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Tina Robertson

Awesome Serengeti African Savanna Fun Facts | Free Color By Number

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Today, I have some awesome Serengeti African savanna fun facts and a free color by number printable for your littles. Also, look at my Free Africa Unit Study for more hands-on ideas.

The Serengeti National Park is a fascinating ecosystem which supports a variety of amazing animals.

And the Serengeti is a huge national park in Tanzania, Africa.

Tanzania is in East Africa.

Awesome Serengeti African Savanna Fun Facts | Free Color By Number

Not only is Tanzania home to the Serengeti savanna, but it is home to the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.

Next, explain that a savanna is a tropical grassland with scattered trees.

It is home to the great wildebeest and zebra migration where millions of animals migrate across the Serengeti in search of water and food.

Also, it is approximately 14,000+ square feet with an abundance of wildlife.

SERENGETI BOOK FOR KIDS

Next, look at some books about Africa on my post Free Africa Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning | Free Continent & Country Reports.

Serengeti: Plains of Grass

The Serengeti National Park is famous for its wildlife and the Great Migration.

This book Serengeti: Plains of Grass is a beautiful book to highlight the diversity of wildlife and the beauty of the ecosystem.

Also, I have more posts about Africa.

MORE KIDS ACTIVITIES ABOUT AFRICA

Too, look at more African savanna fun facts.

AFRICAN SAVANNA FUN FACTS

You’ll love these African savanna fun facts to add to your unit study.

  • When saying the “Big Five”, it refers to animals: lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinoceroses.
  • The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language. It means “endless plain.”
  • It’s a great place for birdwatchers too. It has over 500 bird species. One bird, the Lilac-breasted Roller is recognized for its vibrant beautiful colors. A few of the other species found there are the Greater Flamingo, Crowned Crane, African Grey Hornbill and cool Secretary Bird to name just a very few to dive in and learn about.
  • The Serengeti has a unique balance of predators like cheetahs and lions with prey like zebras and antelopes. This keeps the ecosystem balanced.
  • The Serengeti is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This means its recognized for the importance to conservation but also because of its beauty.
  • You can visit the Serengeti on a safari. This means to visit it and see animals in their natural habitat.
  • In addition, the Serengeti also has volcanic craters, rivers and woodlands. This provides abundant diversity for wildlife.
  • The Great Migration is driven by rainfall patterns.
  • The Maasai people have lived in the Serengeti region for centuries.
  • Over 3,000 species of plants are supported by the Serengeti. For example, giraffes love to munch on the leaves of the Acacia tree, and there is the Baobab, Lantana, sisal plant and elephant grass which is a favorite food for the elephants.
Awesome Serengeti African Savanna Fun Facts | Free Color By Number

These are just a very few African savanna fun facts that your kids will love.

HOW TO GET THE FREE COLOR BY NUMBER PRINTABLE

Finally, I have something for your littles to include in your study about the amazing African savannah.

It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie now.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Free 4-Week Australia Unit Study For Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning

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I have a free 4-week Australia Unit Study for kids. Look at these other Best Homeschool Unit Studies for more ideas and topics for hands-on learning. Also, look at my page Hands-On Simple And Best Homeschool Geography Ideas & Tips for more fun hands-on geography.

From the Sydney Opera House, with its distinctive sail-like design to the home of kangaroos, koalas, and the platypus to the stunning Great Barrier Reef there is no shortage of topics to learn.

The beauty of unit studies is not only combining subjects but teaching multiple ages of children.

Free 4-Week Kid’s Australia Unit Study Who Love Hands-on Learning

Additionally, teaching all your children together means you can discuss the same topic but it’s the activity that is chosen which makes it age appropriate.

For example, if you’re teaching language arts, your younger children can do copywork while your older children draft an essay or learn figurative language.

Today, I have topic ideas and activities for Australian history, geography, nature and even math and language arts.

Remember too with unit studies you can use any curriculum to supplement.

To illustrate, some unit study themes may be more science oriented or history oriented. So don’t force a fit with other subjects.

Many times if we lack math or language arts, we can supplement with ready made already on hand.

By not forcing a fit with a topic it makes the unit study more natural for what interests your child.

BOOKS ABOUT AUSTRALIA FOR KIDS

First, look at this list of living books I rounded up and we love.

Living books are my go-to for unit studies. They teach facts in a story form.

9 Australia Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Grab one or two of these books about Australia to add to your unit study or your home library.

Next, look at these ideas about history and geography.

HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY AUSTRALIA UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 1

When I list ideas, I think of ways you can include multiple ages of kids.

And when possible, give you ideas.

  • List the 6 states and territories as an introduction. 1. New South Wales: Capital city is Sydney 2. Queensland: Capital city is Brisbane 3. Tasmania: Capital City is Hobart 4. Western Australia: Capital City is Perth 5. Victoria: Capital City is Melbourne 6. South Australia: Capital City is Adelaide. There are two territories the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • Investigate the area known as The Outback.
  • Understand that the country name is the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia is an independent but has strong ties to Britain.
  • 1851 Gold is discovered and many miners in California head for Australia.
  • Australian Craft Ideas: How to Make a Cute Sydney Opera House
  • Learn landmarks like the Sydney Opera House, Kakadu National Park, Daintree Rainforest, Sydney Harbour Bridge,Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Great Barrier Reef
  • The Aborigines were the first inhabitants of mainland Australia and the Torres Strait Islanders were people who originally inhabited the 270+ islands north of Australia in the Torres Strait
  • British settlers arrived in Australia in 1788.
  • What two animals are on the Australian Coat of Arms? Kangaroo and Emu.
  • Learn about who was Dutch navigator Willem Janzoon. He was the first European to make recorded contact with and map part of the Australian continent.
Free 4-Week Kid’s Australia Unit Study Who Love Hands-on Learning

Also, for week 2 look at these nature and science ideas to study this week.

NATURE & SCIENCE AUSTRALIA UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 2

Next, Australia is diverse. There are deserts, rainforests, and savannas to explore.

  • The Tasmanian Devil is a carnivorous marsupial found only in Tasmania.
  • Daintree Rainforest is one of the oldest rainforest in the world. Explore the flora and fauna.
Free 4-Week Kid’s Australia Unit Study Who Love Hands-on Learning

MATH & LANGUAGE ARTS AUSTRALIA UNIT STUDY IDEAS WEEK 3

  • Convert prices from AUD to another currency (like USD or EUR)

ARTS & CRAFTS AUSTRALIA UNIT STUDY WEEK 4

Finally, we tend to build on unit studies each year which is why we love them.

What are you studying about in Australia?

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

For a fun hands-on project, we are making an edible arctic habitat diorama. Too, you’ll love my pages Arctic Region and Arctic and Inuit unit study too.

Not only for educational purposes but also to enjoy the tasty reward of our efforts, we’re making this fun diorama.

Like the equator, the invisible lines of latitude and longitude, the Arctic circles are not real red lines on the Earth.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

They are invisible and these polar circles are located near the poles of the earth, at 66.6° N and S latitude.

There are the Arctic Polar Circle and the Antarctic Polar Circle.

The Antarctic Circle contains Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, the Weddell Sea, and the Balleny Islands.

The conditions are so harsh in Antarctica and its surrounding areas that the only people who live there are scientists, temporarily.

Very few creatures make their home in Antarctica, on land and in the surrounding oceans.

You would see killer whales, blue whales, krill, and elephant seals.

Additionally, emperor and Adelie penguins are the only type of penguins to live on our coldest continent Antarctica.

Further, the Arctic Circle includes the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, Kara, Barents, White, Greenland, and Beaufort seas as well as parts of Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Norway, and Russia.

There are a lot more animals that make their home in the Arctic Circle.

For example, there are Arctic foxes, caribou, Beluga whales, lemmings, puffins, polar bears, walruses, narwhals, and much more.

Unlike Antarctica, humans inhabit many parts of the Arctic Circle.

BOOKS ABOUT THE ARCTIC FOR KIDS

First, look at some of these books about the Arctic.

I prefer living books when you can find them.

12 Arctic Books about People & Animals of the Arctic

Studying about the region of the Arctic is a fascinating topic. Grab some of these books about life in the Arctic and animals of the Arctic.

Next, look at some of these fun facts about the walrus of the Arctic.

5 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE WALRUS OF THE ARCTIC 

  1. The only natural predators of the walrus are Orcas and polar bears.
  2. The walrus is nicknamed the Giant or King of the Arctic. Adult walrus are typically about 7.25 to 11.5 feet long and can weigh up to 1.5 tons (3,000 lb).
  3. There are two recognized species which are the Atlantic walrus and the Pacific walrus. They are divided geographically. Atlantic walruses live in the coastal areas of Canada and Greenland. Pacific walruses live in the northern seas of Alaska and Russia.
  4. Both male and female walruses can have tusks that reach almost 3 feet long, measure that out with a measuring tape to be impressed by this feature made of dentine.
  5. These giant pinnipeds can withstand temperatures as low as -35°C (-31°F) due to the layers of blubber stored beneath their skin that help to insulate them from the cold.  

This paper plate walrus craft is just too cute to pass up.

Learn more about blubber with my Inuit of the Arctic: How Animals Survive Harsh Winters Fun Blubber Activity

You can find out more about the walrus and other arctic animals with the Ocean Anatomy book, a favorite resource of mine.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Check out this step-by-step tutorial for drawing a walrus to include a little more art in your study.

This is great for fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and building those skills in following directions.

MORE ARCTIC ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

EDIBLE ARCTIC OR ANTARCTIC HABITAT DIORAMA

If you need animals for your arctic habitat diorama these Mini Arctic Animals Figurines Set have a great variety and can also be used as a model for drawing, in sensory bins and trays, as well as other types of dioramas.

You can make a map of either the Arctic Circle or Antarctic Circle using my simple instructions below and focus on any polar animal found in either region.

Also, we realized we had made the Arctic salt dough a few years back so we switched midstream and made this for Antarctica. Again, these directions can be for either the Arctic or Antarctica circle.

But today I am going to dig a little deeper into the walrus (found in the Arctic).

You will need:

  • Sugar cookie dough
  • Cling wrap
  • Baking sheet
  • Map of Arctic or Antarctic circle
  • White frosting
  • Blue food coloring
  • Red vines (licorice)
Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Find a map of the Antarctic Circle that you like and print it out or you can use an image from an atlas or map.

Cover the map in plastic wrap to protect the page.

Slightly soften your favorite sugar cookie recipe or store-bought prepared cookie dough.

Press gently and mold into the shape of your land mass on top of the plastic wrap.

Try to keep the thickness uniform so that it bakes evenly.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Flip the cookie dough map onto the baking sheet and bake according to the package directions.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

While you are waiting you can use a plate or whatever you like as a base.

Mix a little blue food coloring into some of your frosting and cover the round surface with it.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Remove cookie from oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to the center of your frosting.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Frost the cookie map with white frosting (snow and ice).

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Add animals to your map.

Fun Arctic Habitat Diorama and Fascinating Facts About Walruses

Finish up by creating the invisible polar circle around your map using red vines or you can get a small squeeze tube of red food coloring to use.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

For today’s dynamic learning adventure, we are making a paper plate stingray to highlight its unique body and characteristics. Also, look at my Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook for more ocean ideas.

Stingrays are a type of fish that live in warm, shallow waters.

And they have flat diamond-shaped bodies with long, whip-like tails.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

If you have ever seen it in the ocean or an aquarium their bodies seem to effortlessly float gracefully through the water.

They use their large pectoral fins to propel themselves.

They flap their fins in a wave-like motion, starting at the head and moving down to the tail.

This creates a powerful thrust that allows them to move quickly and efficiently through the water.

While you are making your paper plate stingray there is no reason why you can’t learn more about them with facts, videos, and books.

And then use it as a path to more amazing paper plate ocean animals that I have rounded up for you.

OCEAN BOOKS FOR KIDS

Too, look at these fun ocean books to add to your home library.

16 Ocean Books for Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To

Choose a few of these ocean themed books to go along with your study of the Oceans. Whether you're looking for a spine for a unit study or literature, you'll love this roundup.

Also, look at some fun facts about stingrays.

STUPENDOUS STINGRAY FACTS

Some species of stingrays can grow to be very large. The giant oceanic manta ray can grow up to 23 feet long and weigh up to 3,000 pounds!

Stingrays use their tails to defend themselves from predators. The tail has a sharp, barbed stinger that can cause painful wounds, but it is also used to steer them through the water.

Stingrays are made of cartilage instead of bone and their bodies are very flexible.

They are carnivores and eat worms, mollusks, shrimp, crab, clams, oysters, mussels, small fish, and crustaceans

Stingrays are related to sharks and share many similar features; the biggest difference is that stingrays have their pectoral fins fused with their head.

There are many different types of rays including stingrays, electric rays, butterfly rays, round rays, manta rays, guitarfish and sawfish. There are about 220 different species all together.

Check out this Wild Kratts video, The Vanishing Stingray, to learn so much more about these fascinating ocean creatures.

If you are interested the resource shown here is The Big Book of Blue and contained a wonderful two page spread on our subject.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

I also want to share with you these plastic ocean animals that can be used to create sensory bins, trays, dioramas, or just to add a bit of the theme to your science shelf or in a basket to introduce the topic.

MORE OCEAN ANIMAL ACTIVITIES

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

And look at these paperplate ocean animals.

ADORABLE PAPER PLATE OCEAN ANIMALS

HOW TO MAKE A PAPER PLATE STINGRAY

You will need:

  • Craft glue or hot glue
  • A paper plate
  • A paper bowl
  • Scissors
  • Craft paints
  • Paintbrushes
Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

Begin by laying out two paper plates and drawing a stingray’s body on one, including the wings.  then use the second to create the long whiplike tail.

Be sure you leave the body big enough to fit the bowl.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

Cut out those outlines and glue the two pieces together with the tail at the back.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

Add the paper bowl on top, securing all the way around with glue. Trim the edges a bit if necessary.

Paint all over, covering both the plates and the bowl in your base color.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

Before the paint is completely dry you can come in with a second or even third color to add some detail to your stingray.

Crafty Ocean Adventures: How to Make a Paper Plate Stingray

We made a black stingray for our model like in our reference book.

Don’t forget to add some eyes.

Allow it to dry completely.

13 Living Books Ancient History Your Kids Will Love

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Today, I have a list of engaging living books ancient history your kids will love. Also, look at my Ancient Civilizations page for fun hands-on ideas and free lapbooks to go with studying ancient history.

Studying ancient history is a fascinating and wide-reaching topic.

It should be taught in a way that draws a child into the period you’re studying about.

That is what a living book does as opposed to a dry boring textbook which kids can loathe.

13 Living Books Ancient History Your Kids Will Love

Too, when I first started homeschooling, I knew what we were reading for history wasn’t presented to my kids in a way they could understand.

A list of dry boring facts does not stir critical thinking skills or nurture my sons’ love for wanting to learn more.

I wanted my sons to read books like I did while growing up.

Little did I know then, there was a name for a book that is lively, engaging, encourages conversations and that is a living book.

WHAT ARE LIVING BOOKS FOR KIDS

Also, through the years I’ve read many excellent definitions of what is a living book.

Be sure you take time to understand what they are so that when you study any topic, especially ancient history, you can bring the topic to life.

Besides, not all, but a lot of them are older books.

They were written at a time when authors did not talk to children, even very young children. And they were written before there was a banned book list or before libraries adopted politically correct views.

However, one of the best features of living books is that the author usually talk about the topic in a story or narrative form. All ages love stories. We never outgrow them.

Additionally, the author is not a textbook writer but an authority on the topic who has infectious enthusiasm for the topic.

This excites the reader.

Even books that are fictional history, the author can weave in dates, events, and details that are true. However, while the story is untrue it still can bring the history period to life.

It helps readers to understand the stream of time.

Additionally, keep this balance in mind as you learn about living books.

Not all vintage books are living books.

However, if you are considering one that is a classic, look for ones that are not edited and have beautiful artwork especially if it’s a picture book.

Many older print pictures books are beautiful and have a higher reading level than you may think.

MORE LIVING BOOKS FOR KIDS LIST & TIPS

13 Living Books Ancient History Your Kids Will Love

In addition, I have a 5-point checklist to help you decide what is a living book on my post 5 Steps to Choosing Geography Living Books Your Children Will Love.

Your definition and lists of books will grow as you homeschool longer.

Finally, look at this list of living book ancient history for kids.

13 Ancient History Living Books For Multiple Ages

Add one or two of these books to your day for a unit study or add them to your home library for books to keep.