Koala bears are native to Australia.
The study of the Australian continent brings many opportunities for activities centered on the various animals only found in "the outback." The terminology referring to the Australian animals may be foreign to young children, such as 5- and 6-year old students, so consider posting the animal name with a picture of each animal for reference. Compare the animals to those found in the United States and list any similarities and differences between them before conducting kindergarten classroom activities on Australian animals.
Artistic Expression
Create a paper chain snake with brown or black paper to replicate the King Brown snake or the Red-Bellied Black snake, which are commonly found on the Australian continent. Cut 1-inch thick strips of brown or black paper and paste or tape one together to form a ring. Continue the chain by taping or gluing another strip through the first and repeating. Glue paper eyes onto the first paper chain link and a thin tongue with a "V" shape cut into the end. Red-Bellied Black snakes can grow to be almost 5 feet in length and the King Brown snake at 6 and 1/2 feet, so ensure that when building the paper chain, measure the progress to allow children to see the common lengths. Have the kindergartners lay down on the floor to compare how tall they are to how long the snakes may be. Paint the underside of the black paper chain to resemble the Red-Bellied Black snake.
Physical Activities
Kangaroos have the natural ability and strength to place all their weight on their tails while keeping tremendously accurate balance. Their strong hind legs allow them to bounce and jump long distances. Challenge the children in your kindergarten class to do the same by asking them to balance on their backside while attempting to write their name on a piece of paper. Organize a long jump-type activity to compare the student results to that of a common kangaroo jump: an excess of 25 feet. Compare 25 feet to something the kids are familiar with such as the length of a trailer, a tall ladder or the fact that a kangaroo may only take three jumps to make it to first base when playing little league.
Compare and Contrast
Organize a matching game allowing kindergarten students to compare and contrast various animals found in Australia with those found in the United States. Paste pictures of native Australian animals and U.S. animals onto separate pieces of construction paper. Create a set of these cards with 10 animals total and encourage kindergarten students, in pairs, to match the most similar animals. Repeat the activity, but this time instruct the groups to find the differences between them. They may see that the animals have the same types of tails or beaks but differ in the kind of coat they have or if they stand on two or four of their feet.
Letter Correlations
Create a template of the letters "K" and "P" to be transformed into Australian animals. Challenge the children to think of an animal that begins with the letters by repeating the sound that each letter makes. Students trace, cut out and decorate the letter "K" from construction paper into a kangaroo. Each may make the lower straight line on the letter more pointed to resemble a kangaroo tail while pasting a free-drawn construction paper head to the upper straight section. The two angled lines forming the "K" can be hind legs and marsupial arms. To learn to associate "P" with platypus, the children can do the same by turning the letter "P" onto its straight edge. They can extend a line from the rounded portion of the "P" to be thickened as a platypus tail and paste a duck bill on the other end as the face.
Tags: Australian animals, paper chain, black paper, construction paper, Red-Bellied Black, Australian continent, between them