This week, Lake Tahoe School’s kindergarten and first grade science classes were visited by Sarah Hockensmith from Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) to provide some tactile insight into different animals around the Tahoe basin.

In science class, our young Bobcats have been learning about animals and their habitats, and how the traits that animals possess help them survive in their specific habitats. During Sarah’s visit, students dove further into their animal studies with several pelts and skulls of animals that live in Tahoe provided by TINS for students to see up close. Students were ecstatic to have the opportunity to touch the fur of a coyote, black bear, squirrel, marten, skunk, beaver, and… bobcat!

These pelts and skulls helped demonstrate to students how different characteristics of Tahoe’s mammals, including their diets, habitats, and ecological roles, contribute to shaping the Lake Tahoe environment. Thank you, Sarah and TINS team!

For more information on Tahoe Institute of Natural Science, please visit their website at www.tinsweb.org.