1. Slide 1
Hidden Homes
Why do you think some animals might hide their homes? Name some animals that you think have hidden homes.
As you walk across a fi eld or through a forest, do you ever think about what is under your feet? You might be walking on an animal’s home! Many animals build homes beneath the ground. These hidden homes are safe places where the animals eat, sleep, and raise their young.
Where do earthworms live? In the earth, of course! Earthworms breathe through their skin. If they stay in a hot, sunny place too long, their skin dries out. Then they can’t breathe. This is why earthworms are almost always underground. They wiggle and push their whole bodies through the earth. This is the cool, wet home they need to survive!

2. Slide 2
Hidden Homes (Cont.)
Moles can live in many different habitats such as forests, fields, or gardens. But just like earthworms, their homes are always underground. Moles live alone, so each mole digs a burrow, or hole, of its own. As they dig, moles leave piles of dirt around the openings of the burrows. These molehills are signs that a mole is living underground.
Moles can quickly scurry through the many short and long tunnels that make up their hidden homes. A mole can even run backwards through a tunnel. Did you know that a mole can do a somersault to
turn around?
Most underground animals come above ground at times, but not moles. They spend almost all their time digging their tunnels and searching for their favorite food, worms. Moles must eat every few hours to survive. No wonder they never leave the ground!

3. Slide 3
Hidden Homes (Cont.)
Most birds live in trees, but not the burrowing owl! This unusual bird lives underground. The burrowing owl can dig its own burrow with its sharp claws and beak. But often it uses the home that another underground animal has left behind.
One male and one female burrowing owl stay together for life. The mother and father owl share the responsibility of raising their baby owls. The pair takes turns finding food for their babies.
While the mother owl hunts for food outside the burrow, the father owl sits on a pile of dirt next to the opening of the burrow. If he sees something that might harm the babies, he screeches. The owl parents keep their baby owls safe in their hidden home until the babies can leave the burrow and take care of themselves.

4. Slide 4
Hidden Homes (Cont.)
Prairie dogs live together in large underground towns. The tunnels in these underground towns may go on for miles and miles!
Prairie dog families share a burrow that has many special rooms
called chambers. There is a nesting chamber where baby prairie dogs are born. The listening chamber is close to where the prairie dogs enter the burrow. This is a place where they can listen to see if it is safe to go outside. Other chambers are fi lled with soft grass and are used for sleeping.
We can’t see inside the prairie dog town but we can see the mounds of dirt that they leave by the entrance. Prairie dog guards often sit on top of these mounds. If a guard senses danger is near, it makes a loud sound. Then all of the prairie dogs come running and dive into their burrows. The prairie dog town is a safe and comfortable place to be!
Unit 5, Week 3
Hidden Homes
1. What floor is right beneath the second floor?
2. Where do you enter our school in the morning?
3. What animals live in a forest habitat?
4. How could your clothes be harmed if you paint in them?
5. What comes in a pair, mittens or scarves?
6. What do you need to do to raise a puppy?
7. What is one responsibility you have at home?
8. What does a plant need to survive?