Learning About Animal Habitats

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Our second grader has been learning about animal habitats with Nancy Larson Science. He has loved his science study this year, but learning about animals has taken his interest to a whole new level. That’s what I love about Nancy Larson Science. The curriculum has a way of presenting science that encourages the student to think and ask questions. It is designed to be used 2 days a week. That’s good, because that allows us time to dig deeper when my little man gets really curious about what we are studying.

For instance, in our study of animal habitats, my son sorted the animal cards that are included in the Nancy Larson Science curriculum. (I LOVE that everything is included!)  He had a pile of cards for grasslands, one for forests, one for desert and a last one for water/ice habitats. As he looked at how the animals were grouped together, he noticed that many of his favorite animals all lived in the same habitat – water and ice. That prompted us to learn some more.

Digging Deeper Into Habitat Study

We knew we wanted to learn more about what animals lived in water and ice habitats, so we started looking for information in different places.

• Our home library. We gathered story books and non-fiction books on sharks, penguins, puffins, sea shells, ponds, sea shores, lobsters, ocean life and more. These are what we used to learn more about specific habitats and animals in our science time and gave us great reading material for our reading time.
• Public library. Need I say more?
• You Tube. We love You Tube for so many subjects.
• Habitat links. 
  • National Geographic habitat resources
  • Wild Kratts 
  • NeoK12.com – lots of forest habitats videos
  • The Magic School Bus Great Habitat Match Game

Showing What Your Student Knows About Habitats

Gathering information is great, but students need to be able to show what they have learned. Testing is one way, but a boring for a second grade boy. We like hands-on activities to explore and learn, as well as show how much we have learned.

I asked my son if he would like to create a model habitat in some way. He could have drawn it, painted it, made a diorama, sculpted it out of clay or created it any number of ways. He chose to create a type of puppet show.

Complete with a flying puffin.

In this drama, my son told us about the water and ice habitat and how even though animals might live in water they might not live in the same type of water or area of the world. He explained which animals are predators and which are prey, which animals are carnivores and which are herbivores. He passed his test.

How do you incorporate hands-on learning into your homeschool?

Have you checked out Nancy Larson Science, yet?