Animals and Plants
- Talking to and with young children is so important! It may seem obvious, but when they hear you talking, they are developing their language skills and when you engage them in conversation, they are improving their narrative skills.
- It's easy to encourage caregivers to talk with children about plants and animals.
- Making animal sounds, using puppets to re-enact animal stories, or pretending to be an animal all contribute to early literacy.
Science Center -- Instead of offering a craft at the end of your toddler or preschool storytimes, try one of these ideas:
- Nature Matching: Find pairs of flowers, leaves, and seeds in the environment around the library, or in your own back yard. Using packing tape or contact paper and card stock, use these items to make memory cards. Allow the children to match the pairs of nature items.
- Flashcards: Make or purchase sets of plant and animal flashcards for the children to play with. Do they know the animal or plant? What sound does it make? Where does it live?
- *Puppet Station: Leave out animal puppets for free play. Children love engaging with puppets and free play is a great time for them to exercise their independence and imagination.
Songs to Get You Moving
The Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree (raise arms overhead)
Two little apples smiled at me (make fists)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (move hands as if shaking something)
Down came the apples (falling motion with fists)
Mmmmmm - they were good! (rub tummy)
Way up high in the apple tree (raise arms overhead)
Two little apples smiled at me (make fists)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (move hands as if shaking something)
Down came the apples (falling motion with fists)
Mmmmmm - they were good! (rub tummy)
Fun To Do Together
Leaf Rubbings
What You Need
A variety of fresh leaves (leaves with pronounced veins work best)
Paper
Crayons
Prepare Ahead
Remove the paper from the crayons. Soaking them in water can help expediate this process.
What You Do
Leaf Rubbings
What You Need
A variety of fresh leaves (leaves with pronounced veins work best)
Paper
Crayons
Prepare Ahead
Remove the paper from the crayons. Soaking them in water can help expediate this process.
What You Do
- Cover the table with plastic or newspaper.
- Put a piece of paper at each child's place. Place crayons within reach.
- Have children choose a leaf to rub.
- Place leaf under the sheet of paper (vein side up) and rub with the side of the crayon. You may want to tape down the paper so it doesn't slip.
Take Home Activity: Animal Habitat Matching Game
(There is a reproducible version of this game in your manual. This is just an example)
Help develop your child's understanding of the world around them and their relationship to plants and animals. Point to each habitat and name it: tree, pond, flower, grass, etc. Color in the habitats and animal pictures. Cut out the animals. Pick one of the animals and talk about which habitat it lives in and why. Do turtles live in trees? Do bees swim? Have the child place the animal where it should go. You can glue or tape them down, or leave them loose to play again later.
(There is a reproducible version of this game in your manual. This is just an example)
Help develop your child's understanding of the world around them and their relationship to plants and animals. Point to each habitat and name it: tree, pond, flower, grass, etc. Color in the habitats and animal pictures. Cut out the animals. Pick one of the animals and talk about which habitat it lives in and why. Do turtles live in trees? Do bees swim? Have the child place the animal where it should go. You can glue or tape them down, or leave them loose to play again later.
From the Web
Hand print and Foot print Animals (Instead of using paint, you can trace and color with crayons.)
Leaf Animal Faces
Paper Plate Farm Animals
Toilet Tube Octopus
Origami Mouse
Fingerprint Art
Animal Sorting Game
Mouse Story
Big Bear Song
My Roots Go Down Song
Wide Mouth Frog Song
My Grandpa Can Talk to Frogs
Hand print and Foot print Animals (Instead of using paint, you can trace and color with crayons.)
Leaf Animal Faces
Paper Plate Farm Animals
Toilet Tube Octopus
Origami Mouse
Fingerprint Art
Animal Sorting Game
Mouse Story
Big Bear Song
My Roots Go Down Song
Wide Mouth Frog Song
My Grandpa Can Talk to Frogs