then, show those drawings to someone you love and share what you learned about fur, feathers and scales, and how they help keep animals alive.

Alright, see you later.

I'm gonna go back to coloring.

Bye.