Penguin
Curriculum
Be
sure to have a lot of Penguin books available! Try to get several nonfiction
books too so that you can show the children what ‘real’ penguins look like.
There are also many wonderful fiction penguin books available. Be sure to
check out our book list as well as our photo pages.
Brainstorm!
Allow
the children to brainstorm as many things as they can think of about penguins!
*Remember to write down each and every idea no matter how far fetched! (Building
self-esteem!)
Share
some generalized penguin facts such as:
- Penguins are birds.
- Penguins do not fly, they swim.
- There are 17 different kinds of penguins.
Seven species live in the Antarctic.
1. Emperor penguin (1 m)
2. King penguin (94 cm)
3. Adelie (71 cm)
4. Gentoo (71 cm)
5. Macaroni (71 cm)
6. Chinstrap (68 cm)
7. Rockhopper (56 cm)
Some
breeds like it where it is warmer.
- The emperor penguin is the largest
penguin. It may weigh up to 220 kg (100 lbs) and stand up to 106.68 cm (42
inches) tall. They are the only penguins to stay in the Antarctic all year
round.
- Penguins have very little nest-building
material available because so few plants grow in the Antarctic. King and
emperor penguins do not make nests at all. They lay their eggs on the bare
ground or ice. Other Antarctic penguins make nests by scraping a shallow
hole in the ground and filling it with pebbles.
- Penguins are very devoted Dads!
After the female emperor penguin
lays her egg, she goes back to the sea to find some food. The male puts
the egg on top of his feet. Then he covers it with his warm feathers to
protect it from the icy Antarctic cold.
- Penguins have a thick layer of fat called
blubber. The blubber helps keep their body heat in. They have a heavy layer
of feathers to help keep them dry.
- Penguins eat fish.
- Generally, penguins are white and black,
but they can have yellow and orange markings too.
- Penguins are expert swimmers.
They often look clumsy when they are
walking on land. In water, though, they are very graceful. They almost fly
through the water and can stay under for up to 18 minutes.
- On the ice, penguins may slide on their
belly, pushing themselves along with their flippers.
- Crested penguins are very fierce. They
get their name because they have spiky, golden feathers above their eyes.
These feathers are especially bright when the penguins are courting (looking
for mates). There are two kinds of crested penguins living in the Antarctic-macaronis
and rockhoppers.
- Rookeries are dirty, noisy places. Thousands
of squawking, pecking penguins gather there at breeding times. Despite the
crowds, each penguin knows its own mate or chick by calling to them, and
by recognizing their answering call.
- Penguins work together to protect their
baby penguins.
Snow whirls through the air. The
wind howls. There's a blizzard coming to the icy land. The grown-up penguins
hurry about, pushing all the baby penguins together. Then the grown-ups
crowd together in a tight circle around the babies.
- Why don't penguins get frost- bitten
toes? You would never think
of going out in the winter without wearing socks and boots. But penguins
can walk on ice in bare feet without minding at all. A penguin's body is perfectly suited
for life in a frozen world, and its feet are no exception. They have many tough little pads on the
bottom and these are the only areas that touch the ground. As well, if penguins
are standing around, they will always keep a portion of their feet off the
ground by rocking back and forth.
Construction
Paper Penguins
Materials-
Black, White, Orange Construction Paper and Glue
- Trace a large black circle and a large
black heart shape on to construction paper. (Tip: Use a white crayon so
the children can easily follow the lines to cut them out.)
- Trace white oval that is large enough
to fit inside heart. Shape, allowing for some black edge to show. Have child
cut out.
- Glue circle to upside-down heart.
- Add on penguin beak and some webbed feet
(orange construction paper) and white and black circles for eyes.
Paper
Plate Penguin
Materials: Large White Paper Plates, Black
Paint, Black, Orange and White Construction Paper and Glue.
- Begin by having the children paint the
edge of the paper plate black. Leave some of the middle white for the penguin
tummy.
- Trace/Cut a smaller black circle for
the eyes.
- Allow the children to cut flippers out
of black paper as well.
- Have the children create a penguin by
using glue to attach head, eyes, beak, flippers and feet to the painted
plate.
- If your children are ready for more,
let them create the flippers and feet shapes themselves while cutting. They
may get very creative. One of our children even added lipstick and earrings
to their mom penguin!
Creative Movement
Have
the children pretend to be penguins and use their arms as “flippers”. Waddle
across the floor and then have the children try to “slide” on their belly.
Sing (to the tune of I’m A Little
Teapot”)
I’m a little penguin
Black and white,
Short and wobbly,
An adorable site.
I can’t fly at all but
I love to swim,
I waddle to the water
And dive right in.
Goldfish
Cracker Sorting
Materials:
Blue Construction Paper to make 3 large circles (Pond Shapes)
- Mix three different flavors of
Goldfish Crackers together. We use cheese, pretzel and plain. (We chose
these simply because they ‘look’ different which makes them easier to sort.
We have also seen the cheese flavor in different colors as well.)
- Make individual Ziploc bags for each
child.
- Determine how many fish to put in the
bags by the age of the children. (Many 4 year olds may be counting into
the 20’s by now.)
- Children will sort the fish by putting
each kind in a different ‘blue pond’. (Blue paper circles)
- When finished with sorting, the children
will count each kind of fish. Which kind do they have the most of? The least
of?
- Children can either eat the crackers
when finished or place them in their Ziploc bags to take home.
Penguins
at Home
We
talked about penguins living in the Antarctic. The land there is icy and cold.
Frozen. Pass around an ice cube. Does it feel cold? Have the children take
off one shoe/sock and feel the ice with their foot. It’s very cold right?
Ask the children if they could stand on ice all day? Would they like it? Penguins
are especially adapted to life on the ice. Feet are webbed for swimming with
strong claws to help grab the ice. Remember, they have many tough little pads
on the bottom of their feet and these are the only areas that touch the ground.
Penguins always keep a portion of their feet off the ground by rocking back
and forth.
Penguin
– Icy Land Project
Materials:
Blue Construction Paper, Scraps of White Tissue Paper, White Felt Squares,
Aluminum Foil Scraps, Glue, Pictures of Penguins (View
Adobe Acrobat PDF Icy Land Project Photos)
Many others pictures can be found on the internet. Also be sure to check out
our Penguin Photo Page.
Encourage
the children to create a collage using the above materials. Children will
enjoy making up the icy land for the penguin pictures. The different textures
of scraps make it a fun tactile experience as well.
Macaroni
Penguins
Macaroni
Penguins are unique looking and children LOVE their name!
Macaroni
Penguins have yellow/orange feathers above their beaks and over their eyes.
They are around 24-30 inches tall and weigh about 10 pounds. They love to
eat shrimp and squid. When a male is looking for a mate, he will “dance” for
her.
Materials:
Glue, Black, White and Orange Construction Paper, Yellow “Crinkle” Cut Strips
of Construction Paper (Try using scrapbook scissors to produce a wavy line.)
Use
templates to trace a large black shape, a large white shape and two flipper
shapes on to construction paper.
(View
Adobe Acrobat PDF Macaroni Penguin Body Black Paper)
(View
Adobe Acrobat PDF Macaroni Penguin Body White Paper)
(View
Adobe Acrobat PDF Macaroni Penguin Flppers Black Paper)
Children will cut out the shapes. Glue the white shape on to black shape.
Glue flippers on to the back of the black shape. Children may add a face,
beak, feet and the distinctive ‘yellow’ crest above the eyes. You may draw
the eyes on or use wobbly eyes as well.
Penguins
as Parents
Read
The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins. Show non-fiction pictures of penguins
and their young.
Explain
that after the mother lays the egg, she returns to the water. It is the father’s
job to care for the egg. The father holds the egg on top of his feet, keeping
it warm and off of the ice until it hatches.
Using
a small ball, have the children attempt to hold the ball between their feet
and walk. The must “protect the egg”!
Paper
Bag Penguins
Paper
Bag Penguins can be used as puppets or stuffed for a ‘table piece’.
Materials:
Paper Lunch Sacks, Glue, Black, White, and Orange Construction Paper
- Have the children cut a circle for the
head and a rectangle for the body.
- Don’t glue the “flap” of the bag down
if making a puppet.
- Let the children decorate the face of
the penguin.
- Send home the Penguin Puppet Poem (View
Adobe Acrobat PDF Penguin Puppet Poem)
If
you want to make a stuffed penguin-
- Use a paper lunch sack and have the children
stuff it with crushed newspaper.
- Tape shut.
- Paint the entire sack black. We use tempera
paint.
- When dry, children can add features using
construction paper. (Flippers, White Belly, Eyes, Beak, Feet)
- Send home the Penguin Puppet Poem (View
Adobe Acrobat PDF Penguin Puppet Poem)
Penguin
Costumes
Materials:
Large Paper Grocery Bag, Paper Plate, Orange, Black and White Construction
Paper, Glue, Black Paint, Elastic or Craft Sticks
Mask:
- Have children paint the outside ring
of the paper plate black.
- The teacher will cut out the top ½ middle
portion for eyeholes.
- Glue a craft stick (Teacher could use
a glue gun if available) on to the back of the mask.
- When dry, children can add an orange
beak using glue and construction paper.
Body:
- You can use large pieces of black and
white construction paper or you could use tempera paint!
- Cut the paper grocery bag to fit for
length/width.
- Children can glue on front, feet, flippers
etc.
- When glue dries, cut up the front of
the bag and make arm and head holes.
- Children wear like a jacket!
Cute,
cute, cute project that receives rave reviews from parents!
