Penguins and Their Young: Emperor Penguin Hatches an Egg and Adele Penguins

The boys learned about how Emperor Penguins manage to hatch eggs on the ice -the hold them on their feet and cover them with a layer of their fat! They had lots of fun pretending to be penguins hatching eggs. I tied a pillow around their waist and let it hang to their toes. Then they put a large plastic egg on their feet and let the pillow-fat hang over the egg. They found out how hard it is to walk around with an egg on their feet! They waddled just like penguins. The egg then hatched and out came a baby penguin, which we posted next to the Emperor penguin.

Next they were introduced to the Adele penguin, which First Student had drawn for them (life-sized again.) We talked about how the two types of penguins are alike and how they are different.

Homeschool Library:

Antarctica
by Helen Cowcher

Grades: Preschool–1
Although this is a nonfiction book, it is an exciting and dramatic tale about emperor penguins and other animals that live on and around the icy continent. Comparison of the Arctic and Antarctic regions as well as the nesting behaviors of the Adelie and Emperor Penguins are covered


Little Penguin
by Patrick Benson

Grades: Preschool–1
Little Penguin is the story of Pip, an Adelie penguin, who wants to be as big as an Emperor Penguin. As Pip playfully explores the snow, ice, and water of her Antarctic home, she wonders why some animals are big and some small, which ties in beautifully with the activities on relative sizes in Penguins And Their Young. Illustrations compare the appearance of Adelie penguins with Emperor penguins.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins
by Richard and Florence Atwater

Grades: K–6
This is a well-loved classic about Mr. Popper’s experiences with a house full of curious Adelie penguins. At one point Mr. Popper dresses up like a penguin and struts around the house. The nesting behavior of these Adelie penguins provides a wonderful contrast to the emperor penguin, which does not build a nest.

Chapters of particular note are"

• Chapter IV: Captain Cook, in which the penguin Captain Cook eats Mr. Popper’s goldfish
• Chapter VII: Captain Cook Builds A Nest, in which he collects marbles, a half-eaten lollipop, and other miscellaneous objects resembling stones to build a nest in the refrigerator.

Pinkie Leaves Home
by Peter O’Donnell

Grades: Preschool–1
Pinkie the Penguin, who lost all his feathers in an oil slick, does not like cold weather. One day he sets off to find a warm place by the sea where there is no ice and snow. This adventure story reinforces the concepts that feathers keep penguins warm, penguins eat fish, and penguins live by the sea. The story’s surprise ending supports the idea that wearing a hat, scarf, and coat is another way of staying warm. This book provides an amusing extension to Activity 2, where the children learn about penguin feathers.

Source: This lesson is from the Lawrence Hall of Science GEMS guide Penguins And Their Young, for Preschool–1st Grade; which has 4 Activities in 80 pages. 

Students learn about the emperor penguin, its body structure, its cold home of ice and water, how it keeps warm, what it eats, and how parents care for their young. A life-size poster, included with the guide, invites students to compare their heights and body structures to those of this four-foot tall bird. They experience a penguin’s icy home by playing with cork penguins in a tub of “icebergs” and water. Using paper-bag penguins, children create dramas on a paper-ocean scene. Important math concepts and skills are developed as children pretend to be hungry penguins and “catch” fish crackers in multi-sensory math games. They top off their explorations with ice investigations and tasty ice treats. Throughout the unit, life science, mathematics, and physical science are integrated with language activities.