life science

I have 5 fun-filled days of letter O activities and an O is for owl preschool craft. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

And instead of the usual paper owl shaped like an O we are making something a bit more creative.

Upcycle a milk jug and turn it into a Great Horned Owl after you read a fantastic living science book, watch a short documentary, or enjoy an owl-themed sensory bin.

Even though your child is young you do not have to dumb down the lessons, you can have a fun letter theme for preschoolers that is rich in math, literature, science, and more.

First, look at Day 1 and how to introduce the letter sound.

More How to Homeschool Preschool Letter of the Week Activities

• Alphabet Letter A is for Apple Craft for Preschool | Fun Apple Study
• Letter O is for Owl Preschool Craft | Fun Great Horned Owl Study
• Alphabet Letter H Handprint Craft For Fun Preschool Horse Study
• How To Make An Alphabet Teeth Cleaning Activity | 5 Preschool Letter T Crafts
• Alphabet Letter R is for Rainbow Craft for Preschool | Fun Rain Mobile
• Alphabet Letter M is for Monkey Handprint Preschool Fun Monkey Study
• Alphabet Letter G is for Gorilla Fun Paper Plate Preschool Mask
• W Is For Winter Craft Easy Snowman Oobleck Activity
• Letter E Is For Eagle Easy Preschool Eagle Study
• Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft
• B is for Bird Craft | Free Preschool Bluebird Study
• X is for X Ray Craft | Unique Crayon Resist Skeleton

Language Arts Focus Day 1

• Letter/Sound Recognition- Create a “Find the letter O sensory bin”.

 Add crumpled paper to a small container for a base.

Then add O letter tiles, use scrabble tiles, letter beads, or magnetic letters, whatever kind you have on hand.

Pop in any owl toys or flashcards you may have.

You can also layer in some feathers-we are using them for the craft later so here is a great way to get more use out of this supply.

Now have your child dig through and find all the O’s they can find; this is a fun way to use repetition for letter recognition.

You can extend the activity by having them count how many O’s they can find to work in some simple math.

• Craft/Activity- This Fall Leaf Owl Craft is a great way to incorporate the beauty of fall and nature and learn about owls through artwork.
• Song/Fingerplay- Watch The Letter O Sound video, it not only teaches the proper way to sound out O but also gives some good words that begin with O in a catchy song.
• Book- The Owl Who Was Afraid of The Dark, a cute story about a little brown barn owl, I love introducing them to a variety of owls.
• Snack- Start your unit off strong and Make an Easy Owl Sandwich along with pretzel sticks for a nest and maybe a few MM’s for bird eggs.

Science Focus Day 2

• Letter/Sound Recognition – This free printable Owl Themed Letter Tumble is great for developing letter recognition long before they pick up a pencil.

• Book –  Nature Anatomy, This book can not only be used throughout your owl study but also to cover a lot of other nature topics. What I love so much about this series aside from the artwork is that they grow so well with a child. They are appropriate for a preschooler to pour over and still usable throughout high school as a reference.
• Another fantastic book for science that can be used for a variety of lessons is The Big Book of Birds, it does not have a section on the Great Horned Owl but it does have a beautiful spread covering Great Gray Owls and I think it’s important to expose them to a variety of species so they can compare differences and similarities.

Facts about Horned Owls for The Educator

• Like other owls, they are nocturnal.
• Females are a little larger than the males.
• It gets its name from the tuft of feathers that look like ears but are not.
• Great horned owls are very strong and can carry animals heavier than they are.
• At times they swallow their prey whole and regurgitate pellets packed with fur and bones.
• They are birds of prey and their prey is alive when they catch it.
• They will tear larger prey with their talons and claws.
• Large yellow eyes help them see at night.

• Draw a simple picture of an owl on a large piece of paper or whiteboard, have your child name off the characteristics of owls – they fly, nocturnal, large eyes, feathers, etc. and dictate them all around the picture of the owl. Letting your child see you write helps them see the link between spoken and written words.
• Craft/Activity- Get an owl’s eye view with a craft and science activity all rolled up into one with this Owl Eyesight – STEM Exploration for Kids.
• Another fantastic science activity is this free printable Owl Life Cycle Cut and Stick Activity which teaches the owl’s life cycle but also gives your child a chance to strengthen fine motor skills through cutting and pasting.
• Song/Fingerplay – Watch The Owl Song with your preschooler and watch them sing adorably all week about the little owls of different colors.
• Snack- These Owl Rice Cakes are not only a healthy option, but they are adorable too and make a great afternoon snack.

Math Focus Day 3

• Letter/Sound Recognition- Create a simple set of owl “flashcards” by making little fingerprints with paint on cardstock 1-5 or 1-10 whatever numbers your child is ready to work on. Once the fingerprints dry, use markers to add details like eyes, feet, etc. to make them look like owls. Have your child roll a die and find the corresponding card.

• Another activity option for building math skills are these Owl Count and Clip Cards, you just need to print, laminate, and grab some clothespins.

• Book- Little Owls Night Is a sweet story that has become a classic and lets your child learn about concepts like nocturnal vs. diurnal animals.
• Craft/Activity- Here is a super simple but adorable craft idea that needs just a paper plate and some paint, Easy Paper Plate Owl.
• Song/Fingerplay-  Five Little Owls credit: King County Library System

5 little owls went flying high 
Over the hills and through the sky
Mother owl said “whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo”
But only 4 little owls came through.
(repeat until there are no more owls)

• Snack- Here is a literacy snack idea that goes along with the book selection for today just perfectly.

Next, look at some of these resources to help teach your preschooler.

History/Geography Focus Day 4

Geography with preschoolers starts with simple lessons about land, air, and water and how each is separate.

It will be an early lesson in maps for them. Learning about biomes is both science and geography.

Each time you learn or see a new owl talk about its biome. For example, Great Horned Owls live in North America in  forest habitats. Snowy owls live in the tundra of the Arctic. Use a map to point out the different areas to help familiarize your child with it.

• Letter/Sound Recognition- This O is for Owl coloring pages gives your child another chance to focus on the letter while coloring a simple page.
• Book – Owl Moon, a classic that is about a little girl and her father going bowling on a winter night.
• Craft/Activity- Play this color-matching cooperative game Hoot Owl Hoot where you must work together to get all the little owls home. Simple board games are great for preschoolers to develop social interaction, problem-solving, self-esteem, and learning to take turns.
• Song/Fingerplay

Owl In the Tree (Tune: Skip to My Lou)

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who?

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who?

Owl in the tree says, who, who, who?

Who, who, are you?

• Snack–A very simple yet Yummy Hershey’s Pudding Owl Snacks and Cute Craft Idea to boot.

Language Arts Focus Day 5

• Letter/Sound Recognition- Letter Reveal –Draw upper and lowercase O’s on a sheet of paper with a white crayon. Let your preschooler watercolor paint all over it to reveal the O’s. Practice making the sound each time they reveal one.

• Book- Owls by Gail Gibbons, a good mix of living science books and storybooks is ideal for preschoolers.  Owls contain lots of great fact in clear understandable language s as well as colorful illustrations.
• Craft/Activity- Make the Milk Jug Great Horned Owl craft below and talk about different types of owls. Use your story and living science books to look at examples.

Song/Fingerplay- “Wide-Eyed Owl” from Wilmette Public Library.

There’s a wide-eyed owl (circle your eyes with your hands)

With a pointed nose (make a beak with your fingers)

Two pointed ears (make ears with your fingers)

And claws for toes (wiggle your “claws”)

He lives way up in the tree (point way up)

And when he looks at you (point to children)

He flaps his wings (flap your wings)

And says, “Whoo! Whoo!” (say “whoo”)

• Snack- You can make these Owl S’mores right in the microwave for a snack that is a hoot.

Finally, make this Great Horned Owl preschool craft.

Milk Jug Great Horned Owl Preschool Craft

You could use this same process to create any type of owl you would like to focus on or just let your little preschooler create any kind of owl they dream up.

The most important part is that they learn about the basic characteristics of an owl. Even a silly purple glittery owl will have wings, a beak, large eyes, and feathers.

You will need:

• Half or gallon milk jug
• Brown and tan craft paint
• Craft feathers
• Craft glue
• Foam paint brush
• Hot glue gun/glue sticks
• Scissors

First, cut a little less than half of the milk jug in half (or you can leave it fully intact if you like). Also cut off the neck of the jug.

Wash and rinse well, dry with a towel.

Cut a circle scrap out of the piece of jug you cut away to cover the circle on the top hole and attach it with hot glue to the top.

Paint all over the exterior with brown and tan paint, a foam brush works well for this large application.

Allow the paint on your owl to dry completely.

Trace a small round object like your paint bottle onto black craft foam, make a slightly smaller circle on yellow craft foam, and finally even smaller black circles again, cut them all out two at a time so the sizes match.

Great Horned Owl Preschool Craft

Stack all three and glue them together.

Once the paint is dry you can add feathers sticking straight up on either side of the head, for this part, you might want to use hot glue otherwise they will slip and slide with the craft paint before they dry

.Ask your child about how they would like their owl to be positioned, flying or sitting, and ask where they think the wings should be. Then use brown craft foam to cut out two wings at once, add details with paint or markers.

My owl is just about to take flight, so his wings are wide open and high up. These may be too heavy for craft glue so you may need to hot glue these as well to the back.

Cut out two sets of feet and one beak from craft foam as well.

Glue the feet, beak, and eyes into position.

Finally, little hands can add feathers to the head, belly, or wherever they like with regular craft glue.

Once the glue is dry your owl is ready to guard bookshelves, the kitchen table, or anywhere you would like to put him on display.