google.com, pub-8985115814551729, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 Free Printable Lesson Plans: biomes
Showing posts with label biomes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biomes. Show all posts

Cage-free Zoo Animal habitat lesson plans with free printable animal activities


I've been a teacher for 40 years and today I was going to share preschool lesson plans to make a zoo animal circus train from my early days. And I realized that lesson plans that feature animals behind bars are not really ethically, environmentally or animal friendly. Piggyback on this, a discussion with my oldest homeschooling daughter (second gen homeschool <3) how she was rethinking what she was teaching, taking kids to on zoo field trips, with animals locked in tiny, non-habitat appropriate cages. This includes aquariums and marine zoos, especially. If we learned anything from the film "Blackfish" about Tilikum the "killer" orca whale, it was the damaging effects cages have on animals. So here are cage-free zoo animal habitat and animal classification lesson plans with free printable activities. 

Visit animal friendly zoos. Happily, many zoos are redoing structures to move away from tiny cages to wide, open more habitat appropriate spaces. The Detroit Zoo and Toronto Zoo are examples. John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Mich., still has cages but new structures are more open. And even if you don't want to visit the zoo, check their website for free printable animal lesson plans. JBZ and the Detroit Zoo and probably all zoos have lesson plans and printables on animal classification, animal body coverings, adaptation, habitats and more. 

Research petting zoos. Maybe they've improved over the years, but we've had some unpleasant experiences at petting zoos. Tired, uncomfortable and even neglected animals forced to interact with mobs of people who aren't always respectful of the animals is a recipe for disaster. Pun intended, "vet" petting zoos before visiting. This includes any zoo day camps or zoo school experiences. 

Visit animal sanctuaries, nature centers, wildlife preserves and animal hospitals. Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids, Mich., is a good example. Yes, animals are in cages, but that is for their protection. All have been injured, maimed or in some way damaged by interaction with humans. Our youngest daughter was sensitized, then incensed seeing a bobcat that had been taken captive for a wildlife circus and declawed. He is literally helpless. It's a sad but relevant object lesson on why animals should be protected, not endangered. Blandford has a beautiful wildlife preserve, nature center and animal hospital that rehabs injured animals for reintegration to the wild.  Visit any nature center or wildlife preserve near you. Most all will have free printable animal lesson plans and activities to further study. 

Make animal habitat dioramas. Use my lesson plans to make animal habitat dioramas and here are free printable animal habitat diorama cut and paste coloring pages. Teach biodiversity, animal classification, body coverings, animal tracking and more! Make animal activities VAKT and special education friendly, by adding "touch and feel" elements to habitats. Use straw, fabric, fake fur, bumpy and textured surfaces to simulate animal body coverings and nest or dwelling materials. More on that later! 




Free Printable Zootopia, zoology lessons, Zoo Animal Activities

Did you love Disney Zootopia? Zootopia is an anthropomorphic city, peopled by animals. Here are free printable Disney Zootopia coloring pages from Super Coloring Pages and zoology lesson extensions. Coloring Book Info has more free printable Disney Zootopia coloring pages Here's a blog with free printable Disney Zootopia coloring pages, activity booklet, games and crafts.

Teachers and homeschool parents, you might want to extend the Disney Zootopia fun with zoology learning extensions. Here are free printable zoology lessons from John Ball Zoo. Even if you never visit, the zoology lesson plans can come in handy when teaching animal classification, body coverings, habitats, biomes, biodiversity, predator prey relationships, symbiosis, zoology taxonomy, animal classification and KPCOFGS (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species). Meanwhile fans wait, like Judy and Nick for the slothfully sloth arrival of Zootopia!

Free Printable Animal Habitat Dioramas, Activities


For hands-on science lesson plans, you can't beat dioramas. Students explore concepts interactively, making 3-D scenes. Shoebox dioramas (scenes set up inside boxes tilted on their sides) are a good medium. Dioramas help students visualize content. Diorama activities work very well for literature, social studies, animal habitats and life science lesson plans. Use animal habitats dioramas in life science lesson plansto help students understand how creatures interact with their environment.
Animal habitat dioramas can be made with found objects and recyclables. Or here are free printable animal habitats dioramas. Use free printable animal habitat or biomes dioramas for biology and other science lesson plans. Students color, cut and paste and assemble dioramas. Printable dioramas give the added benefit of high success and low failure. Special needs and easily frustrated students can create great looking projects and feel proud of their work.
The American Museum of Natural History has free printable animal habitats dioramas for different biomes. Click each Ology site for different science lesson plans. Look for "make it" and "coloring pages" links. From there, print backgrounds and creatures. Check out printable games and puzzles and lesson plans, too. Crayola has free printable dioramas that are simple enough for preschool lesson plans. Here are free printable animal habitat dioramas of the ocean. Exploring nature hasfree printable animal habitats coloring pages. Students can color and cut out and arrange in 3D shoebox dioramas. Or that could be the backdrop and they could glue plastic animals and plants in the shoebox base.

First Palette, a great teacher/homeschool website, has free printable habitats dioramas: Habitats or biomes include coral reef, African savanna, polar biomes, rainforest and Paleolithic dinosaur habitats. Free printable animal coloring pages are available at First Palette too. There are insects, mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians in different biomes. Have kids color and place in the proper environment. This teaches sorting, classifying and symbiotic relationships. Have kids explore KPCOFGS--kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species--concepts too. Perfect for K-8 science, preschool, homeschool, Montessori and special education.

Free Printable Plant and Animal Alphabet Coloring Pages


Teachers or homeschoolers, are you looking for preschool reading lesson plans? Here are links for free printable animal alphabet coloring pages. Print an entire ABC coloring book of plants and animals. This pdf packet features a coloring page for each letter of the alphabet. The letter outline is filled with images of plants, flowers, vegetables and animals whose names begin with that letter.

The pictures are arranged like hidden picture puzzles. Students color the pictures and list plants and animals they find. There's a free printable animal alphabet answer key to use with the ABC book. It lists all the plants and animals contained in each letter. Some species are less familiar and might research them. 

You'll like A-Z plants and animals booklet for several reasons. The pictures are realistic and artistically drawn. They resemble illuminations in medieval texts. The plants and animals are arranged inside the letter outline like a puzzle.

Hidden pictures stimulate eye development, visual acuity and perception. The animal alphabet booklet can be used in lesson plans beyond reading. Students practice writing, vocabulary, reading, science and art.

Besides coloring pages, they might be used as stencils to decorate a nursery, child's bedroom or classroom. They could be combined into a booklet and displayed at conferences. Animal alphabet coloring pages might be adapted into an ABC book of poetry. It might be used for science worksheets.

These make great adult coloring pages The plants and animals are challenging to name. For example, the letter A includes pictures of an: artichoke, anemone, amaryllis, abalone, albatross, aloe, acorn, addax, archer fish and armadillo.  Here are the links.

http://www.tlsbooks.com/pdf/plantandanimalcoloringpacket.pdf
http://www.tlsbooks.com/plantandanimalcoloringpacketanswerkey.pdf

Free Printable Animal and Plant ABC Book


Realistic coloring pages. Alphabet letter outlines with illumination style pictures inside; plants and animals whose names start with the letter. Free printable booklet for science, reading and art lessons! Summer coloring fun. Great for preschool and kindergarten science learning centers and lesson plans.

http://www.tlsbooks.com/pdf/plantandanimalcoloringpacket.pdf
http://www.tlsbooks.com/plantandanimalcoloringpacketanswerkey.pdf