Kindergarten Activities on the African Grasslands
- Introduce the theme of African grasslands to kindergarten students by reading a book like "African Savanna" by Donald Silver or "Here is the African Savanna" by Madeline Dunphy. Books about grasslands allow children to listen to words like "grassland" and "savanna" while looking at the native plants and animals, and they can help prepare them for other, more tactile activities.
- Allow children to get up and pretend to be grass. Ask them to think about how the grass would move and sway in the wind. Tell them the grass in African grasslands is often as tall or taller than they are; to help demonstrate this, cut out tall strips of grass from green paper and pin it up on walls for students to stand next to. Explain that the more rain the grass receives, the taller it grows. Take turns pouring pretend water from a watering can on each student, beginning with them crouching on the ground. Each time you water students, they can "grow" taller.
- Listen to sounds of African grassland animals and try to guess their names. Show students pictures of the animals making each sound after they guess. Next, allow them to feel fur from animals (often available at a local zoo) and ask them to guess which animals it belongs to. Finish by allowing them to draw and color a picture of their favorite African grassland animals.
- Help children fold simple Origami birds that resemble African grassland birds like the African crane, or trace and cut out the birds on a piece of paper. Hang the birds from the ceiling of the classroom for children to enjoy, or create a floor model for the birds that spend a lot of time on the ground.
Read a Book
Pretend Play
Auditory and Tactile Animal Activities
Folded Paper Birds
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