Last updated: September 9, 2023
Lesson Plan
Beaver Lodge Family
- Grade Level:
- Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
- Subject:
- Science
- Lesson Duration:
- 30 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Minnesota Academic Science Standards for Grade 1: 1.1, 3.1, 4.2
- Thinking Skills:
- Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words.
Essential Question
Why does the Beaver population grow so quickly?
Objective
Students will be able to:
1.Understand the number of beavers one family produces.
2. Understand population explosion.
3. Understand life cycle of beavers
Background
This activity does not discuss reproduction in detail rather explains the concepts of reproduction and what happens when a species reproduces rapidly.
Preparation
This lesson can be used both inside and outside. Designate an area to be the Beaver Lodge.
Procedure
1.Mark out a 6 to 8-foot area on the ground to represent the size of an average beaver lodge. You can do this by having the kids stand in a circle the size you want.
2.Choose two volunteers (Mom and Dad) to live in the lodge. The volunteers should stand in the center of the lodge.
3.As the instructor, you start the activity once mom and dad are in the lodge by telling the following information:
The first year: Mom and Dad have 3 to 9 kits. These kits are born anywhere from April to June after a 3-month gestation period. Pick three students to stand in the circle with Mom and Dad. The kits are born fully furred with their eyes open. They can swim within 24-hours after birth.
The second year: Mom and dad have 6 more kits (add 6 students to the circle).
The third year: Mom and Dad have 4 more kits. At this point the lodge is very crowded, so Mom and Dad kick out the first kits. The first kits are now 2 years old and able to start having their own families.
Dispersed beavers are often forced to leave the area by the Mom, who forces them to travel over land where they become easy prey for predators. Reasons for dispersal are varied but the most common reason is food. If there is a limited supply to food, an additional lodge on a small lake would lead to starvation or relocation in a few years.
Occasionally a beaver that has been kicked out may return for one more year if he/she is unable to find a mate. Dispersal is also critical to avoid inbreeding among family members.
The Rest of the Story
It is interesting to note that a beaver will begin to mate at age 3, can live up to the age of 11 to 12, and may have 3 to 9 kits per year. That means one pair of beavers can produce 72-81 kits. These offspring can then produce a maximum of 5,184 to 6,561 beavers. The numbers continue to rise very quickly over a very short period.
To emphasize this point, use the following example:
In New Jersey, the beaver was extinct until 1920 when biologists released 20 breeding pair of beavers. In 20 years, the first trapping season was reinstated, and it was estimated that trappers could easily harvest a surplus of 20,000 beavers. That’s what we call a population explosion.
Vocabulary
- Population: Number of a species living in an area
- Gestation period: Process or period of developing inside the womb between conception and birth
- Litter: Group of young animals born at the same time
- Kit: Baby beaver
- Lodge: Structure created with sticks, rocks, logs, and mud where a family of beavers lives.