Our history lessons were on ancient China, so pandas were a perfect tie-in during our science animal studies. I love when things fit together so smoothly!

When introducing a new animal, we always start with a simple discussion on what the kids already know and what they wonder about the particular animal. Sometimes we write our prior knowledge and questions during a shared writing activity, or sometimes we just talk about it. It’s a good way to get the kids into an inquisitive, fact-sharing mode, and I’m also able to assess the direction we should take as we learn more.

Reading and Writing

Pandas | Giant Pandas | A Baby Panda is Born

Nonfiction

After our prior-knowledge discussion we dive into a stack of non-fiction books from the library or our personal collection to learn more about the animal. We talk about the facts we learn, and take notes either on the chalkboard easel, or a graphic organizer.

Graphic organizers, such as this information tree, help bring structure to a jumble of facts and ideas. Organizing the facts on paper brings the information into an organized, simple-to-read visual format, making it easier to remember and understand. It’s also a good way to test comprehension as the kids record their findings from their readings.

Fiction

My kids love, love, love the Magic Treehouse series, and A Perfect Time for Pandas was a “perfect” fiction accompaniment to our nonfiction panda studies. One of my favorite things about the series is that there are facts laced throughout each story, and often research guides to go along with the books. I don’t usually get excited about a series that goes on for 50 books, but they’ve been a fun addition to our nonfiction history and science studies this year. As the weather’s cooling down, snuggling on the couch under a blanket has been our favorite way to read lately.

{Coloring page}

Tri-Fold Brochure

After reading and taking notes on panda facts, Ryan (7) pretended he worked at a panda reserve (like the one talked about in A Perfect Time for Pandas) and created a tri-fold brochure a “reserve visitor” could read to learn more about pandas.

Word Search

This classic word search activity is filled with panda-related words, reinforcing the vocabulary we read about.

Math

Do-A-Dot

My girlies love fill-in-the-dot activities with fat do-a-dot or bingo paint markers. Seri (3) just uses the paint tips to mark each circle. When we started doing these at the beginning of the school year, her page was a mess of marker, but now she’s staying neatly in the circles. It’s fun to see how her coordination has improved in just a couple of months.

When Emmy (5) does the do-a-dot activities, I give her a pattern, let her choose the colors, and let her loose. It’s a fun way for her to practice a math skill without realizing it.

Math Maze

Another math activity we did using the paint markers was a math maze where the kids practiced skip counting by marking the path to the panda’s bamboo.

Color-by-Number

They practiced some math mastery by solving addition and subtraction problems to decode the color in their color-by-number sheets.

Word Problems

Cutting, gluing, and reading skills are utilized when solving these word problem solutions. The hands-on activity is fun for my 5-year-old and breaks down the abstract math problem into something she can visualize and easily interpret.

It was a fun week all about pandas! All of these activities, plus more are available to download as printables in my new store, Teacher’s Pay Teachers.

Linked to: Homegrown Learners