In My Backyard: Moles

The In My Backyard Books by Kate Riggs and Lindsy J. O'Brien are perfect for your budding naturalists!

Kids always want to know more about their surrounding environment and animals tend to be especially intriguing for them. The In My Backyard books by Kate Riggs and Lindsy J. O'Brien highlight some of the animals that kids are most likely to encounter— the ones that are in their backyard! This collection of books covers six topics: chipmunks, frogs, mice, robins, squirrels and of course, moles.

In My Backyard: Moles caught my attention because I remember my classmates and I going through an obsession with moles in first grade. Weird? Yes. But understandable? Also yes! Moles are incredible little creatures!

They might be almost blind, but they live vibrant lives! They're cute, they're furry, and they can eat more than 50 pounds of worms in a year!

The gist:

In My Backyard: Moles is a great book to tie into a lesson about your local biodiversity! This book is an introduction to the life cycle of moles and includes information on their physical attributes, their diets, the tunnels in which they live and their predators. Its stunning, high-quality photographs of various species of moles are sure to capture your students' attention. The text uses simple language and highlights new vocabulary for easy discussion with students. In addition to the main text, there are fun-facts on the bottom of every page! It's a winner in my book (haha), and I'll be sure to check out the other books in the In My Backyard series!

My favorite part: 

The book ends with a suggested activity that can easily be adjusted for your classroom. It also includes websites for additional mole-related activities and resources!