Our Camel Blog

Day 10

2009-01-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 13
Camel waste is very dry. It makes great fuel for fires where wood is scarce. (2)

FEATURE 14
Interview Question: What is it like to ride a camel?

"They walked slowly yet very sure footed. It was very "rocky"...they "rocked" back and forth. We sat on a wooden "saddle" type thing that was over the camels hump and covered with a soft lambs wool and blankets. It had a large round wooden handle to hang on to. The camels were so tall we had to use a ladder to get on it's back. I remember they were very stinky animals. " (4)

Day 9

2009-01-22T06:33:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 12
The camel's brain is kept cool by the blood flow that is first passed through the blood vessels of the its long nose. The camel's breathing in and out cools down the blood. (1)

Day 8

2009-01-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 11
Camels' natural color is light brown, but they have been raised in colors from white to dark brown. (3)

Day 7

2009-01-20T14:43:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 10
Dromedary camels have wooly fur. The fur helps keep them cool. A shaved camel gets a lot hotter than a furry one! (1)

Day 6

2009-01-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 9
Camels' "spit" is a mixture of thrown-up food and saliva. Camels spit when they are upset. (3)

Day 5

2009-01-16T13:04:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 8
Camels have 34 teeth. They are used for ripping and chewing tough foods - and for fighting.

(Camels "chew their cud." They regurgitate their food by bringing it back up from their stomach to their mouth and chewing it again. This allows the camel to digest plant materials other mammals cannot). (3)

Day 4

2009-01-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 6
The camel has large, slit-like nostrils that it can close when it wants to keep blowing sand from entering its nose. (2)

FEATURE 7
A camel uses its thick split upper lip and long, tough tongue to pull leaves and pieces off thorny bushes without getting hurt. (3)

Day 3

2009-01-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 5
The camel has bushy eyebrows, 2 rows of long eyelashes and a third eyelid that moves back and forth like a windshield wiper.

(These features protect the camel's eyes from blowing sand). (2)

Day 2

2009-01-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 3
Thick pads of rough skin cover the camel's knees, feet and chest. These pads help the camel kneel, walk and rest on the hot sand. (3)

FEATURE 4
Camel hooves are wide for walking on sand. These feet have two broad toes with leathery pads on the bottom. (3)

Day 1

2009-01-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

FEATURE 1
Dromedary camels have one hump. A camel can reach up to 7 feet at the shoulders with the hump standing 1 foot above the shoulders.

(The camel uses the fat in the hump for water and energy. The hump may sag and even flop over on its side as the fat is used up. Well-fed camels have firm humps). (2)

FEATURE 2
The camel's legs look long because they do not have skin stretching between their upper legs and the sides of their body.

(The leg design helps keep the camel cool because air can move under its body more freely). (3)

2009-01-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our Calvin Christian School Camel Blog.

During our two weeks of Concentrated Study of the Arabian Peninsula we will be investigating the Arabian camel called the Dromedary during our library media classes.

During the weeks of January 12-16 and 19-23 CCS students in grades 2-5 are invited to visit this blog, read the daily posts and use them to complete an original drawing of a dromedary camel. One or two facts relating to the features of the camel will be posted daily, Monday - Friday, during the two Concentrated Study weeks.

All students will be offered a “take home sheet” during their library time that will help them complete their drawing. The drawing should include the prominent features of the camel – given to them in this blog. The student should also label each feature.

Students should bring their finished drawing to the library the week of January 26-30. I am excited to see what the students' camels look like at the end of our study.

Comments to the blog are not necessary, but any student may add a comment with the help of a parent and the parent’s Google account information. Parents’ comments are also welcome.

Sources used for information posted in this blog are:
(1) Davies, Nicola. Extreme Animals. Candlewick Press, c2006
(2) Steele, Christy. Desert Animals. Steadwell Books, c 2002
(3) Stevens, Kathryn. Camels. The Child's World, c2008
(4) Interview: J. B., Phoenix, AZ
All photos are taken from Google Images.

CCS Library Media Specialist,
Karen Christensson
(Blog moniker: Carrot Stick)