Raptors

Inside the touch box for this lesson we had a feather and talon of a raptor.  After I opened the box, I passed the items around again so the kids could get a closer look.

To start things off, we met my good friend Ernie the Eagle (a puppet) and learned to soar to the song “Eagles”by Terri Hendrix.

We then sat down to read a book about raptors which include eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and vultures.  We learned that they have sharp, hooked beaks and talons that help them catch and eat their prey.



Ernie the Eagle swoops down on little mice

To better understand how raptors hunt, we played an easy game called “Mouse, Mouse, HAWK!”  The kids quickly moved around the room as I said, “mouse, mouse…HAWK!” At which point Ernie the Eagle would swoop down on any “mouse” that didn’t freeze when I said “hawk.”  We played several rounds and the kids loved it.  By the end some of the kids, including my oldest, were moving on purpose so Ernie would swoop on them! 

Lastly we read “Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See” by Bill Martin, Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle.  While it isn’t wholly about raptors, it is a favorite in our house and I wanted to share the fact that bald eagles are an endangered species. 

Our craft was a raptor paper bag puppet. 

References:

http://www.ehow.com/info_8183277_preschool-science-activities-transportation.html