Our new science topic is animals.  We have already learned about our body parts and senses.  Now we will learn about other animals too.

*Our latest learning is at the bottom of the page.*

We have been learning to share what we already know about animals.  Do you have any pets?  What animals can you see outside your home?  Have you ever been to a farm or zoo?  What animals did you see?  Draw a picture of your favourite animal.  What do you know about this creature?

We have also been learning to ask questions about animals.  Below are just some of our amazing questions.  Do you know the answers?  What else do you wonder about animals?  How might you find out?

• Why do rabbits have long ears?
• How can cheetahs run so fast?
• Why do pigs like to be in mud?
• How do cows make milk?
• How do penguins walk on ice?
• Why do giraffes have long necks?
• Where do squirrel monkeys live?
• How do snakes move?
• What are baby snakes called?
• Why do tigers have stripes?
• What is a tiger's favourite meat?
• Where do elephants live?
• How do fish have baby fish?
• Why do toucans have brightly coloured beaks?
• How do dolphins use echolocation?
• Why do dogs have different fur?
• What do sharks eat?
• Where can you find crocodiles?

We are learning to name mammals and their body parts.  What are mammals?  Watch  What are mammals? - BBC Bitesize to find out.  Can you name the mammals in the video?  Do not forget the humans!

Other mammals have body parts that are similar to ours, although they may look quite different.  Some mammals have body parts that are very different to ours, for example, tails, horns and trunks.  Look at the PowerPoint below to see examples.  Can you name the mammals in the PowerPoint?  What body parts do they have that we do not?  Look carefully at the pictures of the animals on the last slide.  What is the same?  What is different?

Below are some videos about mammals (including some from Australia) that you might enjoy.  How would you describe the animal in the video?  How many of the words on the word mat below can you include in your description?  Describe the animal to someone who has not seen the video.  Can this person guess your animal from your description?

Dog * DOGS * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube

Rabbit * RABBIT * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube

Koala Izzy's Koala World New Series Trailer 🐨 Netflix Jr - YouTube

Kangaroo Eastern Gray Kangaroo | Amazing Animals - YouTube

Platypus (an unusual mammal) * PLATYPUS * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube

Now we will learn to name and describe birds.  When you go outside, can you spot any wild birds?  Can you name them?  You might like to use the Woodland Trust's Bird Spotter photo sheet (Garden bird identification for kids - Nature Detectives (treetoolsforschools.org.uk).

What do we already know about birds?  Watch What are birds? - BBC Bitesize to learn more.  Can you make of a list of bird features?  What did you include on your list?  You might have included beak, two eyes, two wings, two legs and feathers.

Draw a bird with all these features.  Watch Learn to Draw a Bird! - YouTube to learn how to draw a simple bird and feather.  We will learn to draw a more detailed bird in our lessons together.  Can you label your bird's body parts?

If you would like to learn more about birds, visit Explorify at home: Birds - Explorify (wellcome.ac.uk).  For ages 5 to 7 years, there is an amazing video to watch and some great ideas for helping birds near your home.

Below are some videos about different animals.  What is the same about them?  What is different?  Which of these animals are birds?  How do you know?

Cat - * CATS * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube

Owl - All About Owls for Kids: Backyard Bird Series - FreeSchool - YouTube  ** CONTAINS IMAGES OF OWLS CATCHING AND EATING PREY  **

Penguin - * PENGUIN * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube 

Now we know that there are a few birds that cannot fly.  Are there any animals that are not birds but can still fly?  Find out and tell us.

Now we will learn to name and describe a different group of animals called fish.  How do we know an animal is a fish?  Watch What are fish? - BBC Bitesize to find out.  You might remember that they have no legs, live in water and do not breathe air.  They have gills, scales and fins.  Like birds, they lay eggs, but their eggs are quite different.  Can you recall the differences from the video?

During our Zoom lesson, we will create a fish with all the features from the video.  There are so many amazing fish in the world.  What will your fish be like?  For ideas, you could watch * FISH * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube or Great Barrier Reef Video - The Largest Living Structure on Earth (sciencekids.co.nz).

Below are some videos about different animals.  Are any of them fish?  How do you know?

Shark * SHARK * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube

Otter * SEA OTTER * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube 

Flamingo * FLAMINGO * | Animals For Kids | All Things Animal TV - YouTube

Frog Frogs! - YouTube

This week, we will learn to name reptiles and to compare them to some mammals, birds and fish.  What do you already know about reptiles?  Watch What are reptiles? - BBC Bitesize to learn more. 

Which reptiles did you see in the video?  How would you describe their bodies?  Reptiles can be very different from each other.  Some have no legs, but others have four legs or even flippers.  Some have teeth, but others have fangs.  They all have scales though.  They also all breathe air, even if they spend much of their lives in the water.  Reptiles tend to lay eggs and are often described as being cold-blooded.

With your adult, find a photo of a reptile called a crocodile using Swiggle.org.uk - Child Friendly Search Engine for Kids.  If you do not have a dog in your family, also find a photo of a dog.  What is the same?  What is different?  Can you complete the comparison sheet below?

Look at the PowerPoint below for comparing three animals.  Which is the odd one out?  You and your adult might choose different animals.   Explain your reasons to each other.  For example, Mrs Arshad thought it was the robin because it had feathers not scales. However, Mrs De Hoest thought it was the clownfish because it was the only animal without legs.  What do you think?