Do you want to teach your Pre-K students about kangaroos this year? Maybe you just want to include the creatures in a “K” themed lesson plan. Either way, you may find one of the following ideas beneficial:
You may want to consider starting the unit by decorating your classroom’s bulletin board with a “K is for Kangaroo” poster. There is a printable color poster on the DLTK website that would be perfect for such an application. Afterward, you could have the children complete the “K is for Kangaroo” handouts posted on the Twisty Noodle and First School WS websites. Personally, I prefer the kangaroo handouts on the Twisty Noodle site because they are highly customizable and come with different illustrations. The First School WS handouts are static.
Geography
Because kangaroos are known to reside in Australia, you may want to add a map of the country to your classroom’s bulletin board too. Based on my experience, there is a great one posted on the Australia Edu website. It is free, detailed and colorful.
You could feasibly pair it with the “Dot-to-Dot Mystery Map” posted on the Enchanted Learning website. The connect-the-dot map features numbers and the outline of Australia. The same site also contains a printable “Australian Animals Booklet” and an “Australian Animals Label Me Printout” that includes references to kangaroos.
Songs and Rhymes
When the kids are finished with their animal booklets, you may want to consider engaging them in a handful of kangaroo songs, finger plays and action rhymes. Ones to consider are “Kangaroo Brown”, “Here Comes Kangaroo”, “The Zooey Pokey” and “Baby Kangaroo.” You can typically find the lyrics to those songs posted on assorted websites like the Sunnyvale Library Kids and the Addison Library.
As far as the finger puppets go, I’d strongly recommend visiting the Corner to Learn website. It contains a printable “No Room for a Baby Roo!” booklet that contains templates for making kangaroo masks and finger puppets. The booklet is free to access and use. If you want the kids to use a paper bag puppet instead, there is a template for one posted on the Education website.
Of course you could also opt to purchase kangaroo finger and hand puppets for your classroom from such companies as Lucuma Designs, Elizabeth Richards and Creative Play Puppets. The Lucuma Designs’ finger puppets tend to be most economical of the readymade options. They often sell for around $5 apiece and are made from artificial wool.
Math
While the kids are moving around, you may want to introduce an interactive math activity into the mix. The activity is called the kangaroo hop. To set-up the activity, use duct tape to create a basic hopscotch board. Then challenge the children to hop onto the board like a kangaroo and count the squares as they move along.
The hopscotch activity would pair well with “The Sing Song of Old Man Kangaroo” story posted on the Education website. It’s a folktale that focuses on why the creature hops in a certain way. The same site also has a “Skip Count at the Dot-to-Dot Zoo” that features a kangaroo and numbers. You may find it helpful as well.
Science
Afterward, you could always transition into a science related activity. The Education website has several science handouts that I would recommend using. The first is the “Life Cycle of a Kangaroo” worksheet. Like its title suggests, you can use it to teach the kids about the creature’s life cycle. The other four worksheets are “Australian Animal Tracks”, “Color and Learn: Red Kangaroo”, “Kangaroo Maze” and the “Kangaroo Family Coloring Page.” Those sheets could be used to help reinforce lessons related to the animal’s physical characteristics and behaviors.
Source: Personal Experience
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