We had a problem; lots of baby bunnies and limited cages. Who do we bunk with whom? A wonderful Redeemer mom visited this week to show us how to solve our dilemma. Her report:
I had such a fun morning with the 5th graders today! We learned how to determine the gender of a bunny and why it is important. The children learned:
1. Boy bunnies are territorial and if placed together it can lead to fighting
2. A boy and girl bunny placed together can produce babies.
3. Gender is easily determined with adult bunnies and more difficult with younger bunnies.
4. Some species such as cardinal birds and some ducks are easy to look at and determine gender. Bunnies require a bit more investigation especially with the younger, less developed bunnies.
We wrote down our findings and identified each bunny and its gender. As they develop a bit more in 2 weeks, we will investigate again to see if we were correct.
What amazed me the most is before we determined gender I asked each child whether they thought the bunny was a boy or a girl and in almost every case, they had guessed correctly. I was baffled by this because they have not been told if the bunnies are boys or girls before today. A possible theory could be that they notice different behaviors in the animals or physical characteristics and base their conclusions on that. However, 2 of the bunnies were impossible to tell apart, yet they still guessed the correct gender. From this, an additional more physiological theory developed. Possibly, the children’s instincts led them to their conclusion which could have something to with pheromones that exist that we are not aware of and yet help us determine who is whom.
As I watched the children holding and caring for the animals, I noticed their nurturing instincts. The children are compassionate, loving care takers of Redeemer’s little furry ones and now they know, based upon the gender of the bunnies, how to keep them even more safe.
Thank God for all the little creatures and of course Ms. Keyburn for bringing this opportunity to Redeemer!
First conclusions, will check again in 2 weeks and see if we were correct
Youngest bunnies:
Dark gray - Asteroid - boy
Light gray - Twitch - girl
White with brown spots - Carmel - boy
White with black spots - Oreo - boy
Next Oldest:
Lighter gray - JJ - girl
Darker gray - Falon - girl
Lionhead bunnies:
Smaller - Clover - girl
Bigger/more fluffy/lighter - Emma the boy - boy
I had such a fun morning with the 5th graders today! We learned how to determine the gender of a bunny and why it is important. The children learned:
1. Boy bunnies are territorial and if placed together it can lead to fighting
2. A boy and girl bunny placed together can produce babies.
3. Gender is easily determined with adult bunnies and more difficult with younger bunnies.
4. Some species such as cardinal birds and some ducks are easy to look at and determine gender. Bunnies require a bit more investigation especially with the younger, less developed bunnies.
We wrote down our findings and identified each bunny and its gender. As they develop a bit more in 2 weeks, we will investigate again to see if we were correct.
What amazed me the most is before we determined gender I asked each child whether they thought the bunny was a boy or a girl and in almost every case, they had guessed correctly. I was baffled by this because they have not been told if the bunnies are boys or girls before today. A possible theory could be that they notice different behaviors in the animals or physical characteristics and base their conclusions on that. However, 2 of the bunnies were impossible to tell apart, yet they still guessed the correct gender. From this, an additional more physiological theory developed. Possibly, the children’s instincts led them to their conclusion which could have something to with pheromones that exist that we are not aware of and yet help us determine who is whom.
As I watched the children holding and caring for the animals, I noticed their nurturing instincts. The children are compassionate, loving care takers of Redeemer’s little furry ones and now they know, based upon the gender of the bunnies, how to keep them even more safe.
 |
| opppps he is a boy |
Thank God for all the little creatures and of course Ms. Keyburn for bringing this opportunity to Redeemer!
First conclusions, will check again in 2 weeks and see if we were correct
Youngest bunnies:
Dark gray - Asteroid - boy
Light gray - Twitch - girl
White with brown spots - Carmel - boy
White with black spots - Oreo - boy
Next Oldest:
Lighter gray - JJ - girl
Darker gray - Falon - girl
Lionhead bunnies:
Smaller - Clover - girl
Bigger/more fluffy/lighter - Emma the boy - boy
