We read more on the continent of Antarctica and consider Circle Time Lesson 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.
The continent table has been enjoyed by the children this month and practicing the Continent Song.
One of the greatest challenges in any classroom is to have enough support works on the shelves to keep the children’s minds occupied. Not all are able to work on the day’s Lesson for Circle Time, so I spend countless hours developing materials. My husband says he is a Montessori widower due to the time I spend making materials. However, he involves himself by making the artwork for some of my projects. Anyway, below are some of the works on the shelves I provide.
