Washington Native Plant Society: Education Activities for Kindergarten

Home > Education > Habitat Education Activities and Resources

Education Activities for Kindergarten

Theme: Discovering that animals need plants for food and shelter

Activity	Description	Materials (PDF)
Everybody Needs a Home	This introductory etiquette activity helps students gain awareness of, and empathy towards, wildlife that make their homes in habitat areas. Students listen to a story and offer feedback about how they might behave when visiting habitat areas. This activity is designed to be followed by Homes in the Habitat Walk activity, with a visit to a habitat area to look for wildlife homes.	Q&E Activity Story
Homes in the Habitat Walk	Students take a walk in a habitat area, and look for evidence of wildlife homes of all kinds, including those of insects, birds and mammals. Students demonstrate good outdoor etiquette including not disturbing these wildlife homes. Students draw a picture of a wildlife home, and the animal they think may use it.	Q&E Activity Images
Nature Detective Discovery	Students become ‘Nature Detectives’ using their senses to discover and observe different natural objects from the habitat area. They use touch, sight, smell and hearing to investigate sensory sets of ‘Mystery Nature Objects’ and audio recordings of animal sounds. At the end of each set they learn the name of its plant or animal. This activity is designed to be followed with Nature Detective Walk.	Q&E Activity How-To-Do Images
Nature Detective Walk	Students go to a habitat area and use their senses to learn about the plants and animals they studied during the Nature Detective Discovery activity. They learn about ways to identify these plants and animals using their senses of touch, sight, smell and hearing. They may also use the sense of hearing to discover birds or other animals while going on their walk.	Q&E Activity
Mystery Animal	Students hear clues about an animal native to the Pacific Northwest which lives in Seattle urban habitat areas. Students try to guess the animal as clues are being read. After reading through all the clues the students are shown the correct picture of the animal and discuss what they have learned.	Q&E Activity Images Labels
Animals, Animals	This interactive, role playing activity introduces students to many types of wildlife in Seattle urban habitat areas. Students work in teams to role play wildlife shapes, movements and sounds while other students make guesses	Q&E Activity Images Poster Overlay Cards
Bird Beak Buffet	This activity introduces students to the concept that characteristics of animals and plants are related to their survival. Students learn that different birds have different types of beaks. They use models of these beaks to gather different types of ‘foods’ and learn that gathering success is limited by the type of ‘beak’ they have.	Q&E Activity How-To-Do Images
Bird Observation Walk	Students go into the habitat area and use their binoculars and ears to look and listen for birds. They try to find three birds by sight, and three birds by sound. Students discuss the behavior of the birds and their association with plants.	Q&E Activity How-To-Do ID Sheet

The native plant education materials provided on this page were developed by Starflower Foundation.