No Hands!
Investigate through role play animal behavior without the use of hands.
Big Idea: Animals have characteristics that help them adapt to different environments.
Froggy Plays Soccer
Hear about Froggy’s big game as he learns to play soccer without using his hands, and see if you can act out different animals without using your hands.
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Materials:
- Froggy Plays Soccer by Jonathan London
- Poster board/Large Paper
- Markers
- Tape
Setup:
Read Froggy Plays Soccer or head over to our Storytime read aloud in the Home Zone. Gather children and materials for one station. Hang a poster board or large paper.
Activity Directions:
- Invite children to sit on the floor in a circle. Ask the children to think of animals that have no hands. Record their responses on chart paper.
- Let’s pretend we are some of these animals. First, we need to sit on our hands to pretend that we do not have any hands.
- Q. How could we pick an apple if we did not have hands? After some sharing of ideas, invite one or more children to role play their idea.
- Q. How could we dig a hole if we did not have hands? After some sharing of ideas, invite one or more children to role play their idea.
- Continue this activity with other challenges and role plays – How would you wave to a friend? Get a drink? Scratch your noise? Wash your neck? Etc.
- Lead a discussion on how might other animals with no hands get food, climb a tree, dig a hole, etc.
Investigative Questions:
Q. How would you define “adaptation”?
Q. Are there ways that you have had to adapt? (swimming, using tools to build things)
Q. Why do you think animals adapt to their habitat?
Q. What do our responses tell us about animals without hands?
Learning Standards
1.A.ECb Respond appropriately to questions from others.
Children will provide answers for different animals through recall or recognition with pictures.
2.C.ECa Interact with a variety of types of texts (e.g. storybooks, poems, rhymes, songs)
Children will read and discuss Froggy Plays Soccer.
12.A.ECa Observe, investigate, describe, and categorize living things.
Children will investigate with questions on how to do specific functions without being able to use their hands along with exploring the difference between animals with and without hands and how they live and move.
12.A.ECb Show an awareness of changes that occur in oneself and environment
Children will have to role play to solve how to do specific actions without hands to understand the definition of ‘adaptation’.
11.A.ECa Express wonder and curiosity about their world by asking questions, solving problems and designing things.
Children role play to problem solve how to pick an apple up with no hands, dig a hole, etc. all without using hands.
19.A.ECa Engage in active play using gross-and fine-motor skills
Children will use their motor skills to act out different animals.
Vocabulary
Adaptation: adjusting or modifying physical being or behavior
Habitat: the area where an animal lives