Amazing Animals Activity Kit

Ever notice the expression on a child's face when an animal's footprint is pointed out in the dirt? It's that look of wonderment that inspired our exclusive Amazing Animals Activity Kit. This kit teaches kids to identify the various animal visitors around them. After you make tracks in the sand or dirt with the master tracks included in this kit, each person gets to mold their own track impression and take it home!

Ages 4 and up.

Unit Goals and Concepts:

• Introduce participants to animal clues in the area
• Increase awareness of animal life 
• Show basic animal relationships 
• Case and learn to recognize some specific animal tracks

Materials Included:

• The master track set (including one each of coyote, rabbit, mountain lion and deer), which is made of super-strong, long-lasting resin for repeated use. 
• Books and resource materials to help you identify tracks in the field.
• Nature Watch's exclusive Amazing Animal Track Cards, which will help kids recognize animal tracks by making a game out of it.
• Our exclusive instructor's activity guide that makes planning the project easy and delivers loads of fun ideas for activities, games and relevant projects.
• The only materials you supply are plaster of Paris, cups and stir sticks.

To get Nature Watch's complete set of animal tracks, like the ones included in this kit, click on "Set of 16 Animal Tracks" in the accessories section below.

General: National Science Education Standard NS.K-4.3 and NS.5-8.3 Life Science.

Content Standard C: The Characteristics of Organisms (K-4)
Organisms have basic needs. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. Animals closely resemble their parents. Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism (footprints).

Organisms and their Environments (K-4)
All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat plants. An organism’s patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism’s environment.

Populations and Ecosystems (5-8)
Populations of organisms can be categorized by the function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants and some micro-organisms are producers. All animals are consumers.

Specific (California standards):
(K.4d) Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute. AND (2.4c) Compare and sort objects by two or more physical attributes.
(1.2b) Students know animals need water, food, and light.
(1.2c) Students know animals eat plants or other animals for food and may also use plants or even other animals for shelter and nesting.
(2.2a) Students know that organisms reproduce offspring of their own kind and that the offspring resemble their parents and one another.
(2.2c) Students know many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents. Some characteristics are caused or influenced by the environment.
(4.2a) Students know plants are the primary source of matter and energy entering most food chains.
(4.2b) Students know producers and consumers are related in food chains and food webs and may compete with each other for resources in an ecosystem.
(6.5a) Students know energy enters ecosystems and move through the food chain.
(6.5c) Students know populations of organisms can be categorized by the functions they serve in an ecosystem.
(6.5e) Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors.