Learn Every Day About Animals: 100 Best Ideas from Teachers

By Kathy Charner

Teachers and caregivers of children ages 3-6.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gryphon House Inc.
• Release date: Jan 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9780876594209

Book preview

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Introduction

You have in your hands a great teacher resource! This book, which is part of the Learn Every Day series, contains 100 activities you can use with children ages 3–6 to help them develop a lifelong love of learning, as well as the knowledge and skills all children need to become successful students in kindergarten and beyond. The activities in this book are written by teachers and professionals from the field of early childhood education—educators and professionals who use these activities in their classrooms every day.

The activities in the books are separated by curriculum areas, such as Art, Dramatic Play, Outdoor Play, Transitions, and so on, and are organized

according to their age appropriateness, so activities appropriate for children age three and up come first, then activities appropriate for children age four and up, and finally, activities for children age five and up. Each activity has the following components—learning objectives, a list of related vocabulary words, a list of thematically related books, a list of the materials (if any) you need to complete the activity, directions for preparation and the activity itself. Also included in each activity is an assessment component to help you observe how well the children are meeting the learning objectives. Given the emphasis on accountability in early childhood education, these assessment strategies are essential.

Several activities also contain teacher-to-teacher tips that provide smart and useful ideas, including how to expand the central idea of an activity in a new way or where to find the materials necessary to complete a given activity. Some activities also include related fingerplays, poems, or songs that you can sing and chant with the children. Children love singing, dancing, and chanting. These actions help expand a child’s understanding of an activity’s learning objectives.

This book and the other books in this series give early childhood educators 100 great activities that require few materials and little if any preparation. These activities are sure to make learning fun and engaging for children.

Note: The books listed in the Related Children’s Books section of each activity may occasionally include books that are only available used or through your local library.

Art Activities

Colorful Cows 3+

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The children will:

1. Identify a cow.

2. Identify colors.

3. Use markers and crayons to color cows.

4. Express creativity through coloring.

Vocabulary

black

blue

brown

cow

crayon

green

marker

orange

purple

red

yellow

Materials

cow shapes cut out from white construction paper

markers and crayons

Preparation

• Place the paper cow shapes, markers, and crayons in the art center.

What to Do

1. Ask the children to identify the shape of their papers. Ask if any of the children have seen a real cow before. What color was it?

2. Ask the children to identify the colors of the crayons and markers.

3. Suggest that the children draw faces and other features on their cows. They can draw spots and patches if they like.

4. Have the children color their cows. Encourage the children to use a variety

of colors.

Teacher-to-Teacher Tip

• Cover a bulletin board in your classroom with green cloth or butcher paper. Add a red paper barn to create a farm scene. Once the children’s colorful cows are complete, arrange them in the pasture for the children and families to enjoy.

Poem

Colorful Cows by Laura Wynkoop

I’ve never seen a yellow cow, I think it would be neat to see

Or one that’s green or blue. A purple cow say, Moo.

Assessment

Consider the following:

• Can the children name the colors they used in their pictures?

• Can the children identify the shape of their paper? Can they find other cows in the room?

Children’s Books

Bessie the Black and White Cow by

Bob Gross

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Open the Barn Door by Christopher Santoro

There’s a Cow in the Cabbage Patch by

Clare Beaton

Making a Cow Bell 3+

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The children will:

1. Create a cow bell.

2. Develop their small motor skills.

3. Learn about the function of cow bells.

4. Shake their cow bells to the rhythm of an action rhyme.

Vocabulary

colors

cow

cow bell

decorate

rhyme

rhythm

ribbon

sound

stickers

wrist

Materials

pictures of cows

small bells

ribbon

child-safe scissors

felt pens

stickers

What to Do

1. Set out several pictures of cows and talk to the children about cows. Ask the children, Where do cows live?

2. Explain to the children that they will be making their own cow bells. Say, After we make our own special cow bells, then we can ring our cow bells to the action rhyme.

3. Ask the children to choose a color of ribbon for their bell.

4. Encourage the children to decorate their cow bells and ribbons by coloring or drawing

on them or adding stickers.

5. Help the children either tie the cow bells to their wrists or just

tie the ribbon so they can hold their bells.

6. Teach the children the action rhyme Hey, Diddle, Diddle and model how to shake a cow bell to the beat of the rhyme.

Assessment

Consider the following:

• Do the children decorate their cow bells?

• Can the children shake their cow bells in time with the rhythm of the action rhyme?

Children’s Books

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Open the Barn Door by Christopher Santoro

There’s a Cow in the Cabbage Patch by

Clare Beaton

Clay Ladybugs 4+

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The children will:

1. Learn the different body parts of a ladybug.

2. Practice small motor skills and following directions.

Vocabulary

abdomen

antennae

black

bug

head

insect

jointed legs

ladybug

red

thorax

wings

Materials

images of ladybugs

red and black clay

small wiggle eyes

What to Do

1. Engage the children in a discussion about ladybugs. Display images of ladybugs and their body parts. Talk to the children about the various body parts ladybugs (and all insects) have, including the head, pronotum (behind the head), thorax (middle section where legs are attached), abdomen (body behind the thorax where most of the organs are), wings, antennae, and legs.

2. Demonstrate how to roll a circular red body and a smaller black head.

3. Add black clay dots to the red body, black clay antennae to the head and wiggle eyes to the face.

4. As the children construct their own clay ladybugs, discuss the different body parts of ladybugs.

Assessment

Consider the following:

• How many sections does the body of a ladybug have? What are they called?

• How many antennae do ladybugs have?

• How many legs do ladybugs have?

Children’s Books

Are You a Ladybug? by Judy Allen

A Ladybug’s Life by John Himmelman

Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth

Elephants Are Big! 4+

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The children will:

1. Learn about elephants in zoos and in the wild.

2. Improve motor skills.

3. Develop color concepts including the color gray and mixing colors.

4. Learn about the big size of elephants.

Vocabulary

big

color

ears

elephant

gray

mud

nature

trunk

tusk

wild

zoo

Materials

various colors of paint, including black, white, brown, red, green, and blue

paintbrushes

aprons

easels

construction or other painting paper, some with elephant pictures and some plain so the children can make their own

Preparation

• Set out enough of the above materials for each child.

What to Do

1. Ask the children if they have seen an elephant. Was it in a zoo?

2. Encourage the children to talk about how big elephants are. Show the children images of elephants to help the discussion. What color are they? Do they have tusks? Do the children know anyone who has been to Africa or Asia and seen elephants in the wild? Are all elephants gray? If an elephant rolls in the mud, is it a different color? Why would an elephant roll in the mud? Encourage all the children to participate.

3. Show the children the materials and encourage each of them to paint an elephant. They can mix colors, such as black and white, to make gray. They can also paint in grass and the sky and use their imaginations.

Teacher-to-Teacher Tip

• Have any of the teachers at the school, or parents or caretakers, observed elephants in the wild in Africa or Asia? If so, ask them to talk to the children about the experience.

Assessment

Consider the following:

• Can the child tell you where elephants live?

• Can the child describe an elephant, using color and other descriptors?

Children’s Books

Elephants by

Melissa Stewart

Elephants: A Book

for Children by

Steve Bloom and

David Henry Wilson

Just for Elephants by Carol Buckley

Stand Back, Said

the Elephant, "I’m Going to