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Animals Come in Many Shapes, Sizes and Colors

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Core Learning Experience + Supplies and Equipment

• ​Place some photos of animals around the room in easy to find places, and have the children look for them, find them, and then gather together as a group.  Find the biggest, smallest, tallest, shortest, longest animal.  Which do think would be the heaviest?  Lightest?  Find an animal baby.  Compare and discuss the photos.
• Find all the animals that are grey.  Find all the animals that have stripes.  Find an animal that does not have stripes etc.
• Insects are animals.  Let’s find all the insects.  Are most insects bigger or smaller than a cat?  Bigger or smaller than a mouse?
• Birds are animals.  Let’s find all the birds.  Can you think of a bird that does not have feathers?

Possible/Expected Discoveries

• ​Diversity.  Animals in our world come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  There are between 9 and 10 million animal species living on earth, including mammals, insects, amphibians, birds, fish and reptiles.  Choose a photo to represent each group.
• Some animals are very small, even smaller than a flea, and some are very big, such as the blue whale, which is the biggest animal.     
• There are more insects than any other kind of animal.   If there are more insects than people, why don’t we see them everywhere we go?  Why aren’t they shopping at the supermarket and going to insect schools?  Or are they?
• Compare a lion and a pet cat.  Do they look the same?  Similarities and differences.
• Many snakes have similar colors to the earth they slither on.  I wonder why?
• Compare the shape of a goldfish with the shape of dog. (or other)

Extended Learning and Other Curriculum Areas

• Let’s make up a story about a mosquito sitting on an elephant’s ear.  I’ll write it down, and we can read it.
• Make a list of every animal the children have ever seen in real life (not on TV).  Which one impressed you the most, and why?  Make a picture of it, and teacher write the dictated words.
• Animal cracker game: Child picks out an animal from a box of crackers and becomes that animal.  Other children guess.
• Musical animals: movement to Rodeo (Copeland); Carnival of the Animals (Saint Saens); Baby Beluga;
• Create a group mural of a bio-diverse environment, for example a beach; rainforest; swamp; a back yard; mountain forest; field at a farm

Activity Packs and Printables

28 bird theme large flashcards $2.50

Animal go-togethers - match animal to its body part.

Websites

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html
http://animalexploration.tripod.com/animalexploration.htm
Animal diversity theme page at KidSparkz.com

Books