The mammal project is a celebrated Calhoun tradition for our first graders. It is their first research project and through this study, students become familiar with different habitats and how these environments support numerous animal and plant life forms. Children are exposed to different concepts, including the food chain, geographical biomes, animal behavior, life cycles and conservation status. The mammal project provides an excellent opportunity for individualized learning and interdisciplinary exploration in the domains of science, art, math and language arts.

For this year's project, first graders utilized classroom books and online resources to learn more about their mammal of choice. They also visited the American Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo to further their research. Once they gathered information, first graders spent weeks preparing their mammal books and dioramas. For their books, they drew their mammals, listed the reasons they chose the mammal, and added fun facts. They next constructed dioramas to bring their mammal's habitat to life – depicting sources of shelter and water that allow their mammal to survive and thrive. The final touch was sculpting their mammals out of clay, paying close attention to body proportions. To conclude the unit, first graders showcased their dioramas and shared their research with family and friends at the annual Mammal Museum.