This week, although I’m dealing with a sinus infection that showed up at the most inopportune time (Wait. IS there a good time? I guess not.)….we’ve been learning about penguins. This was R’s topic choice; my sister and her family gave her a penguin stuffed animal and DVD for Christmas and she’s been enamored since. It seemed fitting with the time of year!
We first learned about where penguins live. The kids were curious how penguins stay warm when they are outside (and in water) much of the time, so I found just the experiment to show them in a tangible way how insulated the penguin’s body is. We used an air-filled ziploc bag to block the cold, ice-cube bag from touching their open palm. I had them repeat a zillion times yesterday, “How do penguins stay warm? FEATHERS and FAT!”
We also read A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis, a charming little storybook about how a penguin tires of only seeing black, white and blue and hunts for something of a different color.
We also measured how tall different types of penguins grow. I was super-astounded to learn that emperor penguins are over 3-1/2 feet tall! I had no idea. Guess I’m learning something, too.
R’s stuffed penguin fell short of the real height of the macaroni penguin, but I think she still loves him anyway!
Since penguins are the theme, why not discuss opposites — black and white? I found this seemingly simple project idea and the kids really enjoyed it more than I had anticipated: Black and white opposites collage:
R preferred tearing her paper for the piece; G opted to cut out shapes for his.
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