One afternoon a small group of Kindergarteners were digging in the landscape with sticks. Suddenly one student exclaimed, “I found duck bones!” Upon further investigation, it was clear it was the skull of a duck or other billed bird. The other students, excited by the discovery, joined in the digging, unearthing worms, roly polys and other small insects. Then, yet, again, the same student announced, “I found another duck bone!” Sure enough, they had discovered the lower part on the jaw, too.

Building upon this excitement and to find the answer to some of our many questions, the next day our Kindergarten scientists took a closer look at our now cleaned skull, and did some research. We knew the skull had to belong to a billed bird, but we weren’t sure it wasn’t a goose or swan instead of a duck. We quickly ruled out swan because our bird’s bill did not have a sharp point on the end. We then measured the length of the skull, and discovered it was indeed duck…a mallard duck skull! We learned about the distinct features of mallard ducks, their habitats and their diets. We hypothesized that the mallard may have been looking for some of the small insects we uncovered or for acorns, as they are known to eat both. We may never know what happened to the duck, but we are so grateful we were the ones that found it and are keeping it safe in the newly designated, “Kindergarten Museum.”