Animals

Curriculum Activities -The following link to the Saskatchewan Curriculum provides a few exciting and engaging activities for students to learn about habitats. http://www.sasklearning.gov.sk.ca/docs/elemsci/gr1uaesc.html

Teacher Planet-
Teacher Planet is an excellent site with a large number of teacher created lesson plans, worksheets, units and other resources.  The following link will bring you directly to the section on habitats. http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/animalhabitats.php


Habitat, What's That? (A lesson plan created by Kelly Stewart) - 
This is a lesson plan about discovering what a habitat is.  It comes with 5 extra lessons on habitats that are part of a complete habitat unit.  http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3942

Note : Allow students to bring a camera, or bring a class camera for pictures to document field trips.  These pictures can be integrated into many different learning experiences such as journaling, group projects or even just personal memories. 

Taking the students outside and allowing them to explore either the school yard, a park or any other area available for students to explore habitats is a great learning experience for them.  Nature walks can be done anytime during the year and should be done more than once during changing seasons to allow students to explore a variety of habitats.

Don't forget about your local library.  There are always many great learning resources at the library and taking students to a different library than the one at their school is always an exciting adventure.  If possible, take time with the students to walk to the library so you can discover habitats along the way.

The zoo is a great place for students to explore different habitats!  It would be beneficial to make a trip to the zoo on your own prior to your class trip to decide which animals you would like to visit, what rout you and your class will take and any other details that would best be figured out before hand.

Provide books in the classroom that either the children or teacher can read.  Have class discussions about the books and habitats, have students make their own books, journal, or write a story about when they discovered a habitat.

Have students keep a number wall of the habitats they learn about every class.  Count the habitats continuously and incorporate these habitats into addition, subtraction or whatever they may be working on.

Study the habitat of your class pet.  Keep an ongoing journal of what the pet needs for its habitat and how to continuously improve the environment of your pet.

Allow students to represent what they know about habitats either by painting, drawing, coloring, making sculptures, collages, or even through the use of paper mache. 

There are animal habitats all around the world.  Allow students to explore habitats in desert regions, rain forests, the jungle, etc.

Ask a First Nations elder to visit your classroom and discuss the habitats of the animals in the area where they are from.  They can talk about how the animals adapt to the seasons and environments just like humans do.

After studying animal habitats, students can play a form of tag where they crouch down and name an animal and its habitat in order not to get caught.  To make the came a little more difficult, they can try naming different adaptations.

Discuss how adapting to different environments is crucial to animal survival.  Talk about different ways we adapt during the changing seasons and why it is important that we do.

Post pictures of different animals and their habitats all around the room to keep children intrigued and always curious.

Animal Homes-
This website allows children to go on many different adventures with the Kratt brothers and discover all types of interesting facts.  http://pbskids.org/krattscreatures/login.shtml?

National Geographic KIDS-
This is a child oriented website that allows children to play games, take quizes, read stories, watch videos, do activities and more!  It is based around nature and has a section all about animals and their habitats.  http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/


Habitats- 
Habitats is a child friendly site created by an elementary class that allows children to explore many different habitats and the animals that live in them such as farms, ponds and homes.  It also has an extra section dedicated to more mysterious habitats such as the arctic, desert, rain forest, under the sea and more! http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/habitats/index.htm 


Active Science-
This is an interactive website for students that allows them to play games and work on worksheets all about habitats.  The games show a habitat and a creature and asks, both in writing and speaking, if the creature suits that habitat.  Once answered, the voice explains why or why not the animal does not suit that specific habitat. http://www.activescience-gsk.com/module2/home.html


Movies, Games, and MORE- 
This is an excellent interactive site that allows children to pick the type of habitat they want to learn about.  Once they pick it, a little video will come up explaining what that habitat is.  Then the student can chose to read, write, talk, do an activity and many more possibilities to continue learning about that habitat.  There are also lesson plan ideas for teachers.  http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/habitats/

Cold, Colder, Coldest: Animals That Adapt to the Cold- Michael Dahl

Amazing Animal Habitats- 
A video about the very unique and interesting habitats where animals can live.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC7REG55E10


Animal Habitats- 
A video about animal habitats all around the world.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo-Y4i7UmPg


Animal Adaptations- 
A video with pictures of many different animals around the world... a great video to take time and discuss with students what the adaptations of the animals are.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGFCXultVfM


Wild Animals Run Free-
A video explaining how they are trying to make a habitat as close to the one in the wild for those animals who can not be released back into the wild.  http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=17695746

Foxes and Their Homes- Deborah Chase Gibson

What Do You Do When Someone Wants To Eat You? Steve Jenkins

Sand, Leaf, or Coral Reef - A Book About Animal Habitats (Animal Wise)- Patricia M. Stockland

What do you do With a Tail Like This? Robin Page & Steve Jenkins

Exploding Ants: Amazing Facts About How Animals Adapt- Joanne Settle

Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures On Earth- Nicola Davies

Claws, Coats and Camouflage- Susan Goodman

Beavers and Their Homes- Deborah Chase Gibson
 
Lakes and Freshwater Habitats - This is a website dedicated to children's books about lakes and freshwater habitats. http://www.lcbp.org/Factsht/Children_Books.pdf

Fur, Feathers and Flippers: How Animals Live Where They Do- Patricia Lauber
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