COURSE OVERVIEW
Enhance your child’s understanding of the animal kingdom and the places where animals live as you teach them about the six major families of animals: insects, fish, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and mammals. The fun, interesting lessons in this course offer a combination of interactive activities and hands-on projects designed to help you teach your child about the characteristics of each animal group and their natural habitats. Your child will learn how animals depend on each other and on the resources of their environments and about the threats facing many of the world’s animal species.
Upon completion of this course’s 12 lessons, your child will have learned to identify types of animals by their physical characteristics, understand how animals depend on each other and the resources of their environment, and have a greater appreciation for the diversity of animal life on Earth and the importance of preserving that diversity.
LESSON 1: WHAT IS A HABITAT?
Invite your child to explore the natural world with this lesson on habitats! Your child will learn what a habitat is and how it provides the essential resources for the survival of plants and animals. They will discover the relationships between habitats around the world and the plants and animals that call them home.
LESSON 2: REPTILES
Discover the “scaly side” of the animal kingdom with this lesson on reptiles! Your child will learn all about these intriguing creatures, including the characteristics that all reptiles share and the ways that several types of reptiles are different from each other. Your child will also learn about the reptile life cycle and how the adaptations of these animals help them survive.
LESSON 3: MAMMALS
Embark on an adventure of discovery with your child and learn about the diversity of mammals, their habitat preferences, and how to classify and describe them based on characteristics and life cycles. Give your child a deeper understanding of the biology and behavior of mammals and develop their observation skills as they learn to recognize different types.
LESSON 4: FISH
Dive in and explore the amazing world of fish with your child! From colorful coral-reef dwellers to deep-sea giants, your child will discover the diversity of fish and how they play a crucial role in the aquatic ecosystem.
LESSON 5: AMPHIBIANS
Jump into this lesson on amphibians, designed to give your child an understanding of the biology and behavior of these unique creatures, including their common characteristics and habitat preferences. Not only will your child learn about the diversity of amphibian species, but they’ll also gain the skills to classify and describe animals as amphibians based on their features, behaviors, and life cycles.
LESSON 6: BIRDS
Let your child’s learning take flight with this lesson about the biology and behavior of birds! Your child will learn how to describe and classify animals as birds based on their characteristics and life cycles, while building their knowledge on the diversity of bird species and fostering an appreciation for these fascinating animals.
LESSON 7: INSECTS
Introduce your child to a wildly diverse animal family with this “un-bee-lievably” fascinating lesson on insects! From butterflies to beetles, your child will be buzzing with excitement as they learn all about insect types and body parts, and the vitally important role they play in the natural world.
LESSON 8: ANIMAL LIFE CYCLES
Introduce your child to basic concepts of animal development, which can help them understand the different stages that animals go through as they grow and mature. Your child will learn how to describe the life cycles of common mammals, reptiles, insects, and amphibians. It’s the cycle of life!
LESSON 9: ANIMAL HABITATS
Enhance your child’s knowledge of the natural world with our lesson on habitats. Your child will learn about the role of the habitat in an organism’s survival and success and gain an appreciation for the relationships between organisms and their environments.
LESSON 10: ANIMAL DEPENDENCIES
Help your child develop an understanding of the many ways in which animals and plants can help or hinder each other’s survival. Your child will learn some ways that plants and animals in a specific habitat depend on each other to survive.
LESSON 11: ADAPTATIONS
Introduce your child to the fascinating study of how adaptations shape the diversity of life on Earth. Your child will discover the incredible characteristics and behaviors that help animals thrive in their environments.
LESSON 12: ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
Take your child on an exploration of habitats to discover how living and nonliving things interact with each other. From the tiniest microorganisms to the tallest trees, your child will learn about the delicate balance that allows an ecosystem to thrive. Your child will also develop an understanding of how changes in one part of an ecosystem can affect other parts and why biodiversity is vital for the survival of all species.
LESSON 13: HABITATS IN DESERTS, RAINFORESTS & OCEANS
Take your child on a journey through diverse habitats around the world! This lesson introduces the desert, where there is very little rain throughout the year, and bodies of water are few, and the rainforest, where many kinds of trees and plants thrive in a rainy environment. Your child will also learn that the ocean is a large body of salt water covering most of our planet and that it’s divided into the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern oceans.
LESSON 14: HABITATS IN FORESTS & WETLANDS
Enhance your child’s learning as you explore unique natural environments together! In this lesson, your child will discover that a deciduous forest is a place where many trees stop growing and lose their leaves during the colder months of the year. They will also learn that a wetland is a low land that’s wet and muddy but that a variety of plants grow there.
LESSON 15: HABITATS IN MOUNTAINS & LAKES
Climb to great heights and dive into learning with your child in this lesson about the many habitats that exist in mountains and lakes. Your child will learn that a mountain is a large landform that rises high above the area around it and that lakes are bodies of water that are surrounded by land on all sides.
Sample Lesson Plan
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