elephants Archives - Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Do you need a great activity to go along with a study of Africa and its animals?

This simple paper plate elephant can be used for display and learning.

I enjoy a craft that is inexpensive and can be used as an effective learning tool.

With this one, we can learn about the different parts of the African elephant.

For example, you can learn about why their ears are so large, why they have tusks, and compare them to Asian elephants.

Comparing African To Asian Elephants

African elephants are giant creatures that roam the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa and the rainforests of Central and West Africa in herds.

Their hide is much more wrinkled than that of their Asian counterpart.

And they have two “fingers” on their trunk while Asians only have one.

Another distinction between the two is the length of the tusks.

While African elephants have long tusks on both males and females, Asian elephants have short tusks that are generally only visible on the males.

Next, look at these facts about African elephants.

The African Savanna elephant is the world’s largest land animal. The word “elephant” is actually Latin for “huge Arch”.
August 12th is World Elephant Day; a day created to educate and bring attention to the plight of African and Asian Elephants.
A baby elephant can stand within just 20 minutes of being born, a baby African Elephant weighs almost 200 pounds at birth.
Elephant tusks are enlarged incisor teeth and show when elephants are around 2 years old. These tusks will continue to grow throughout their lives.
90% of the African elephant populations have been wiped out in the last century.
African elephants live in sub-Saharan Africa, the rain forests of Central and West Africa, and the Sahel desert in Mali.
African elephants are made up of two living elephant species, the African bush elephant, and the smaller African forest elephant.
African elephants live in a sunnier, hotter climate than Asian elephants do which is why their larger ears are better suited to them. Take a closer look at them, they also resemble the shape of the continent of Africa.

Look at more paper plate elephant activities.

Easy How to Draw an African Elephant for Kids Tutorial Video
This elephant word search is a great simple activity for kids.
Grab a map, atlas, or globe, and have your child find locations where African Elephants live. We used a small plastic elephant to mark them as we went along. You can find the largest groups in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa.

Fold an origami elephant, glue on long paper tusks and you have an African Elephant.
Need a good read-aloud? The Magician’s Elephant is a great option for the whole family to keep with the elephant theme.

Watch African Elephants from Amazing Animals on YouTube to learn more about them.
Add this African elephant family to your collection. Use for dramatic small-world play, in dioramas, sensory bins, and as inspiration for drawings and paintings.
Elephants of Africa by Gail Gibbons, a shorter living science book, makes a great resource book as well.
Peek in on the live elephant cam at Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa.

You will need:

Cut out 2 tusks and 2 ears from the smooth center of one plate and a trunk from the ridged edge.

When the body is done, trim to size.

Paint the other plate, the trunk, and the ears entirely gray and allow them to dry.

Flip and paint the other sides, as you will be able to see some of both sides in the final result.

Once your plate is dry, fold it in half, creasing it gently in the center.

Cut out the general shape of the legs, head (minus the trunk), and tail from both sides at the same time.

Add details to your elephant’s body, ears, and trunk like wrinkles and eyes with a fine-tipped black pen or marker.

Glue the tusk and trunk in between the fold of the paper plate.

Attach the ears to either side of the head.

You can now open your elephant and put it on display. It will stand nicely and look great as part of your collection.