I don’t know about your kids, but my children love animals. We have enjoyed countless animal studies in our homeschool to date. Sometimes, we study one particular species. Sometimes, we study groups of animals. And, sometimes, we read a stack of fantastic animal books and follow rabbit trails.
Today, I am sharing a super-simple animal study that we recently enjoyed. This animal study is perfect for summer learning!
Hands-On Animal Study with Spielgaben
*Disclosure: I received a Spielgaben set to review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I only choose to share resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other families will enjoy. We absolutely adore this set and will be using it in our homeschool this year. Stay tuned!
A Play-Based Animal Study
Our homeschool routine is based upon carefully-selected, engaging read-alouds and high-quality educational games and activities.
One of my absolute favorite things to do is to take a child’s current interest, add a fantastic book, and finish it off with an educational game or activity. So much learning happens in this way… and the kids have a blast in the process!
You can read more about what this looks like in our homeschool here:
This year, I am excited to add Spielgaben to the mix. One of the many reasons that I have fallen head-over-heels for Spielgaben is the fact that it is such a high-quality, play-based resource. (If you have been drooling over Spielgaben for years, like me, be sure to keep reading because I have a special offer for My Little Poppies readers!)
Today, I am sharing a recent animal study that my children loved.
First, Fantastic Books for Your Animal Study
There are oodles of amazing animal books on the market today. I thought I’d share two of our family’s favorite authors, and then share some resources for simple and fun summer learning.
An animal study using books by Nicola Davies
Nicola Davies is an English zoologist and children’s book author. If you have a budding zoologist or animal lover at home, you’re going to want to read these books! My kids have never met a Davies book they didn’t absolutely adore!
An animal study with books by Steve Jenkins
Steve Jenkins is one of my children’s all-time favorite authors. In fact, when my youngest was a newborn, I actually made my own audiobook of What Do You Do With A Tail Like This? because I just couldn’t read the book as often as my big kids wanted me to!
Hands-On Animal Study with Spielgaben
One of my children’s favorite things to do with our Spielgaben set is to create animals and insects. They love to use the play invitations included in the Spielgaben set, but they have also been known to create their own designs using a favorite book.
This hands-on animal study using Spielgaben would be the perfect follow-up to any of the books or activities already mentioned or a wonderful way to celebrate a recent trip to the zoo or aquarium!
Alternatively, you could create the animals first and then head to the library to research the animal!
Another fun idea would be to use these animals as a story prompt…
… or as a good excuse to declare a family movie night and watch a childhood classic!
Lions and tigers and bears – Oh my!
When children use Spielgaben to create animals, they are working on fine-motor skills, creativity and imagination, and more.
The conversations that you have with your children while they play can build upon the learning. Ask your child open-ended questions. Chat about the books you read. Discuss favorite animals. Create fantastic stories together. Jot it down and make your own animal book!
The possibilities for learning and fun are limitless.
Play is learning with Spielgaben
There are countless benefits to using Spielgaben. You can read my full review here for more information.
For the uninitiated, Spielgaben offers a sophisticated approach to child development for children ages 3-12 years. Housed in wooden drawers, all 14 Spielgaben play sets are made from non-toxic and sustainable materials. The play sets are absolutely stunning and come with oodles of lesson plans and play invitations. The play sets are designed to be used in sequence in a developmentally appropriate manner.
Learn more about Spielgaben
Please read my review of Spielgaben here:
- Using Spielgaben in Your Homeschool
- Create Your Own Fidget Factory Using Spielgaben
- Super-Simple Hands-On Flag Study
- Hands-On Animal Study with Spielgaben
- Study the Four Seasons with Books, Play, and Spielgaben
- A Simple World Monuments Study with Books, Games, and Spielgaben!
- Challenge Kids to Get Creative with Awesome Homemade Games
You can follow Spielgaben on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Here’s a special offer for My Little Poppies readers…
Need more ideas for your animal study?
Check out these related posts:
- Simple Pond Study
- Simple Bee Study with Candle Making & Honey
- ‘Playful Pet Portraits’ Will Delight Animal Lovers
- Animal Helpers in History
- Shark Week in Your Homeschool
- 5 + Nature Games for Your Homeschool
- Exploring Nature with Children & DIY Nature Explorer Packs!
- 10 of the Best Nature Gifts for Kids
- DIY Nature Explorer Pack
- Celebrate Spring with Rabbit Books Your Kids Will Love!
Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: Do your children love a good animal study, too? Share here!
