Book choices for today:

Antarctica   Lucy Boreman
Antarctica   Helen Cowcher
Sky Trees   Thomas Locker
Fun with Friends All Year ‘Round   Sara Coleridge
A Penguins Story   Antoinette Portis
Splash – a Penguin Counting Book   Jonathan Chester
Months of the Year   Angela Brown

Geography: (first circle)

Need for lesson – Continent Globe, pictures of different species of penguins, and Parts of a Penguin three-part matching.

Geography 31

Let’s find Antarctica on our Continent Globe. What is it like on this continent? Do people live there in houses like we live in? What kind of animals are on this continent?

Penguins are one of the animals that live on Antarctica. Penguins are birds. How do we know if an animal is bird? It has feathers! Penguins have feathers. Do penguins fly? Penguins can swim. They cannot breathe under the water like fish, but they can hold their breath for a long time. They are graceful fast swimmers. They swim to catch their food. Penguins eat fish, squid, and krill. There are many different species, or kinds of penguins. Some of them are; Macaroni, Rockhopper, King, Emperor, African, and Adelie. Of the many kinds of penguins, only about four of them live in Antarctica. They are the Adelie, Emperor, Chinstrap, and the Gentoo (show pictures of penguins).

A group of penguins is called a colony. Penguins, like other birds that we talked about, build nests. Most of them make a nest on the ground, using stones, sticks, grass, feathers, or other materials that they find. A nest of eggs is called a cluth. Most will have two eggs. King and Emperor penguins only lay one egg and do not make a nest. They will stand upright and incubate the egg on the tops of their feet and keep it warm with a patch of skin called brood patch. Penguin parents work together to take care of the baby penguins, called chicks. Like other birds baby penguins are covered with soft downy feathers and their adult feathers grow as they get older.

Additional Works:

Penguin Booklets – Book names and describes the parts of a penguin. Children can make their own booklets.

Penguin Sequence -The children glue the penguins in order from smallest to largest.

Art:

Penguins – This is an outline of a penguin body and the children can glue other pre-cut pieces to make a penguin.

Draw a Penguin – I saw this idea on tothelesson.blogspot.com. I thought it was great. Each page shows the steps for children to make a penguin.

Penguin Coloring – Many pictures can be found of penguins to color on the Internet. (These are from kidssoup.com)

Songs/Poems:

Five Royal Penguins
One royal penguin, with nothing much to do
Called for his brother, then there were two.

Two royal penguins, happy as could be
Called for their sister, then there were three.

Three royal penguins, wished there were more
Called for their mother, and then there were four.

Four royal penguins, learning how to dive
Called for their father, then there were five.

One, two, three, four, five!

Penguins on the Ice
The penguins on the ice, the penguins on the ice
Hi-ho the waters cold, the penguins on the ice.

The penguin lays an egg, the penguin lays an egg
Hi-ho the waters cold, the penguin lays an egg.

The egg hatches soon, the egg hatches soon
Hi-ho the waters cold the egg hatches soon.

A baby penguin is born, a baby penguin is born
Hi-ho the waters cold a baby penguin is born.

The baby grows up tall, the baby grows up tall
Hi-ho the waters cold the baby grows up tall.

The baby swims all day, the baby swims all day
Hi-ho the waters cold the baby swims all day!

All the Penguins
They are playing on an ice patch,
They are jumping I the sea.
All the penguins are together,
Having fun so playfully!

There are big ones, there are small ones,
And some are in between.
But they’re having fun together,
Where the air is cold and clean.

When they walk they kind of waddle,
Back and forth from side to side,
Playing in the cold Antarctic,
They would never come inside!

It is in that cold Antarctic,
That’s the land that they all call home.
Full of snow and icy water,
From that cold they will not roam!

Science: (second circle)

Need for Lesson – A basket or tray containing items that are mostly used for a particular season. Have a review of the four seasons as you discuss the items and which season it belongs to. You can also have a review using any additional works or art activities you may have.

Additional Works:

Seasons Sorting Cards – These are from a book that I colored and made into a work.

Seasonal Trees – I made these with craft foam, and gathered the leaves, snowflakes, and flowers from a craft store as well.

Seasons Game – This game (from kidssoup.com) can have up to 4 players, but I tend to limit games to two-players, except for Bingo type games.

Art:

Seasonal Trees – The children can make a booklet of the trees for each season. (from kidssoup.com)

Trees – Children can paint, print, or glue onto four tree shapes different things that represent each season on a tree.

Four Seasons Stamping – Divide a paper into four sections and children can stamp, glue, or paint something that belongs to each season.

Song (CD) choices for today:

Four Seasons   Seasonal Songs Macmillan
Seasons   Dr Jean
Winter Spring Summer and Fall   Discovery Toys