Ingredients:

• Drawing paper
• Construction paper
• Crayons
• Colored pencils
• Kid-friendly scissors
• Tape

Recipe for Playful Learning!

Kids love animals! Help your kids learn about wild animals and their surroundings.

STEP 1: Name some continents or specific countries that are known for animals other than traditional dogs, cats, horses, and cows.

STEP 2: Do some online research about the geographical areas they chose and ask them to identify at least 3 different kinds of animals and take notes on their individual habitats, i.e. cold vs. warm weather, mountains vs. valleys, forests vs. water vs. deserts, etc.

STEP 3: Using paper, have kids illustrate how each of the animals live. To make the habitat look three-dimensional, use colored construction paper to cut out animals and use tape to make them stand upright in their environment.

STEP 4: Once each sheet is done, group similar habitats together, adding more animal sheets each time and taping them to a wall to create a region.

STEP 5: As your child’s habitat drawings increase, use all of them to engage in a conversation about the climate, topography, and food that best suits each animal.

STEP 6: Compare and contrast wild animal life to your own pets’ daily routines.

Skills to Practice: Geography, Animals, Climate, Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking