This month we are going on safari and our first week was all about getting ready.
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I've taught this unit before and it's a great one. We first learned about passports, something we would need if we were to travel to Africa. We learned that they are a travel document that has our picture, name, and where we live. When we enter and leave a country they stamp our passport. We can't enter another country without this important travel document.
We looked at our map of continents and matched them to the continents in our passports, then stamped them. The map seen below came in our Experience Preschool curriculum box and it's perfect for preschoolers. It's simple and colorful. It's a great way to learn the different continents and oceans, as well as some of the things we would see there. We also use it to review our colors as we identify the different parts of the world.
We also made safari hats this week, something we would want to pack in our suitcase if we were going on safari. We learned that the African savanna is really hot, with two seasons. A wet one and a dry one. Hats would help protect our head and face from the sun. These safari hats were a Make & Play lesson. I love the Make & Play lessons each month because they lead to dramatic play and are a great way to spark their imaginations. They enjoyed the animal print tissue paper, which was included in our curriculum box.
We also made safari binoculars! Binoculars help us see the animals up close while staying at a safe distance. It's important that we don't interact with the wild animals and that we respect their space. The binoculars were another fun Make & Play project this week.
We talked about what we would want to pack if we were going on safari. Some things we may want to take, but not necessarily need and they would take up room in our suitcase.
They cut apart pictures of safari animals this week and paired up with a friend. They hid their animals around the room and used their checklist to mark off the animals as they found them. My preschoolers had fun using their binoculars for this activity and love scavenger hunts!
This unit has been off to a great start!
