Shapes & Animal Homes

Activity Overview

In this activity, children take their knowledge about animals and shapes, and combine them into a habitat-making challenge. Knowledge of shapes is quizzed through a homemade matching game, and the resulting cardboard cutouts become the basis for home construction for our favorite stuffed animals.

What You Need

• Blocks, MagnaTiles, or other building materials that offer multiple shapes to study and match

• White paper

• Colored pencils, markers, or crayons

• Glue or masking tape

• Cardboard

Steps

1. Trace similarly sized shapes onto white paper. Blocks and other building materials will work well. Help students identify the names of the shapes.

2. Give students the blocks that you traced. Tell students to match the blocks to the traced shape. Once students have matched all of the shapes, show them how to trace a block. Work with students to trace a few blocks. Cut out your own traced shapes and those of the students.

3. Give students a stuffed animal they are familiar with, and ask them to share what that animal’s home looks like in nature. For instance, if a student has a bird, they will describe a nest. Provide support by showing examples of animals’ homes.

4. Cut out the traced shapes for the students. Give students the shapes and work collaboratively to build a home for the stuffed animal using just the shapes. Glue the student work to a piece of cardboard to anchor the work.

5. Give students markers and colored pencils and tell them to decorate their animal’s new home.

Guiding Questions

• What shapes do you recognize?

• How can we make those shapes?

• What does an animal’s home look like?

• What shapes do you need to make an animal’s home?

Extensions

• Use the homes created while playing in dramatic play.

• Find objects around the home or class that can be traced to make different shapes. Help students trace cups, bowls, coasters, and other things they are already familiar with.