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Learning about Animal Diets with Kids

January 14, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

My kids, like almost all kids, love learning about animals. We’ve studied animal habitats, animals who are nocturnal and diurnal, and animals who hibernate already.

With our youngest, though, it was time to learn about animal diets: which animal eats what. And nothing makes that concept more real than a field trip to interact with actual animals.

Oh – and our animal diets lesson from BookShark was a huge help too!

Learning about Animal Diets with BookShark

Read on to see how we learned about herbivores and carnivores with our small students!

And for more hands-on ways to study animal science, don’t miss our Sharks Food Chain Game for kids!

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.

Animal science isn't complete without a lesson on animal diets. See how we learned about herbivores and carnivores with BookShark!

Studying Animal Diets with Kids

We started our lesson with a section in BookShark’s Level 1 animal science curriculum. BookShark uses a book-based approach to learning and science is no different.

BookShark Animal Diets Lesson

In the Usborne Book of Animals, we examined how different animals eat different things. Some eat plants and seeds (herbivores), while some eat other animals (carnivores).

BookShark Animal Diets Printable Lesson

Interestingly, you can usually tell which animal eats what by looking at the shape of their mouths and the shape of their teeth. That is, if you can get close enough to one to actually check that out.

After a bit of reviewing, our first grader learned how to distinguish the carnivores and herbivores.

But, there’s nothing like seeing animals firsthand to help kids remember what they learned!

Learning about Animal Diets

So we took a trip to a nearby wildlife refuge to see some herbivores and carnivores up close!

We saw bison. (herbivores)

Visiting a Wildlife Refuge to Learn about Animal Diets

We met chickens. (herbivores)

Observing Animal Diets

This positively regal turkey was quite a sight. (herbivore)

Studying Animal Diets at a Wildlife Refuge

The tropical birds were gorgeous, but incredibly loud too. (herbivores)

Feeding Animals at a Wildlife Refuge

The kids even got a chance to feed deer by hand. (herbivores)

Learning about Herbivores and Carnivores

From far away, we spotted a white tiger. (carnivore)

As you can see, you can also tell what eats what by how close you’re allowed to get to the animal. 🙂

Studying Animal Diets with Kids

A very friendly zebra came up to the fence to meet us. (herbivore)

Close Encounters with Animals at a Wildlife Refuge

This sweet donkey was docile enough to be petted. (herbivore)

Observing Animals Who are Omnivores

Finally, we met a grizzly bear, which we learned eats both plants and met (primarily fish). So we had a chat about the animals who aren’t really herbivores or carnivores – they’re omnivores.

Which is what most humans identify as too. I think my kids might be dessert-ivores, though.

If you want to get a closer look at how you can learn about animal diets with the kids, take a look at BookShark’s curriculum to see how the program covers animals for early learners!

Stop by to see these other ideas for studying animals!

Help early learners get to know some of the wild creatures who live at the zoo with these printable zoo animal flashcards for kids!

Learn about the fascinating world of sharks with this printable shark food chain game!

Use these printable polar animal notebooking pages to learn about winter animals and the regions where they live!

And get more ideas for learning animal science on my It’s Science Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Homeschool Curriculum, Science Tagged With: animals, bookshark, science

Zoo Friends! Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards

December 6, 2018 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards

I’m happy to share a brand new pack of printable flashcards with you all today! This time we’re featuring printable Zoo Animal Flashcards!

We go to the zoo often with the kids and they always love spotting new animals or even ones they’ve come to know and love over the years.

So I thought that they’d love having some flashcards to learn about new animals and to look out for them when we tour the zoo again.

Fun Zoo Animal Printable Naming Cards

These would also be a nice introduction to animal diets or animal habitats.

Particularly since so many creatures that live in the zoo require different environments to feel at home.

Read on to see how to get these animal flashcards for yourself!

And if you love these, don’t miss our Alphabet Animal Flashcards for early learners!

Help early learners recognize animals with these printable zoo animal flashcards!

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards for Kids

To use these printable zoo animal flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer Paper
  • Scissors
  • Laminator (optional)
  • Hook and loop sticky dots (optional)
Zoo Animal Flashcards for Early Learners

These cards are awesome for introducing kids to wildlife.

On the learning cards, students can see pictures of real zoo animals.

So if you’re planning a trip to the zoo soon, these would be awesome for introducing kids to the animals they’ll see!

Printable Zoo Animal Naming Cards

You could even put the flashcards on a ring and bring them along to the zoo.

Try passing out the cards among the kids and challenging them to find as many of these animals as they can.

Printable Zoo Animal Naming Activity

Along with the identification cards, this set includes printable zoo animal naming cards for kids.

Printable Zoo Animal Naming Cards for Kids

These cards feature the animal pictures with blank boxes.

On separate sheets, you’ll find 24 zoo animal name labels. Kids can use scissors and glue to cut and paste the names on the correct cards.

Zoo Animal Naming Activity for Preschool

Or add hook and loop sticky dots to turn this into a reusable activity for busy bags, morning tubs, or centers!

Since the product includes one set of animal cards with the animal names and one without the names, kids can practice matching up similar pictures.

Zoo Animal Identification Cards

Or you could just use the unlabeled cards to introduce wild creatures to pre-readers!

See these cards in action in the video below!

Scroll down to get your set of our printable zoo animal flashcards!

Don’t miss these other animal activities for kids!

Make this easy toilet paper roll lion craft with the kids for a fun art activity!
This simple paper bee craft is a fun way to make an easy spring or summer craft with kids!
Teach students about animals with this animal diets and habitats sorting activity! Such an easy way to learn about animal science with young learners!

 

Printable Zoo Animal Flashcards for Preschool

To get your set of our printable zoo animal flashcards, check them out below!

Filed Under: Homeschooling Printables, Teaching Printables Tagged With: animals, flashcards, printable flashcards, printables, science, zoo, zoo animal flashcards, zoo animals, zoo flashcards

Homeschool Unit Studies: Animal Homes Unit Study

October 15, 2018 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Today we’re sharing another one of our homeschool unit studies!

We’ve already talked about hibernation and this time I wanted to share some information we’ve found about how animals make their homes in various environments.

Read on to check out our Animal Homes Unit Study!

Animal Homes Unit Study for Homeschoolers

Kids love to learn about where animals live.

And, really, it is  fascinating to study how different kinds of animals adapt to their environments and manage to raise their young, no matter the climate in which they live.

Personally, I don’t think I could get by without heating and air conditioning, but that’s another story…

This simple animal homes unit is a fun way to introduce habitats and ecosystems to early elementary students. Plus, there’s a free animal homes worksheet for you to use with your class!

Want to see more of our homeschool unit studies for kids? Don’t miss our beach unit study or our penguins unit study!

Disclosure: I am a BookShark brand ambassador and am receiving free curriculum as part of my role.
Learn about the different animal habitats on Earth with this animal homes unit study!

Homeschool Unit Studies: Animal Homes Unit Study

We started by learning about different animal homes in The Usborne World of Animals (part of our BookShark Level 1 curriculum).

Exploring Animal Homes Unit Study with BookShark

As our lesson plan suggested, we went out to explore animal homes in our local area.

Animal Homes Unit Study for Kids

We saw this eight-legged guy living in a tree.

Exploring Insect Animal Homes

We even found insects living under a fallen tree branch on the ground.

Naturally, we couldn’t leave it there. So we went to the zoo to see even more animal habitats.

Learning about Animal Homes with Kids

There were birds living in trees…

Learning about Animal Habitats Unit Study

…in ponds…

Exploring Animal Habitats Unit Study

…and in the Arctic!

Learning about Animal Habitats with Kids

We saw elephants living on the savanna.

Discovering Animal Habitats Unit Study

And alligators living in swamps.

The kids thought it was cool that animal homes look so different from one place to another. And, as we learned, the homes vary by region and by species.

So one animal in the rainforest has a certain kind of home, while a different animal has a different kind of home that suits its needs.

But an animal that lives in the rainforest may have a very different home than a related animal that lives in our area.

As our BookShark lesson pointed out, this is no different than people. Different people have different kinds of homes based on where they live and their specific needs.

 

Printable Animal Homes Worksheet for Kids

 

Learn about the types of homes that different animals live in with this free printable animal homes worksheet for kids!

Animal Homes Worksheet

This is a simple but educational activity to help early elementary students practice matching animals with the names of their homes!

Plus, an answer key is included!

Animal Homes Unit Activity

Get your free copy of this printable Animal Homes worksheet by clicking the image below!

Click here to get your free printable!

Animal Homes Unit Study Video

 

To learn more about animal habitats, check out this video and see if the kids can answer the questions that follow!

1. What is a habitat? (Answer: The area where something lives)

2. What do animals need to live? (Answer: Food, water, shelter, and space to live)

3. What is the food chain? (Answer: The model that describes the flow of energy between living things)

4. What is a food web? (Answer: Tangled system that includes every plant and animal in a habitat)

5. Do food webs and food chains look the same all over the world? (Answer: No, they are different, depending on the conditions in each habitat.)

 

Animal Homes Books and Activities for Kids

 

Try the following affiliate animal habitat books and animal habitat activities to add to your Animal Homes unit study!

1. Sea Monster Notebooking Pages – Look! We’re Learning!

2. National Geographic Wild Animal Atlas: Earth’s Astonishing Animals and Where They Live

3. Habitat Sensory Bins – Mama’s Happy Hive

4. Welcome Home, Bear: A Book of Animal Habitats by Il Sung Na

5. Animal Habitat Mural – True Aim Education

6. I See a Kookaburra!: Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World by Steve Jenkins

7. Farm Shoebox Diorama – Look! We’re Learning!

8. Scholastic: Matching Animals & Habitats Lace-Up Cards by Maria Chang

Homeschool Unit Studies: Animal Homes Unit Study

Don’t miss these other science-based unit studies for kids!

Learn about the science of beaches, plus get fun math, language, and geography practice, in this printable beach unit study!
This hibernation unit study is full of fun hibernation crafts and activities for kids!
This fun bears unit study for kids features printables, activities, and videos for learning about these furry friends!

Filed Under: Unit Studies Tagged With: animals, homeschool unit studies, science, unit studies

20 Beautiful Owl Books for Kids

October 17, 2017 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

We’ve had fun studying about nocturnal animals and one of those animals is…the owl! There are owls here in Georgia, but we hardly ever see them because they’re up when we’re asleep. 🙂

Since we’ve been talking about animals that are night “owls” (get it?), I rounded up some beautiful owl books for kids that we can share together. If you’re studying owls this fall, check out these storybooks and nonfiction books for some awesome owl facts!

Owl Books for Kids to Read

If you love these, don’t miss our list of bear books for kids as well! And for a fun craft project, see how to make a cute coffee filter owl craft with the kids!

These owl books for kids feature gorgeous pictures and illustrations for learning about these nocturnal flyers!

Owl Books for Kids:

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1. Owls by Gail Gibbons

2. Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan

3. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

4. National Geographic Readers: Owls by Laura Marsh

5. Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton

6. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

7. Exploring the World of Owls by Tracy Read

8. The Barn Owls by Tony Johnston

9. Owl at Home (I Can Read Level 2) by Arnold Lobel

10. Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor

Fall Playdough Mats

See the rest of the list on page 2!

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: animals, books about owls, books for kids, children's books, fall, kids books, kids books about owls, owl books, owl books for kids, owls, reading, reading for kids

Animals of the African Savannah Lapbook

August 18, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

My soon-to-be third grader is an absolute fanatic about animals. He loves learning about them, talking about them, reading about them, and watching videos about them.

A lot of his interest in the animal kingdom has come from his diligent watching of Wild Kratts, but there are very few animals I can mention that he doesn’t know at least something about. (Educational TV, FTW!)

So, this year when I had a chance to renew my relationship with the lapbook company, Knowledge Box Central, I jumped at the chance to try the Creatures of the African Savannah lapbook with him. I just knew he’d love it. And he did!

See how we’re learning about the animals of the African Savannah with a lapbook!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Studying Animals of the African Savannah with Lapbooks

We’ve gotten to try other lapbooks from Knowledge Box Central in the past, including the Cooking Lapbook, the Hurricane Lapbook, and the Math Mini Office Lapbook. Visit our previous posts to take a look at them all in action!

Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook Review

Creatures of the African Savannah Lapbook

I love to lapbook with our kids, but when I was first starting out, the directions seemed a bit…overwhelming. I didn’t know how to get started, where to find good resources to supplement my unit, or how to get my kids interested in completing the minibooks.

So I love Knowledge Box Central! Their lapbooks come with clear instructions and diagrams that show how to assemble each minibook and where to place it in the completed lapbook. Plus, there is a printable lesson plan at the back that walks you through the information kids can learn and place in each minibook.

African Savannah Lapbook Cover

The lapbook instructions offer a supply list that describes the kinds of materials you’ll need to complete the project. Here are the supplies I used:

  • Colored file folders
  • Hot glue gun with glue sticks (for gluing the folders together)
  • Colored paper
  • Stapler with staples
  • Metal brad fasteners
  • Tacky glue (for gluing the minibooks into the folders)

African Savannah Lapbook at a Glance

Voila! Look at that beauty!

Whenever I open a lapbook, I get excited. It just looks like there’s so much to do! And since Knowledge Box Central makes it easy to know where to place each minibook, the finished product is always gorgeous.

African Savannah Lapbook Layout

Inside the first lapbook are minibooks about lots of African animals, including leopards, zebras, and wildebeests.

Animals of the African Savannah Lapbook Layout

Plus, kids can learn about the differences between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores – all of which live on the savannah.

African Savannah Lapbook Layout Ideas

More animal minibooks are located in the second folder!

Animals of the African Savannah Lapbook Layout Ideas

My third grader wanted to learn more about the animals he wasn’t too familiar with, so we focused on jackals.

Exploring African Animals with Lapbooks

When he opened it, he just started to smile. He went through the lapbook, opening each minibook to see how it worked.

To start, we reviewed the differences between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.  Since he’s an avid Wild Kratts watcher, he already knew this and proceeded to teach me about it. 🙂 But the information is also located inside the lapbook lesson plan in case you need it.

Studying Carnivores with Lapbooks

As he explained the differences for each one, he filled in his lapbook. Here he’s working on the Carnivores minibook.

Studying Giraffes with a Lapbook

After we read about jackals, he wanted to talk about giraffes. We’ve seen them at the zoo, but he didn’t know that they have an 18-inch long tongue! When we read that from the lapbook lesson plan, he just had to write it down in the Giraffe minibook.

Studying Jackals with a Lapbook

“Can I color the jackal on the cover please, Mom?”

Sure. Why not? 🙂

Using Lapbooks to Study African Animals

We had a blast with this lapbook from Knowledge Box Central! And we still have a lot left to learn with it! You could easily make this a three-week unit.

Animals of the African Savannah Resources

Once you grab your lapbook from Knowledge Box Central, round out your study of the Animals of the African Savannah with these resources!

  • Wild Kratts Season 3 – This season has the episode “Cheetah Racer”, which is based on the African savannah.
  • African Animal Alphabet (National Geographic Little Kids) – A hardcover book for small children, featuring pictures of African animals for each letter of the alphabet.
  • Ravensburg African Animals 3000-Piece Puzzle – This fun puzzle is a way to get the whole family involved in the unit!
  • Here is the African Savanna (Web of Life) – A beautiful picture book that highlights how the various African savannah animal species are connected.

Knowledge Box Central

See other gorgeous lapbooks from Knowledge Box Central on display in these posts!

Learning to Bake with a Cooking Lapbook

Teaching Math with Math Mini Office Lapbooks

Making a Hurricane Lapbook

For more tips on how to create your own unit studies, including lapbooking, follow my Unit Studies board on Pinterest!

How to Study African Animals with a Lapbook


Filed Under: Homeschooling, Lapbooking Tagged With: animals, animals lapbook, animals of the african savannah lapbook, lapbook, lapbooking, science, science lapbook

Simple Turtles Unit Study for Kids

June 21, 2016 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

Tiny Turtles Prewriting Pack

Today, we’re talking turtles!

Turtles are super cute animals, but they are also wonderfully designed. They come in several species, including box turtles, sea turtles, and loggerhead turtles.

There’s a lot more to learn about turtles and we’re sharing plenty of books, crafts, and learning ideas in this simple turtles unit study.

Simple Turtles Unit Study for Kids

If you’re looking for a simple way to turn turtles into a simple unit study for homeschool or for early grades, you’ll love the turtle activities and lessons below.

Plus, there’s a printable collective animal nouns matching activity you can score for free!

Read on to see the full list of turtle learning ideas.

And, for more ways to learn about animals, take a look at our printable Animal Diets and Habitats Sorting Activity!

This simple turtles unit study is a fun way to teach kids about these shelled creatures!

Turtles Unit Study for Kids

Sea Turtle Facts for Kids

Watch this video about sea turtles and ask your kids to answer the following questions.

  1. Where do sea turtles like to live? Answer: In warm, shallow water
  2. What is the only reason female turtles go onto land? Answer: To lay eggs
  3. How do sea turtles use their shells? Answer: As protection
  4. How much do leatherback sea turtles weigh when fully grown? Answer: As much as a small car!
  5. Why do we need to be careful where we throw garbage? Answer: Sea turtles can confuse plastic bags with food

Farm Fun Bundle TPT Quote Box Ad

Fun Kids’ Books about Turtles

Read these books about turtles with kids of all ages! (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  1. Emma’s Turtle by Eve Bunting
  2. Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
  3. National Geographic Readers: Sea Turtles by Laura Marsh
  4. One Tiny Turtle: Read and Wonder by Nicola Davies
Turtle Books for Kids to Read

See even more books about turtles for kids to read at the link below!

>>> 10 Children’s Books about Turtles <<<

Fun Turtle Crafts for Kids to Make

These turtle crafts are so adorable and fun to make.

They make a wonderful addition to your turtles unit study, especially if you’re looking to add an arts and crafts project.

  1. Coffee Filter Turtle Craft – Look! We’re Learning!
  2. Paper Bowl Turtle Craft – I Heart Crafty Things
  3. Rock Turtle Craft – Easy Peasy and Fun
  4. Recycled Egg Carton Turtle Craft – Emma Owl
  5. Turtle Wine Cork Craft – Crafty Morning

Collective Animal Nouns Matching Activity

Turtles in a group are called a “bale”. Did you know that?

I sure didn’t.

And that got us curious about other names for groups of animals.

Animal Collective Nouns Sorting Activity

This printable collective animal noun matching activity is an easy way to learn about plural nouns and animals at the same time!

It would make a super addition to this turtles unit study too.

An answer key is also included for easy grading!

Collective Animal Nouns Activity

To get your copy, just click the link or the image below to have it sent directly to your inbox!

You’ll also get our weekly newsletter this Sunday.

Click here to get your free printable

>>> Animal Collective Noun Matching Activity <<<

Don’t miss these other fun ways to learn about animals!

Help early learners recognize animals with these printable zoo animal flashcards!
Use the print or digital version of this nocturnal and diurnal animals sorting activity to teach students about animal sleep habits!
Teach students about animals with this animal diets and habitats sorting activity! Such an easy way to learn about animal science with young learners!

This post is part of the A to Z Animals Blog Hop! Click the image below to see plenty of other animal learning posts!

A-Z of Animals Blog Series

Filed Under: Unit Studies Tagged With: animals, homeschool unit studies, homeschooling, turtles, turtles unit study, unit studies

Hi! I'm Selena, a teacher and a veteran homeschool mom to four. I'm so glad you're here!
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