If you are looking for engaging pond books for preschoolers who love pond animals, you have landed in the right place. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more tips and ideas! And my page Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook.
From fish to dragonflies there is so much to observe and learn about.
Preschoolers need a lot of fresh air, movement, and their attention span is about 6-12 minutes.
So, you want to make sure that every one of those minutes is filled with fun learning experiences.
Getting out and seeing everything firsthand, looking at it closely and then reinforcing what they are seeing with engaging books is the best lesson you can give your preschooler.
You know me and you know that besides 8 great books I also have a few ideas for how to dive right into a pond study using real life experiences and fun items to explore the pond habitat.
Exploring The Pond With Preschoolers
I cannot recommend enough if you are doing a pond study that you find a local pond.
Go explore it, pack up a few books, some tools, and take a picnic lunch or snack along to make a day of it.
You probably do most of these activities with your child when you’re near a pond anyway but here are some learning ideas.
- Feed the ducks and try to identify a few species.
- Catch and release minnows and tadpoles.
- Observe turtles sunning themselves on the bank.
- Look for telltale signs of fish life in the ripples.
- Identify bugs with a colorful book or app.
- Use binoculars to watch birds in the trees and flying above.
- Bring pond water home and observe microorganisms in it with a microscope.
- Listen for the croak of bullfrogs and try to spot one.
- Watch dragonflies darting in and around the pond.
- Compare the difference in the soil at the edge of the pond and that which is further away.
Preschool Pond Tools
If you are headed to the pond to observe with a preschooler here are a few tools that will make the experience richer and more fun.
- Kids just love bug catching kits and they are a wonderful way to hold and observe insects you find around the pond for a bit.
- A magnifying glass is handy for closer observation of bugs, grasses, minnows, and even soil at the pond’s edge.
- You don’t need a top of the line expensive pair but I would skip the kids binoculars and invest in a decent one for nature walks, backyard birding and of course pond study.
Pond Animals to Study on Your Visit To The Pond
Depending on where you are there is a multitude of birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and mammals in and around the pond to learn about.
- Ducks- And look at Make Way For Ducklings Fun Duck Pond Playdough Invitation to Play.
- Fish- Make a Paint Splat Fishing Pond for art while you read about what makes the characteristics that make a fish a fish.
- Salamanders
- Dragonflies- Learn 8 Insect Fun Facts About Texas For Kids | Easy Dragonfly Craft
- Frogs- Pretend to be frogs and teach your child to identify numbers with a Frog Lily Pad Hop.
- Turtles
- Pond Skaters
- Herons
- Alligators-Make Alligator Pie: Book and Recipe, cooking is always wonderful to include for preschoolers on up in any study.
- Kingfishers
- Snakes
- Beavers- Once you return from your pond visit you can put together this cute little Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam.
8 Engaging Pond Books for Preschoolers
Here are some wonderful living books for reading aloud and for preschoolers to pore over at home and while at the pond.
8 Pond Books for Preschoolers
Here are some wonderful living books for reading aloud and for preschoolers to pore over at home and while at the pond.
In Over and Under the Pond, readers will discover the plants and animals that make up the rich, interconnected ecosystem of a mountain pond. Over the pond, the water is a mirror, reflecting the sky. But under the water is a hidden world of creatures—minnows darting, beavers diving, and tadpoles growing. These secrets and many others are waiting to be discovered over and under the pond in this sweet children’s book from Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal, the latest in their beloved series that offers kids a peek into hidden ecosystems.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
When the soft pink of the dawn sun starts peeking over the pond, a new day has begun for all the animals who live in it and around its watery edges. The friendly duck family, the mysterious water striders, and the busy beaver are a few of the many fascinating and familiar animals included in this glowing poetic tribute to the lively ecosystem of the pond.
What is it about turtles that fascinates us? Is it how they hide inside their patterned shells, their wizened faces, their slow determination?
In Turtle Pond, a child and his parents visit their local public garden throughout the year, observing the turtles as they play, dive, feed, bask, climb, hide and doze. James Gladstone’s lively prose poem reveals the pleasure and curiosity that come from spending time with the turtles. Karen Reczuch’s stunningly beautiful illustrations accurately portray these extraordinary creatures, both in and out of the water, surrounded by lush plants and the changing seasons beyond the greenhouse windows.
In this classic and bestselling Caldecott Honor winner, a mother duck loses her duckling—and finds it, with the help of sharp-eyed young readers.
The pond, normally filled with ducks, appears to be empty--and an empty pond opens the door for many questions. Where did all the ducks go? When ducks are not in the pond, what can they possibly be doing? Do they like to do the same activities that people like to do? Can they really be sleeping, shopping, or even eating pizza? Maybe they just flew away for the day.
So what happens when another animal is spotted swimming where the ducks used to swim? Can it really mean the ducks have left the pond forever? Will the ducks eventually make their way back?
A child explores the wonders of the natural world in this rhyming, beautiful bright colored picture storybook about the lives of small animals and insects living around a freshwater pond.
A fascinating picture book brings to life the creatures that live in and around a pond, from a water strider and a tadpole to a painted turtle and a red-winged blackbird and features informative text on each animal's characteristics and habits.
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