Read & Explore 96: How Do Some Animals Regenerate?

Did you know that some animals can regrow its lost body parts? Wild animals have to avoid many dangers to stay alive. Many animals lose body parts trying to defend themselves in a fight. But some animals have an unusual way to heal their wounds. They can grow back their lost body parts!

Salamanders are some of the best healers. They can actually regrow arms, tails, toes, ears, and parts of their eyes when they lose them. This process is called regeneration.

How does regeneration work? It starts with an animal’s cells. Cells are the basic building blocks of a living thing. A salamander that loses a leg can turn cells around the wound into the cells it needs to grow a new leg. These cells then come together in a mound called a blastema. The cells begin to multiply very quickly. As they do, they form the material that the animal needs to rebuild its missing limb. It takes about 40-50 days for some salamanders to regenerate their limbs.

Activities:

1. It might be very painful for a salamander to live when it loses its body parts. According to this passage, how many minutes does it take for some salamanders to regenerate their limbs?

2. Can humans regrow their damaged or missing arms and legs? What lessons can you learn from salamander regeneration? Explain your answer. Watch the video story to learn about an incredible creature that can regenerate its brain, heart, and limbs.

Read & Explore 95: The Fox Without a Tail

It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in struggling to release himself lost all of it but the stump. At first he was ashamed to show himself among his fellow foxes. But at last he determined to put a bolder face upon his misfortune, and summoned all the foxes to a general meeting to consider a proposal which he had to place before them. When they had assembled together the Fox proposed that they should all do away with their tails. He pointed out how inconvenient a tail was when they were pursued by their enemies, the dogs; how much it was in the way when they desired to sit down and hold a friendly conversation with one another. He failed to see any advantage in carrying about such a useless encumbrance. “That is all very well,” said one of the older foxes; “but I do not think you would have recommended us to dispense with our chief ornament if you had not happened to lose it yourself.”

Distrust interested advice.

Activities:

1. Find 5 words that rhyme with tail. Then make a sentence with each new word or make up a story with the new words.

2. Could the Fox avoid losing its tail when it was caught in a trap? Provide the Fox a suggestion what to do after it lost its tail. Then watch the video about the Fox without a tail. Is there any person in your life who looks like the Fox without a tail? How would you plan to help them?

Read & Explore 94: Why Bears Have Short Tails

One winter day, Bear met Fox in the woods. Fox had many tasty fish. The fish made Bear’s mouth water.

“How can I get fish?” asked Bear.

Fox said, “Cut a hole in the ice. Hang your long tail down it. Fish will bite your tail. Wait and you will get many fish.”

Bear did this. But his long tail got very cold. It broke off when he pulled it up.

And that’s why bears have short tails.

Activities:

1. Work with your partner to make bear shapes by tangram pieces. Try making as many as you can.

2.  Did Bear once have a long tail? If yes, how do you know about it? Did Fox trick Bear into losing its tail in this story? If yes, think about why Fox did this to Bear. Then watch the video about How Bear Lost His Tail. What do you learn from this video? Discuss with your partners.