Penguins and Their Young
Science and Math Activities for Young
Children
Grades Preschool—1
Written by Jean C. Echols
Inch for inch and toe to toe, an emperor penguin and a young
child can pretty well relate. Drawing on the natural empathy
of children for these beautiful and endearing birds, this guide
invokes mathematics, the physical and life sciences, and language
development in an assortment of activities that explore the
emperor penguin and its habitat.
In four principal activities, children learn about the penguin's
body structure, its cold home of ice and water, what it eats,
and how emperor penguin parents care for their young. A life-sized
poster invites the students to compare their heights and body
structures to those of this four-foot-tall bird. Children experience
a penguin's icy home by playing with cork penguins in a tub
of "icebergs" and water. Using paper-bag penguins,
the youngsters create dramas on a paper-ocean scene complete
with floating ice, and continue role-playing when baby penguins
"hatch" from plastic eggs.
Important math concepts and skills are introduced when children
pretend to be hungry penguins and catch fish crackers to eat
in a fun series of multi-sensory math games. Throughout this
unit, children build skills in observation, comparison, communication,
role-playing, and creative and logical thinking. The youngsters
conclude their explorations with ice investigations and tasty
ice treats.
This GEMS guide was developed by the PEACHES
program.
Comment on this GEMS unit.
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