This is not JUST another engineering activity – it’s a play-based, hands-on STEAM activity. It will keep your children extra engaged & motivated, which helps them learn!
In this activity, your children will be little investigators helping Esther the explorer to solve tricky problems and find creative answers to the question: Where do different animals live? By doing that, they get to practice concepts like habitats, environment, animals, drama, and more.
Activity length: 20-30 minutes
Subjects: Engineering, Arts, Geography, Science
Register for free to get free weekly lessons, tips from experts on how to engage different age groups:
Beginner: Ages 3-4 Standard: Ages 4-6 Advanced: Ages 6-8
For this activity, you need only these simple supplies:
colored fabrics
construction resources
pieces of furniture
other smaller items
Habitat Printouts
Animal Printouts
You can also use
clips, string
camera
Your children will learn to:
Observe pictures of different animals and different building resources
Learn what animals need in their environment in order to survive
Use creativity to build dens; using resources purposefully
Communicate and collaborate on a project
while practicing these concepts:
In this play-based activity, your children will lead the investigation as an investigator. When children role play as investigators, they learn so much better! Try starting with a little ‘spin’ to get into character! Then, they can help Esther the explorer solve some tricky problems in their new role.
Before the activity, prepare your supplies and print the letter.
When children play as scientists, they think like scientists. Try using “scientist jackets” to help them really get into character!
When you start the activity, introduce the research problem in the form of a letter that arrived from Supraland where Esther the explorer lives.
You might be wondering: “Why should I use a story?”
Well, when you introduce a research problem through play and imaginary characters rather than just stating cold facts, children will be extra motivated to solve the problem for their new imaginary friends. Academic research shows this results in increased engagement, better focus, and improved learning outcomes.
You can find the story for this activity below (register for free to print this & many more free activities!).
Hello scientists!
It’s Esther here, and a few of my other friends too: Giraffe, Rabbit and Beaver.
I found these guys whilst I was out exploring. They are lost and need some help to find their homes.
I wonder what it is like where they live? Can you join us on our habitat hunt and find out what their homes are like?
Thank you,
Esther, Giraffe, Rabbit and Beaver
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After the child understands the problem, it’s time for some hands-on experimenting!
When children are doing the experiment, remind them why they want to solve the problem – to help Esther the explorer. This helps them stay engaged. If they get stuck, you can ask supporting questions like: “What do you think might help Esther the explorer to solve this problem?” If needed, you can get more ideas for guiding questions and adaptation tips for different age groups (register here to get free weekly activities).
Discuss the word ‘habitat.’ Remind the scientists of animal habitats they might already know. For example: a fish in water, a worm underground.
Observe the animal printouts: what kinds of features do they have? (long neck, long ears, big teeth etc) What might these animal’s habitats be like? What would they need for the animal to live?
Next observe the habitat printouts: What kind of things do you see? Try and match each animal to one of the habitats.
Move to observe the den building resources. How do they feel? What color are they? What kind of patterns do they have?
Interpret and think together what each could represent. (For example, blocks could be stacked to form trees, or blue fabrics could represent water.)
Get creative and start the animal play. Scientists can choose an animal from Esther’s letter and start to build it a habitat. Scientists could work independently or in a group.
As they are building you might ask these questions:
Once complete, admire the habitats. Compare the different solutions used by the scientists. Tip: Take photographs of their work so that they can remember the habitats long after they have been dismantled.
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To encourage children to analyze and share their learnings, you can gather in a circle to report to Esther the explorer.
Again, lead with the problem the character was experiencing in the letter. Encourage sharing wild and creative solutions without correcting children if they don’t fully understand the concept.
Remember: in playful learning, we’re not leading with scientific explantions – we’re putting the problem at hand into a context that makes sense to them. We can start building meanings from there.
All living things have a habitat; an environment where they can live and grow. Animals adapt well to their habitats, for example, animals with waterproof skin live underwater, or animals with fur can live in colder climates.
Giraffes sometimes gather near water holes to drink, then they can roam in hot grasslands for longer periods of time. They utilise their long necks to eat from tall acacia trees: reaching where other herbivores cannot. Interestingly, giraffes do not need a bed to sleep in; they often sleep standing up!
Wild rabbits can be found in forests, meadows, deserts and wetlands. They need plants around them to nibble as part of their herbivorous diet. Rabbits dig down into the ground to form burrows: changing their habitat to build protection from predators.
A beavers’ webbed feet, waterproof fur and paddle-like tail are all clues about its habitat: they are perfect features for freshwater swimming. Beaver’s teeth aren’t just needed for eating tree bark and grasses; they are also tools for chopping wood. This is used to make their shelters: dams! The dam keeps the water level at the right height so that their nests sitting inside remain hidden from predators.
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Preschool Teacher
This program is incredible. The characters, the stories, the experiments are so much fun. I do not need to spend any time planning. Everything I need is given to me be Kide Science.
Kindergarten Teacher
Super easy to plan, and the items are usually things that we already have. Planning is made very easy & the children are very motivated!
Parent
Was just observed doing one of these lessons. Principal was shocked and so was I - one of the kids with pretty severe attention issues was engaged the entire time!
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