Habitats & Food Chains

For the past two weeks we have been focusing on animals and the kids had a blast! I created an animal unit with activities related to habitats and food chains. For the first week we talked about different habitats and the animals that live in each one. Our first activity was a habitat sort. We worked together as a group to place each animal in the habitat they would most likely live in. We talked about how animals might live in different habitats, but we just chose one for this game:

After we complete the sort, the kids drew one example of an animal that would live in each habitat in their science journals:

For October our author of the month was Steve Jenkins. He has a lot of awesome animal books including one about habitats: I See A Kookaburra. The kids loved reading this book because they get to look for animals that are hiding in each habitat.

I created a habitat word search because my kids LOVE word searches and it's a fun way to review vocabulary:

The kids also worked on a Where Do I Live? book where they had to illustrate each animal's habitat:

(desert)

(horse, in a barn)

(shark, in the sea)

The kids worked on habitat projects where they made a diorama project of an animal of their choice. Before starting on the diorama, each student chose an animal and filled out a book on where their animal lives, what food they eat and what they need to live:

(in jungle)

Then, I had the kids make the background of their habitat in the shoe box. They had to include all their animal's basic needs:

Next, they drew their animals and cut them out:

Finally, I glued their animals to a cube and they placed their animal in their finished habitat. They turned out ADORABLE:

We meet with book buddies  (from a third grade class) each Friday and last Friday the kids presented their projects to their buddies. We set up the dioramas at their tables and they read their books to their partners. 

Our second week was all about food chains! Steve Jenkins has a great book about how animals protect themselves from predators: What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?

We talked about what a food chain is and came up with some examples. I then had the kids work on a food chain puzzle game as a whole group:

 I then gave the kids examples of food chains with plants and animals missing. They had to draw the missing plants and animals to complete the food chain:

The next day we talked about how animals need each other to survive. We discussed what would happen if something from a food chain was missing. The kids then illustrated a food chain in their science journals and wrote about what would happen if one thing was gone from the food chain:

(Without carrots, bunnies would die. Owls might die.)

(Rabbits would live and snakes won't bite us again and we won't get poisoned.)

(The snakes would eat the dead mice and run out of food.)

(A bird would die and the bug and the leaf.)

We ended the week but illustrating our own food chains:

If you liked these activities, check out my new animal unit by clicking on the picture below! First three people to comment with their email will get their own free copy!