I love these ideas because they teach multiple concepts in one.

We enjoy providing learning opportunities and projects for our children afterschool and/or on the weekends with our 5 year olds. Because our time is limited, it’s great when we can tie in multiple concepts into a project to help save on time and most importantly to make it more meaningful.

Here are a few activities we created that relate to our 100th day of school that we’re celebrating this week but also tie in Valentine’s Day, Random Acts of Kindness, and teaching Math and Reading.

Bird Seed Heart Shaped Feeder

We found a special Valentine’s Day Poem and thought it would be nice to give the birds their very own Valentine. We’ve been working on Random Acts of Kindness the past month.

We printed out the poem for our wall to memorize and then created our Bird Seed Heart.

Here’s the Valentine’s Day Poem

Valentines

I gave a hundred Valentines.
A hundred, did I say?
I gave a thousand Valentines
one cold and wintry day.
I didn’t put my name on them
or any other words,
because my Valentines were seeds
for February birds.

by Aileen Fisher

Make your Own Bird Seed Heart

Supplies

• Peanut Butter
• Bird seeds
• Black Sunflower Seeds
• Heart cutout
• String

Directions:

1. Draw a heart onto cardboard and cut it out.
2. Create a hole at the top to attach the string from at the end of the process.
3. Then generously spread peanut butter onto the cut out heart cardboard.
4. To create our Bird Seed Heart we collected 100 Black Sunflower Seeds to line the outside and then sprinkled our “1000” seeds in the middle on the front.
5. Make sure you press the seeds down so they don’t fall off when you pick them up.
6. Then insert the string into the hole.
7. Hang outside and observe.
8. Hang up the Poem somewhere on your fridge to remember the special poem.

Here’s a Printable for you to use.

100th Day of School Activity

Grab 10 Stamps and 10 Paper Strips and get stamping to 100!

You can use themed stamps to create many different crafts!
We’ll be making Valentine Cards, Family Mailbox and Valentine Patterns with these too!

We worked on learning the concept of 100 by grouping things into groups of 10. I had my daughter choose 10 different stamps and then she stamped them on 10 strips of paper to make a paper chain.

We practiced counting by ones and by tens to 100 as we created it and using the 100 Number Chart.

Here’s our finished project, she couldn’t wait to hang it up. On the back we have Happy Valentine’s Day too!

Making 100 using Base Ten Blocks

Base ten blocks are cool to begin with and a great way to show numbers in a concrete way! At our house, we have been working on building numbers from 0-100!  I’ve been trying to use our light box more and this was the perfect actvity.

We found a set of transparent pink and blue base ten blocks at a garage sale last year and were able to see them very clearly with our light box.

These are great because they connect together and form a 100 block, which we can stack on top of the pre-made hundred block to compare and then to count by 100’s. Isn’t math just exciting

100th Day of School Books

We had to read a few stories too about the 100th Day of School. Here are some of our favorites.

• The Night Before the 100th Day of School by Natasha Wing
• 100 School Days by Anne Rockwell
• Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
• Miss Mingo and the 100th Day of School by Jamie Harper
• The 100th Day of School (Hello Reader!, Level 2) by Angela Shelf Medearis
• Rocket’s 100th Day of School (Step Into Reading, Step 1) by Tad Hills

Get more ideas with this 100th Day of School Activity with Water Beads

More Ideas for the 100th Day of School

• 100th Day Printable Activities from Mrs. Plant
• 100th Day of School from A Teacher Obsession
• 100 Day Pinterest Board and Song from Debbie Clement

You may also enjoy these activities for your child…

The perfect Groundhog Day activities for preschoolers and toddlers.

I think these little rodents are absolutely adorable. In Russian, they are called, “sarok.” This week we are getting ready for Groundhog’s Day with a few kid’s activities and crafts. Science, reading, and crafting Groundhog Day Ideas!!!!

Groundhog Day Hand Print Craft and Poem

This poem and hand print craft from Play With Me was soooo cute, that I typed it out and printed to sing with the kids. As a kindergarten teacher, we did something similar every year.

The children become familiar with the songs and are soon able to connect the written word to the words they are singing. I automatically find myself pointing to the words as we sing them!

This one goes to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot”

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Groundhog Day Picture Books for Young Kids

• The Night Before Groundhog Day
• Groundhog Day!
• Substitute Groundhog
• Who Will See Their Shadows This Year?
• Groundhog Day (Hello Reader Level 1)
• Groundhog’s Runaway Shadow

Groundhog Day book companion printables are perfect to use as you read the well known book by Gail Gibbons.

Groundhog Day Snack

I usually try to have at least one fun snack a week and this is my silly attempt at a groundhog!  Although these bear buns were just adorable and could easily pass for a groundhog – I wasn’t in the mood to bake the last couple of days, so the standby Ritz (and baby Ritz) crackers, peanut butter, and raisins came out! 

My 5 year old said that it looked more like a bear, and I agree, but asked her to use her imagination and to just eat it!!! Do let me know if there are some other cute Groundhog day snack ideas!

Ingredients Needed:

• Ritz
• Mini Ritz
• Peanut butter
• Raisins

Directions:

Spread, add, and eat! It’s so easy, the kids can help make these little groundhog cracker snacks!

This Free Printable Build a Groundhog is the perfect craft for kids to enjoy on February 2nd!

Shadow Puppet Groundhog Science Play and Learning

We had a lot of shadow puppet play this week!  It encourages creative thinking and is a great way to talk about shadows.  We also played outside at different times during the day and talked about how our shadow changes depending on where the sun is. 

My 2 year old just stares at me and then will repeat a word like “shadow,” so I don’t really know exactly how much he does or does not understand! I just know that vocabulary is so important in life and learning to read. Maybe he doesn’t get it this time, but I know that he is building these little vocabulary files in his head and that they will make connections when he is ready!

More Groundhog Day crafts here or grab this free printable Groundhog Day hat.

Add a little math fun to the day with this adorable groundhog day shape craft.

And don’t worry, I don’t just do crafty/ cutesy projects all week. We have a LOT of outside free play, open ended art projects, dirt play, Legos and pretend play too.  These are just as, if not more important for toddler development!!!!

Remember – it really doesn’t matter WHAT you do with your kids, just that you ARE doing it with your kids. YES, it is easier have them watch a television show, but if you take that time to snuggle up and read or play with them – you are making so much more of a connection with them. And I believe that parents are not told enough of what an amazing job they are doing.

If you are reading this and you are playing with your kid this week – you rock! Give yourself a hug, a smile, or maybe a cup of hot-chocolate as a treat. You are amazing!!!!!

Fun and easy Groundhog day activities for preschoolers!

PS – Another cute Groundhog Day post with ideas here!

LIKE IT? PIN IT!

If you like this activity you might also like our 100th Day of School Activities

You may also enjoy these activities for preschoolers and toddlers…

Penguin Books for Preschoolers

Did you know that Penguins are only found in the Southern Hemisphere? In fact, the greatest concentrations are on Antarctic coasts and sub-Antarctic islands.

There are 18 species of penguins, 5 of which live in Antarctica. Another 4 species live on sub-Antarctic islands. Penguins usually inhabit desertic regions and rocky islands where there are not a large number of land predators, so their incapacity to fly is not an issue.

Once you start reading these penguin books with your child, they may have some questions. You can learn more about where penguins are from Penguins World.com

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fiction Books About Penguins

There are so many adorable picture books about penguins for your child. I put together a collection of over 45 Penguin Books to choose from. They are a perfect fit to go along with our collection of 101+ Penguin Learning Activities and Crafts to make fun book extension activities.

What’s your favorite penguin book? If I missed your favorite please let me know in the comments below so we can add it to our ultimate list of penguin books for preschoolers.

If You Were a Penguin by Florence Minor

Penguin Problems (Animal Problems) by Jory John

Penguinaut! by Marcie Colleen

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

Be Brave, Little Penguin by Giles Andreae

Penguin by Polly Dunbar

How Do Penguins Play? by Diane Muldrow

Spike: The Penguin With Rainbow Hair by Sarah Cullen

I Am Small by Emma Dodd

Penguins Love Colors by Sarah Aspinall

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

Baby Penguins Everywhere by Melissa Guion

Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodrigue

Baby Penguins Love their Mama by Melissa Guion

Little Penguin: The Emperor of Antarctica by Jonathan London

Polar Bear Island by Lindsay Bonilla

Go Jojo Go! A Little Penguin on a Big Swim by Tessa Bickford and Jennifer Castles

One Day On Our Blue Planet: In The Antarctic by Ella Bailey

Life in a Frozen World: Wildlife of Antarctica by Mary Batten

The Penguin Lady by Carol A. Cole

Penguin Themed Book Series

For some reason, penguins make the best for a book series. Here are 5 different books series where the main character is a penguin.

Why should kids read series? It can be easier for your child to read when they have an idea and understanding of the setting, characters, and plot of a book series. Kids have more comprehension support in book series: each new book in the series follows and builds on the first, making it easier for kids’ comprehension.

Penguin and the Pinecone by Salina Yoon

Penguin on Vacation by Salina Yoon

Penguin in Love by Salina Yoon

Penguins Christmas Wish by Salina Yoon

Penguin and Pumpkin by Salina Yoon

Penguin’s Big Adventure by Salina Yoon

Tacky and the Emperor by Helen Lester

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Tacky and the Winter Games (Tacky the Penguin) by Helen Lester

Where is Home Little Pip by Karma Wilson

Don’t Be Afraid, Little Pip by Karma Wilson

What’s in the Egg, Little Pip by Karma Wilson

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers

Penguin Journey by Angela Burke Kunkel

Penguin Pete, Ahoy! by Marcus Pfister

Penguin Pete by Marcus Pfister

Penguin Pete’s New Friends by Marcus Pfister

Penguin Pete and Little Tim by Marcus Pfister

Penguin Pete and Pat by Marcus Pfister

Explore these adorable Penguin Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Non-Fiction Books about Penguins

Here is a collection of non-fiction Penguin books for your child.

Did you know that Non-fiction books can help your child develop critical thinking, and analytical skills, as well as the ability to read and understand complex texts?

Non-fiction books can help a child develop knowledge of their environment and society –crucial in later grades your child begins reading more content-specific textbooks.

Penguins! by Gail Gibbons

A Mother’s Journey by Sanda Markle

Penguin Chick by Betty Tathem

National Geographic Readers: Penguins! by Anne Schreiber

All About Penguins: Discover Life on Land and in the Sea by Dyan deNapoli

Penguins by Jill Esbaum

Baby Penguin Slips and Slides by Michael Teitelbaum

Pierre the Penguin by Jean Marzollo

Safari Readers: Penguins (Safari Readers – Wildlife Books for Kids) by Tristan Walters

Learning about the Artic with your preschooler too? Explore these Polar Bear Books and Activities.

Penguin Book Extension Activities

• Penguin Virtual Field Trips for Kids
• Penguin Alphabet Game
• 101+ Penguin Learning Activities and Crafts
• Penguin Math Counters
• Penguin Writing Prompts
• Weekly Penguin Plan for Preschool

Here are several fun ideas to do with these adorable penguin books with your preschooler.

Here’s how to play.

This post contains affiliate links. 

This week we’re featuring Penguins are our theme for the weekly Virtual Book Club for Kids .  Our Penguin Themed Alphabet Game was inspired by our featured book Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon. I’ll share with you how to play and a few different ways to change the alphabet game to keep your child’s interest too.  

First let me tell you about this adorable Penguin book.

  Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon

The author and illustrator Salina Yoon’s uses purposeful text with bright and inviting illustrations that bring to life this endearing story that celebrates friendships lost and found and overcoming the odds to be with the one you love.

One of my favorite pages from the story says…. “Penguin and Pinecone may have been far apart but they always stayed in each other’s heart.” 

How sweet is that?  

Teaching our children how love exists now matter how far away you are from someone.

Our Penguin Themed Alphabet Game is simply inspired by the idea of giving other penguin friends fish as a special treat.  It brings up both social skills, science topics and literacy skills as you explore this fun learning game.

Don’t forget to peek at last week’s Kindness themed activity…. so cute! And I bet you could create a penguin themed one too.

Penguin Themed Alphabet Game

Materials

• Penguin Alphabet Printables 
• Fish ABC Printable
• Scissors
• Paper
• Printer

CLICK HERE to purchase & download your Penguin Themed Alphabet Game

Directions

1. Read the story Penguin and Pinecone together with your child.  There are so many ways to discuss love and kindness in the story.  One of the sweetest quotes form the book is “When you give love it grows.”

2. Now it’s time to print your penguin printables and fish printables {DOWNLOAD HERE} 

3. With your child cut out the penguins and fish to get ready to play the game.  As they are getting the penguins ready work with your child on identifying the letters of the alphabet on the fish.  We’re making a matching game so it works even if they haven’t learned all of their letters yet  This game helps to lay that foundation to letter recognition.

4. Once your penguins and fish are all cut out it’s time to play this MOVEMENT game.

Penguin Image Source MyCuteGraphics.com

5.  Have your child set down the penguins all around the room.  You can start with a limited number of Penguins to make it easier to start with and add more as they master the Penguin Themed Alphabet Game.

6. Have your child wear a Penguin Hat for extra fun!  And then get ready to start the penguin challenge!

7. To start the challenge give your child a container of fish with the letters of the alphabet on them.  Start with fewer as you learn the game to make it easier.  Ask them when you say go to match up the fish to their penguin.

8. The game is done when every penguin has been kindly given a fish that matches their letter.

9.  Add more Penguins and fish and you can play the Penguin Themed Alphabet Game again and again.

10. We added icebergs to the challenge to make it more of a movement game too.  The player jumps from iceberg to iceberg to reach the appropriate alphabet match with penguin and fish.

MORE IDEAS:  To make it more difficult you can add lower case letters and upper case letters and how your child match from the penguin and the fish. Or you could switch to number or sight words.  There are so many ways to make this game your own.  I’ve included ablank version of the printables you can customize as well.

Download your Penguin Themed Alphabet Game

Want more Penguin theme books for your preschooler?  Be sure to Print this list of our favorite Penguin books featured in our weekly virtual book club for Kids facebook group.

We are so excited about all of these ideas for even more penguin themed fun.

Penguin Activities for Preschoolers

Check out the other activities below to complete your Penguin week!

Penguin Sight Word Read and Color – Sea of Knowledge 
Penguin Ice Flow Counting Game – Rainy Day Mum
Penguin sensory bin – Mama Smiles
Penguin Colors Painting Activity from My Storytime Corner
Pinecone Penguin Craft – To be a Kid Again
Penguin and Polar Bear Headband Craft – Artsy Momma
Penguin Painting for Toddlers – Inspiration Laboratories
Penguin Action Rhyme for Kids – Preschool Powol Packets
Penguin Action Song and Gross Motor Activities- JDaniel4’s Mom

DIY ECO Craft Lid Penguins for Preschool Learning

When I saw this penguin counter post at First Grader at Last, I just knew it would be perfect concept for our playful preschool penguin unit. She has a great list of how you could use them in a first grade classroom or with your grade schooler at home.

Love2Learn2Day also made very similar penguins for math game pieces and Books2BridgeMiles daughter made 100 penguin counters using rocks. My mind got spinning right away.

• How could these be used with children ages 3-5?
• How could I make these with the supplies I had?
• Could I make them with recycled materials?

And the Lid Penguin Counters were born. They are as easy to make as 1. 2. 3.

Disclosure: Affiliate Links used in this article.

Activity: Penguin Math Counters

Materials:

• Lids of varying sizes (washed and dry)
• Acrylic paint (black, orange, and white)
• Paint brush

Parenting Tip: Sometimes it is hard for me to let my kids do crafts all on their own. I have an idea of how I want things to look, and it would be nice for things to look pretty. (Especially since I know that YOU are going to be seeing the outcomes and I find it hard to bite my tongue and just let THEM do it.)

But the whole reason I blog is to enrich the lives of my children and so I remind myself that you, parents and teachers of young children understand and appreciate things that are kid made.

I had my 4 year old making the counters pictured and my 7 year old asked to join in (how could I say no) so these are, in fact, kid made. Not “picture perfect” but pretty darn cute.It is amazing what kids can accomplish if we just step back and let them do it.

Directions to Make the Penguin Lid Counters:

1. Paint the tops and sides of each lid black
2. When the black is dry, add an oval for the stomach and 2 circles for the eyes with white (great shape review)
3. Lastly, add an orange beak, feet, and black pupils for the eyes.

Ideas on How to Use the Counters to Teach Preschool Concepts:

1. Write the numbers 0-5 on pieces of paper. Have you child choose a number, read that number, and then gather the correct number of counters.  (Number Recognition and Number Sense
2. Have your child grab a handful of counters, line them up and count how many there are. (Counting and Number Sense)
3. Play, “How Many More?”  Set 3 counters on the floor and ask your child, “How many more penguins would we need to make 5 all together?” (Beginning Addition)
4. Sort the lids by size, use a variety of vocabulary words such as; tiny, small, little, giant, big, large to describe the groupings. (Math vocabulary and Sorting by a Variety of Attributes)
5. Make a penguin pattern based on the sizing.  Use a variety of patterns such as ABABAB, AABAAB. Encourage your child to predict what would come next. (Patterning)

Our 1 year old thought these penguin lid counters were lots of fun to feed the penguin box from last week. He had the older 2 kiddos in a fit of giggles, because the large ones wouldn’t fit in the hole and he got sooo MAD. We ended up let him use the smaller counters- with supervision of course and he liked that much better.

Preschool Penguin Activities

Playful Preschool activity ideas.

• Penguin Alphabet Game
• 101+ Penguin Activity Resource
• Penguin Learning Activities
• Penguin Cooking, Learning, and Crafts
• Penguin Virtual Field Trips for Kids
• Penguin Books for Preschoolers

*Parenting a grade schooler? Here are some cute penguin writing prompts to print.

These are all links for things that I have done or would do with my kids.  

As an experienced teacher and practiced parent, I want to be a resource for YOU and save YOU time so that you can spend that time interacting with your child and being the awesome parent that you are! Stop back Saturday for printable preschool weekly lesson plans and Wednesday for Playful Preschool Learning Activities!

***All photos in the collage above are from The Educators’ Spin On It.  The collection of Penguin Learning Activities and Crafts links below are from around the web. Thank you to all the bloggers and writers who continuously share their ideas with us parents and teachers!*****

Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links.

101+ Penguin Activities

Is a penguin a bird?  How fast can a penguin swim?  How do penguins communicate with each other?

Penguins are fascinating animals. When my parents took their first trip abroad this year, they went to AFRICA!!! And friends – did you know that Africa is home to… Did you guess it?  Yes, PENGUINS!  

I for one always think of Africa being home to the lions and giraffes, but not penguins. Their travels have sparked a curiosity in me to learn more about them. I know if I am curious and excited to learn about something, my enthusiasm is contagious and soon the kids are too.

Parenting takes time, preparation, and patience.  You are your child’s #1 teacher. We have a choice on how we want to spend our time with our children.  I choose to learn, make, play, and cook with my kids when the opportunity arises. My professional training is teaching children and I hope to share with you some activities that may help make everyday moments, learning opportunities.

A unit study combines multiple different learning activities, games, songs, stories, crafts and more all about a particular subject.  You and your child will then dig deeper into that topic, develop a greater knowledge and more complex vocabulary about that subject.  

Make a week (or month) of one particular topic and you have what we as teachers call a UNIT STUDY. You of course should NOT do all the things I have listed with your children, rather pick and choose the things that you feel your kids would get the most out of.  I have made weekly preschool lesson planners that are free to download in the links below.

Here at the Educators’ Spin On It 

1. Penguin Learning Activities
2. Penguin Virtual Field Trips for Kids
3. Free Penguin Unit Lesson Planner
4. Penguin Learning Activities: Math Counters 
5. Penguin Cooking Activities and More! 
6. Penguin Writing Prompts and Sewing Craft 

Teacher Selected Resources for Penguin Learning Activities

Learning Websites about Penguins – Research the Facts

Penguin Virtual Field Trips for Kids
Emperor Penguins from National Geographic Kids
Penguins from A-Z Animals
Penguin Facts from Sea World
African Penguin Fact Sheet from Penguin World
Penguin Facts from Wikipedia
Tourism Information and Habitat Video from South African National Parks
Where do Penguins Live from Mother Nature Network
Cold Climate Post from Discovery Kids
Interactive Map from Cape Tourism
Penguin Lesson Plans from Embracing Home

Fun Penguin Crafts

Tons of Penguin Crafts from Fun Family Crafts
Penguins from Antarctica from Hands On Homeschooler
Letter P Craft at Homeschool Creations
Penguin Placemat at No Time for Flash Cards
Triangle Macaroni Penguin Craft at Little Illumination
Edible Sensory Project at Simply Home
Penguin Unit for First Grade at Babbling Abby
P is for Penguin Paper Bag Craft at Pocket Full of Posies
Easy Felt Sewing Penguin from Michaels
Potato Print Penguins from MollyMoo
Footprint Craft at Little Family Fun
Foot Print Penguin from Meet the Dubiens
Tacky the Penguin Board from Cundiff’s Critters
Penguin Door Stop at Cheryl Style

Footprint Penguin at Simply Home Blog
Paper Penguin at Sassy Dealz
Pony Bead Penguin Directions at Making Friends
Paper Plate Penguin at Kids Crafts and Recipies
Egg Carton Penguin at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman
Egg Carton Penguin Party at A Patchwork Life
Paper Plate Mask at Activity Village
Penguin Paint Stamping at No Time for Flash Cards
Square Paper Penguin at Miss. Kindergarten
Penguin Coloring Pages at Super Coloring
Simple Sewing Penguin Softie at Activity Village
Polar Playdough Play at Gift of Curiosity
Footprint Penguin with Feathers on Flicker by TeacherSM
Foam Stick Puppets and More at Family Theme Days
Patterned Penguin Coloring Sheet at Shiju me
Penguin Chick Felt Puppet with Pattern at Crack of Dawn Crafts
Painted Rocks at Inspiration Laboratories

Take a look at these adorable penguin books for kids

Penguin Technology

Happy Feet (Full Screen Edition)
Happy Feet/ Happy Feet Two (DBFE)
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Madagascar Math Ops Free
Flashcards – Kindergarten
Pixel Play : Preschool Penguin Games

Penguin Art

Painting Penguins (2nd Grade) at Deep Space Sparkle, Art for Kids
Paint and Paper Penguins at Deep Space Sparkle, Art for Kids
How to Draw a Penguin from My Montessori Journey
How to Draw a Flying Penguin from Toon Pencil
Penguin Picture with Multiple Mediums at Jennifer’s Little World
Sew a Quiet Book Page at Imagine Our Life, Creative Living with a Toddler
DIY Clay Beads and Bracelets at Red Ted Art

Using Penguins to Raise Global Kids

Antartica for Kids at Mud Hut Mama
Zoom the Globe at The Educators’ Spin On It
Interactive Map and Felt Animals at Imagine Our Live, Creative Living with a Toddler
Learning Collection at Kids World Citizen
Make Your Own Continent Map at The Adventures of Bear

Penguin Writing

Pink Penguin Writing at First Grader at Last
Penguin Printable Writing Prompts at The Educators’ Spin On It
Penguin Writing and Measuring at Welcome to Room 36
Penguin Writing and Crafts at The First Grade Parade
Class Writing of Penguin Facts at Mrs. Kilburn’s Kiddos
ECO Box Penguin Craft at The Educators’ Spin On It
Fact Writing at Mrs. T’s First Grade Class
Writing Sheet and Crafts at Danielle’s Place
Labeling Penguin Diagram at My First Grade Back Pack

Penguin Reading Activities

Penguin Books for Kids
Penguin Alphabet Game and Movement Activity
Arctic Nouns and Adjectives + at Ship Shape First Grade
Fairytales from Other Lands at Crafty Mama’s Share
Book Collection at KC Adventures
Non-fiction Online Reader at Starfall
Summary of Penguin Books and Craft at Storytime Plans
Penguin Poem at Teaching in High Heels
A Penguin Story and Craft at The Adventures of Bear
Printable Fact and Opinion Cards at A Place to Share
Penguin Opposites Downloadable Game from First Grade A La Cart
Playful Penguins Counting Book (scroll down to the bottom of the post) at Danielle’s Place

Penguin Science

Blubber Experiment at Adventures in Mrs. Martins Room
Penguin Identification at Trillium Montessori
Triorama Habitat at Art is Basic
Penguin Learning Trays at Kenna’s Felt Forrest
Temperature Activity at Making Learning Fun

Penguin Math

Penguin Patterns and Greater Than / Less Than from Boy Mama Teacher Mama
Silly Shape Penguins and Card Game from Teach With Me
Make a Penguin Countdown Book from Making Learning Fun
Fraction Penguins from Almost Unschoolers
Penguin Counters from First Grader at Last
Circle Penguin Craft from Reading Confetti
Color by Number Penguin from Making Learning Fun
Penguin Addition from Erica’s Ed-Ventures
Penguin Pattern Block Designs from PreKinders
Math Survey and Penguin Song from Mrs. Pauley’s Kindergarten
Numbers 1-10 from Little Family Fun
Goldfish Number 1-20 from SpEd PreK
Math Counters from The Educators’ Spin On It

Penguin Games

Feed the Penguin at Gourmet Mom on the Go
ECO Penguin Bowling at Crafts-N-Things for Children
Printable Penguin Memory Cards at Playing with Words 365
Penguins On Ice
Pop N Drop Penguins Game
Penguin Pile – Up – Children’s Game

Penguin Music

Penguin Songs at The Sweetest Melody
Penguin Song and Egg Activity at my Montessori Journey
I’m a Little Penguin at Kid Zone
Rhymes and Action Songs at Sunflower Storytime
Penguin Poem at Kid Zone
Penguin Songs and Crafts at Patties Classroom

Cooking Penguin Themed With Kids

There are a lot of unhealthy themed snacks out there.  I tried to list mostly healthy ones as I strongly believe we can have fun, learn, and EAT healthy….

Penguin Cookies at Diamonds for Dessert
Olive Penguins at Once Upon a Plate
Penguin Black Bean Soup at Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons
Penguin Bento Lunch at Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons
Penguin Pizza Recipe

Click here for our Penguin Preschool Lesson Plan

You may also enjoy these activities for kids…

Is one of your goals this year to be a more hands-on parent this year? Here are a few learning activities and crafts for you to try out this year.  

Preschool Penguin Learning Activities

The big hit in our house this week (for all kids, ages 1, 4, and 7) was Patricia the Penguin. My kids designed and made her (not me) so she does look a little silly =), but kid made is so much more meaningful for learning.

The kids take ownership over their learning when adults step back and let them create. Here are some learning activities that we have done this week. Affiliate links

Activity: Penguin ECO Craft and Reading Activity

Materials:

• Carboard Box (I used a cracker box)
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Construction
• PaperScissors (I don’t let kids cut cardboard, just paper – BE SAFE always!)
• Tape or gluePen or Marker

I love this activity because there are so many ways to use it. I am focusing on teaching the letter and sound for Pp. Your focus will be different depending on your child. One year olds can use pom poms to feed the penguin for a fine motor activity. Seven year olds can read a set of sentences and feed the penguin the facts (not the opinions.)

Directions to Make the Cardboard Penguin:

1. Parent cuts the beak hole and a rectangle in the lower back for easy removal of the cards or pom poms.
2. Paint the box black.  While drying, cut oval wings and webbed feet.
3. When the black paint is dry, paint the eyes, body and beak on.
4. Tape the wings and feet on.

This post contains amazon affiliate links

Directions for Penguin Reading Activity.

1. Make small squares with different letters written on them such as; N, O, L, S, P, making more P’s than other letters.
2. Introduce the letter P and the sound it makes.  This is the letter P. It makes the sound /p/ like the beginning of the word penguin. /p/ penguin.
3. Explain that Patricia the Penguin (or whatever your kids name their penguin) only likes the letter P’s, and they can “feed” the P’s to her, saying the sound /p/ every time they put one in her mouth.
4. Let your child “feed” the penguin.  Check for mastery by looking through all the cards in the box.
5. Repeat until no longer fun.  Then change it up a bit.

Activity: Zoom the globe to find the places where Penguins live

Materials:

• A penguin (homemade or a pre-made one you already have on hand)
• Globe

Parent tip: Did you know penguins live in Antartica AND South Africa, Australia, New Zeland, South America, and the Galapagos Islands?

Here are a few webpages to read up on some penguin facts:
Mother Nature Network Article, Discovery Kids, and Wikipedia.

Directions:

1. Explain that penguins live in special climates in the southern hemisphere. Show them the differences between the North and the South on the globe. Tell them that today you are going to find the places on the globe where they live.
2. Take your little penguin and zoom around the globe.  Get silly, have them go to where you live and ask, “Do penguins live in ___?”
3. Then, let them zoom the penguin around. Call out the place where penguins live and see if they can find it on the globe.
4. When another family member comes home or a friend comes over – have them show their new globe skills and teach what they have just learned.

Activity:Penguin Paper Craft

This craft is a simple, but cute little project that preschoolers can cut to practice their fine motor skills.  It can also be pre-cut and assembled in a learning to follow sequential steps activity.  

This would be great combined with a writing prompt and displayed on a fridge.

Directions: This can be found at Sassy Dealz, Winter Penguin Craft

For more penguin activities explore our Ultimate Penguin Activities Guide.

Or you may want to try these featured below…

Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips for Kids

A polar bear exploration with books is not complete without a virtual field trip of where they live and a few adorable polar bear cubs.

Watch these polar bear virtual field trips!

• Experience Polar Bears on the Tundra
• Polar Bear and Cubs Sliding on Snow
• All About Polar Bears for Kids
• Polar Bear Hunting for Seal
• Polar Bear Playing with Cubs
• Mother Polar Bear and Cubs Emerging From Den
• Polar Bears from National Geographic for Kids
• Polar Bear for Kids
• Learn Fun Polar Bear Facts for Children
• Polar Bears Emerging from Den
• Exploring the Arctic for Kids
• Polar Bears Rolling Around Song
• The Life of a Baby Polar Bear 

The video list has been reviewed and is age-appropriate for preschoolers and grade school.

Where do Polar bears live?

Most polar bears occur north of the Arctic Circle to the North Pole. There are however some polar bear populations south of the Arctic Circle in the Hudson Bay of Manitoba, Canada.

Polar bears live in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and some northern islands owned by Norway.

Polar bears depend on the sea ice, which forms above the open waters where their seal prey lives. They will spend time on land when sea ice is not available.

Polar bears are excellent swimmers, and they travel long distances between shore and the sea ice if necessary.

You can learn more about Polar Bears here from the National Wildlife Federation.

Fun facts about Polar Bears

• Polar bears have white fur so that they can camouflage into their environment.
• The polar bear is the most carnivorous member of the bear family.
• Polar bears are considered talented swimmers.
• A Polar bear lifespan is about 20–25 years. 
• Fully grown, male polar bears usually measure about eight–nine feet nose to tail, and females about six–seven feet.
• Polar bears live in the Arctic, on ice-covered waters.

You can learn more facts about Polar from World Wildlife.org.

Protecting our Polar Bears and their Environment

The IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group lists the polar bear as a vulnerable species, citing sea ice loss from climate change as the single biggest threat to their survival. 

To learn more about Polar Bear Conservation visit Polar Bears International.org.

Polar Bear Virtual Field Trip Log

Track your Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips on our Printable Field Trip Log

Head over now for more Virtual Field Trips for Kids, including these Winter Virtual Field Trips.

Looking for more Polar Bear Activities? Try these…

Make A Polar Bear Costume Headband

Materials Needed for Polar Bear Costume Headband:

• White, and black felt
• Thread
• Needle
• Scissors

Directions How to Make a Polar Bear Costume Headband:

1.  Cut the pieces out of felt. 1 white headband piece 3 inches wide. 2 black eyes and a nose.

2. Place the polar bear’s facial features on.

3. Straight stitch in like colors around the eyes and nose.

4. Measure around the child (or adults) head. Straight stitch the headband to fit.

5. Wear, PLAY, and learn!

For More Polar Bear Activities for Kids:

Click the image or the link to take you to the Polar Bear themed educational activity here at The Educators’ Spin On It.

• Polar Bear Math Game
• Polar Animals Activities for Preschool
• Polar Bear Biscuits
• Polar Bear Books for Kids
• Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips

Polar Bear ABC Dot-to-Dot

Must Have Polar Bear Books:

Costume headbands are great for story retellings which strengthen children’s story comprehension and understanding the concepts presented in the story. Re-telling the story also provides an opportunity for children to use and practice the content related vocabulary: enriching the learning.

Purchase a polar bear picture book or check one out from the library and encourage your child to act out the story. Here are some of our favorites.

Buy on Amazon with affiliate links:

• The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale by Lydia Dabcovich
• The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
• Hush Little Polar Bear by Jeff Mack
• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr.
• Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World by Craig Hatkoff & Juliana Hatkoff
• Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer

Here’s a look are our favorite Polar Bear Books for Kids!

Need Some More Costume Headband Characters to Play with Try one of these:

Mouse Costume Headband

Owl Costume Headband

Cat Costume Headband

Duckling Costume Headband

Bunny Costume Headband

Explore this collection of fiction and non-fiction books to learn about polar bears with your child.

Polar Bear Books for Preschoolers

There are quite a few books about polar bears that we know you’ll enjoy reading with your child. They are perfect for a winter as your explore and learn about arctic animals.

Reserve them from your library or we’ve added our amazon affiliate link for easy shopping if you find one to add to your bookshelf. Just click on the image or link to learn more about our favorite books.

Included are Read Alouds with links to youtube for your child to listen to with you.

Picture Books about Polar Bears

The Lonesome Polar Bear and The Polar Bear and the Snow Cloud by Jane Cabrera
{Read Aloud}

The Lonely Polar Bear by Khoa Le
{Read Aloud}

Are You a Polar Bear? by Andrew Gabriel

Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear! by Hans de Beer
{Read Aloud}

Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer
{Read Aloud}

The Adventures of the Little Polar Bear: a collection of 10 favorite Little Polar Bear stories by Hans de Beer

Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson
{Read Aloud}

A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett
{Read Aloud}

Simon and the Bear: A Hanukkah Tale by Eric A. Kimmel
{Read Aloud}

If I Knew A Polar Bear by Karen Sutula
{Read Aloud}

Polar Bear Island by Lindsay Bonilla
{Read Aloud}

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett
{Read Aloud}

Non-Fiction Books About Polar Bears

Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons

The Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond

The World of the Polar Bear by Norbert Rosing

Arctic Animals Books

Hello, World! Arctic Animals by Jill McDonald

Look Closer: Into the Arctic: [With Transparent Pages] by Roger Priddy

Over in the Arctic: Where the Cold Winds Blow by Marianne Berkes

These are our favorite polar bear books, do you have a favorite that we should add to our list? Share with us in the comments below.

We highlight popular children’s books each week in our Virtual Book Club for kids. Plus we share weekly themed activities to go along with these books. You can learn more here.

Polar Bear Activities

Here is a collection of polar bear activities to go along with your books. Connecting activities with books help your child to learn. These activities share basic skills for preschoolers as they explore the arctic world.

It’s time for story telling and pretend play with a DIY Polar Bear Costume Headband.

Snack time idea with these Polar Bear Biscuits Recipes the kids can make.

This kinetic Polar Bear Math Game is a fun way to move and learn indoors.

Polar Bear Potato Stamp Craft or grab the same blue paper to create this adorable Painting Polar Bear Art Project

Learn the letters on your name with this polar bear name craft and polar writing activity!

Love how you can add snowflakes too to this Black and White Polar Bear Craft

Create a Polar Bear Paper Plate Mask for storytelling.

Practice writing numbers and letters in this Arctic Animals Writing Tray .

Polar Bear Origami gives your child practice in fine motor skills!

Here are a few ideas for Sensory Bins for Polar Bears that use different materials.

Arctic Animals Sensory Bin with Ice and Snow

Polar Bear Sensory Bin

Arctic Animals Matching Sensory Bin

Try this Pretend Snow Recipe for Kids for Polar Bear Sensory Fun

This Safari Ltd. Arctic Animals Toob is a perfect addition for your sensory play for fun with polar bears and learning about the animals in the arctic.

Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips for Kids

A polar bear exploration with books is not complete without a virtual field trip of where they live and a few adorable polar bear cubs.

Take some time to explore our collection of 12 polar bear virtual field trips!

Track your Polar Bear Virtual Field Trips on our Printable Field Trip Log

Head over now for more Virtual Field Trips for Kids, including these Winter Virtual Field Trips.

Looking for more Polar Animal Activities? Try these…