This week’s theme … ANIMALS
Find this week’s activity plan here!
Monday, Explore in Books –
Everyone has a favorite animal. Personally, my favorite animal is the penguin. Something about those cute little flightless birds just makes me smile. Maybe because I relate to their waddling. Maybe it’s the cute little chicks. Maybe it’s how many of them mate for life. There is just so much to love about them!
Ask your kids what their favorite animals are and find a book about that animal. My Little Mister’s favorite animal is the giraffe. At the zoo, he wants to immediately go and feed them. He gets all giggly whenever he sees those long necks and blue and purple tongues. My Little Miss loves elephants and zebras. She’s really enjoyed watching the Disney Animal Kingdom show and loves whenever it’s the episodes about the elephants or zebras – she requests them now during our lunch time!
After reading the books about their favorite animals, use the animal fact sheet below to search back through the book and find fun details about each one. Not only will this help them with early research development, but it will help them identify questions such as who, what, and where!
Tuesday, Science Activity –
If I were an animal, I’m pretty sure I’d be a beluga whale – especially with how pregnant I feel right now! Beluga whales aren’t the only arctic animals, though, and with this fun science activity, kids will find out how animals that live in the arctic are able to stay warm even in the coldest of temperatures.
Materials Needed:
- Bowl of Water
- Ice
- Vegetable Shortening
- Gloves or a Bag, if desired
Activity Procedure:
- Fill a bowl with water and ice. You want the bowl to be cold enough to make the point, but not so cold as to injure your little one’s hand. Always test the water before your kiddo to ensure it isn’t too cold.
- Have your child put a bare finger into the bowl. Have them hold it in for a couple seconds – just long enough to feel how cold it is without any protection.
- Dry their finger and cover it with a good helping of vegetable shortening. The shortening is like the blubber that arctic animals have on their body. It helps provide a barrier between the cold water and their bodies. If your little one has sensory issues or you just want to keep messes to a limit, you can have your little one wear a glove or a plastic Ziploc bag over their hand.
- Have them put their finger back into the ice water and see how their finger doesn’t get cold as easily!
The easiest way to wash off shortening is with Dawn dish soap. The soap really does cut through grease!
After the activity, talk with your little ones about how their fingers felt between the two. Which one was colder? Why do they think their finger wasn’t as cold when it had the shortening on it? What do they think shortening is made of? What animals live in the arctic that might have this adaptation? What are other adaptations that arctic animals have (fur color, etc)? These are all great examples of follow up questions you can use with your little ones!
Wednesday, Excursion –
Take a trip to the zoo! We are members at our local zoo and LOVE LOVE LOVE going there. It is one of the places that my kids repeatedly ask to go. Spice things up on this week’s trip with our Zoo Scavenger Hunt. Engage your little ones in all the animals they see and ask them questions about some of the things you learned about in the books on Monday, if you can!
Thursday, Science Activity –
My Little Mister loves puzzles. We have about 20 different jigsaw puzzles that he loves to pull out and complete. After doing a little research, I created this sort and match animal tracks activity. On one side is an animal and on the other is their corresponding track. All you need to do is cut the pieces apart! Kids can match up the tracks based on the edge pattern of the pieces, just like a puzzle piece. As kiddos complete the activity, point out how many toes each animal has, whether their have webbed feet or not, and other features that they may notice.
Friday, Craft Activity –
There is amazing wildlife right outside our windows, even if we live in the city or suburbs. In our suburban life, we have birds and squirrels, raccoons and possums. We even have bobcats and coyotes! Although I don’t want to come face to face with the bobcats or coyotes we share our neighborhood with, I love filling our bird feeder and watching all the different types of birds that come to visit!
Make your own bird feeder from this previous activity or use a milk carton to create fun birdhouse for the local feathered friends!
Materials Needed:
- Clean and Empty Paper Milk Carton
- Stickers, Crayons, Paint, and Other Decorating Items
- Twine
- Popsicle Sticks
- Glue
- Chopstick
- Exacto Knife
- Pencil
- Hole Punch
Activity Procedure:
- Ensure that milk cartons are completely clean and dry. Paint exterior of milk cartons all single color of choice. Ensure that all the surface is completely covered and opaque. This may take multiple coats of paint.
- Using hole punch, punch a single hole in the top of the birdhouse.
- Use a pencil to draw the opening for the birdhouse on the side. This can be a circle or a small rectangle, whatever your kiddo desires.
- *PARENT STEP* Using the exacto knife, carefully cut out the hole in the side of the birdhouse. Discard the piece that has been cut out.
- *PARENT STEP* Using the exacto knife, carefully cut a small slit slightly below the hole. This is where the chopstick will go.
- Using the popsicle sticks and glue, create a roof along the top of the carton. Allow the roof to dry before starting to decorate.
- Using paint, crayons, stickers, or whatever other decorating supplies you’ve collected to decorate the outside of the birdhouse.
- *PARENT STEP* Using scissors, carefully cut the chopstick to shorten it to a good length to slide into the slit and stick out of the milk carton about 2-3 inches.
- Use twine to create a loop through the hole in the top of the milk carton from which the birdhouse will hang.
- Hang up your birdhouse and enjoy your wildlife neighbors!