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Mill Creek Park knows what the fox says
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Neighbors | Elise McKeown Skolnick.Julie Bartolone read a story about a fox to children at a Ford Nature Center program Jan. 10.
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Neighbors | Elise McKeown Skolnick.Children made fox masks with their family members at a Ford Nature Center program Jan. 10.
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Neighbors | Elise McKeown Skolnick.Children pretended to be foxes hunting for mice at a Ford Nature Center program Jan. 10.
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Neighbors | Elise McKeown Skolnick.Nathanael Warner colored a picture of a fox at the "What Does the Fox Say?" program at a Ford Nature Center Jan. 10.
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Neighbors | Elise McKeown Skolnick.Elaina Boyce modeled the fox mask she made at a Ford Nature Center program Jan. 10.
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
Children’s Nature Hour at the Ford Nature Center Jan. 10 was inspired by the song “What Does the Fox Say?” by Ylvis.
The video of the group singing the song has captured the attention of both children and adults, said Julie Bartolone, naturalist.
“I kind of saw it as a learning opportunity for what the fox actually says and to learn all about it,” she said.
The program was for children ages 3-6. Bartolone held up a toy fox and said, “I have something right here. Can anybody tell me what it is?”
The children shouted out, “A fox!”
“A fox,” Bartolone agreed. “But you know what? It has a color in its name. What kind of fox is this?”
The children knew it was a red fox. Then she asked the children if they have a dog and cousins. Many did.
“Guess what? Your dog’s cousin is the red fox,” Bartolone said.
Bartolone read “The Four Seasons of the Fox” to the children. The children made fox face masks and, wearing them, pretended to be a fox on the hunt for food.
Foxes eat a lot of different things, Bartolone told the children. In the habitat room of the Ford Nature Center, the children hunted for and pounced on construction paper mice.
Participants were also able to hear what a fox sounds like as they watched a video.
They don’t really say “ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding” as the song by Ylvis indicates, Bartolone noted.
To finish the program, Bartolone played the “What Does the Fox Say” video and the children danced.
The next Children’s Nature Hour will be Feb. 14 and 15 at Pioneer Pavilion. Children will learn about groundhogs.