Arctic Animals

Welcome to Blue Bird Day’s Weekly Lesson Plans. This week we’re working on the theme Arctic Animals! Read below for more themed lesson plans and activities.

Table Time Activity: Arctic Animal Bingo

Materials:

Arctic Animal Bingo PDF Download.

Skill Check

The goal of this activity is to receptively or expressively identify pictures from the Bingo card, match identical pictures, scanning skills, and turn-taking!

Growing My Skills

When choosing an item on the Bingo card, ask a more complex question that involves discrimination by feature, function, and classes. For example: Find the one that has long teeth? Which one with wings? Which one is brown?

Floortime Play Activity: Animal Play

Materials:

Print out pictures of arctic animals and tape them on small boxes or wooden blocks.

Skill Check

The goal of this activity is to promote animal awareness and creativity with the boxes/blocks! Your child can just build with the boxes/blocks and create a variety of animal structures!

Growing My Skills

Expand by labeling the animals, adding novel animals or engaging in pretend play with the animals.

Relaxation Time Activity: Have a Family Movie Night and Watch Planet Earth: Frozen Planet

Materials:

A comfy couch and Planet Earth: Frozen Planet. (Can be seen on Amazon Prime or YouTube).

Skill Check

The goal of this activity to learn about arctic animals while spending time with one another.

Growing My Skills

Pop some popcorn and gather on the couch to watch this educational artic movie!

Creative Time Activity: Arctic Animals Shape Sort

Materials:

Share Sort PDF.

Scissors.

Glue.

Skill Check

The goal of this activity is to spending time together in a playful, imaginative way. There should be limited structure so your child has a chance to explore their bodies and different dances from around the world.

Growing My Skills

Find wonderful YouTube videos of different dances from around the world!

Select a dance and get moving!

Movement Time Activity: Arctic Animal Walks/Yoga

Materials:

Ideas for different animal walks: Act Like An Animal, 13 Moves To Help Your Child’s Gross Motor Development

Ideas for Animal Yoga:

Sitting like a Seal = prone extension.

Husky Pose (Down Dog): Place your hands and feet on the floor, make an upside-down V with your body.

Moose Pose (Tree Pose): Stand tall on both feet and reach your arms high!

Walrus (Cobra): Lay on your stomach with your legs flat, push your arms along under your shoulders.

Snow Goose Pose (Dancers Pose): Stand on your right leg, bend your right knee, and hold your right foot with your right hand (also try the other side!).

Snowy Owl (Airplane): Stand tall on both legs, spread your arms out wide.

Optional Materials :

Painter’s tape.

Animal toys.

Skill Check

The goal of this week is to work on motor planning and coordination to move your body like different arctic animals!

Growing My Skills

Reference visual for animal walk directions.

If your child is having a difficult time imitating a picture, they may benefit from watching you do it first.

Have fast races or see “who can go the slowest” to really work on motor discrimination and motor planning.

Create a pathway by placing painter’s tape on the ground and have them do each animal while following the pathway.

Make it even harder for your child by incorporating obstacles to walk over, such as making a “snowy mountain” with pillows.

Be silly and creative – making up walks for all your favorite animals.

If your child has animal toys, you can put them all in a box, have them reach in to randomly choose an animal, and have them walk like that animal.

Mealtime Activity: Penguin Fishing Jello Craft

Materials:

1 packet of blue Jello.

1 serving of Swedish fish.

Penguin cut out pictures or stickers.

Tooth picks.

String (optional).

Skill Check

The goal of this activity is to consume “fish” like a penguin in the arctic!

Tip: include varying candy, berries or vegetables in the “lake.”

Growing My Skills

Wash hands, prepare mixing bowls, whisk, and plastic wrap.

Prepare blue Jello mix. Place Swedish fish and other foods into the blue Jello, (Optional: place a rope tip on top of the fruit so it lays off the side of the cup).

Refrigerate for 8 hours and serve.

Prepare penguin cut-outs, with toothpicks.

Attach toothpicks to the penguin.

Take the Jello cup out and attach the rope from the Jello cup to the toothpick.

Make it look like they are “fishing” for the Swedish fish in the lake.

See example on Pinterest.

Language Time Activity: Make a Polar Bear Craft –  Work Together To Make a Fuzzy Polar Craft!

Materials:

Polar bear template.

Glue.

Cotton balls.

Polar Bear Coloring Page.

Skill Check

The goal of this activity is to work on your child’s expressive language and problem-solving skills! Use this time to work on requesting items or problem solving what items are needed if you keep some materials hidden.

Growing My Skills

Work on asking for turns or requesting craft items to make a fuzzy polar bear.

Expand your child’s vocabulary by talking about how the polar bear feels (i.e., soft, fluffy, fuzzy), looks (i.e., big, white), etc.

Work on problem-solving skills by withholding craft items (i.e., glue) and have your child problem-solve what they are missing!