Do your kids love penguins? If so they’re going to love learning about them through this fun easy to put together penguin unit study.
Interest Based Learning
We skip curriculum and stick to interest based learning for science in our homeschool. There are just to many cool topics and experiments out their for us to stick to one particular curriculum for a whole year.
When my kids are interested in a topic we start by putting together a book list and order as many books as I can find, both fiction and non-fiction from the library. I usually find a few fun activities and crafts to include. At the end of our study we add what we’ve learning to out notebook. If you haven’t tried notebooking in your homeschool I highly recommend trying it out.
Penguin Books
Penguins vs. Puffins by Julie Beer (My kids loved this!)
Penguin Problems by Jory John
Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups by Tadgh Bently
Baby penguins by Kari Schuetz
Penguin Chicks by Ruth Owen
Penguins! by Gain Gibbons
Flight School by Lita Judge
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Ranger Rick Penguin Issue – Check your library for a digital subscription!
Penguin Movies
Penguins Disney Documentary
This is the cutest document with a funny narrator and tons of valuable penguin facts. You’ll all be routing for Steve and learning so much as you watch.
Penguin Learning Activities
Geography: Color a map with the location where penguins live. Review Southern vs Northern Hemisphere and Equator.
Notebooking: Draw a penguin using this tutorial and have your student write or narrate to you the interesting facts they learned throughout the unit. We love this line stamp for notebooking and handwriting.
Emperor Penguin Egg Experience: Pretend to be an Emperor Penguin dad. Use a bean bag or make your own with a ziplock bag and rice. Have your kids try to balance it on the feet and move around like a daddy penguin. Make observations. Is it hard to keep the egg on your feet? Do they find ways to keep the egg on their feet longer?
Penguin Song:
I’m a Little Penguin
(Tune: I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little penguin,
Two feet high.
I am a bird,
But I can’t fly.
Look at how I swim
Out in the sea:
I’m as fast
As fast can be!
I’m a little penguin,
White and black,
White on my front,
And black in back.
Look at how I waddle
By the sea:
I’m as cute
As cute can be!
Penguin Art: My kids love any kind of arts and craft project. We love wrapping adding art projects to our unit studies. Here are some fun ideas to try:
Watch a live Penguin Cam: California Zoo Penguins
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