polar Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

Code and Color Polar Animals

January 19, 2023 By Deirdre

Children will have fun as they color polar animals. There are two types of pages available. The first set displays the color that your children will need to color each section. The second set leaves the color the sections will need to be colored up to your children. If you are worried they will need guidance with colors, you could just put out the colors you want them to use.

Getting Ready to Use the Code By Color Polar Animal Pages

Downloading the Coloring Pages

First, you will need to download the set.

Color By Code Polar Animal Coloring Pages Download

Second, if you don’t have Acrobat Reader you will need to download it. The algorithm page is an Acrobat Reader PDF file.

Third, you must go to your download file and open the page. You may be asked if you want the file to open right after downloading it. You won’t have to hunt for it in your download file if you are.

Building Background

If your children don’t know a lot about polar animals, you may want to read a book or do an activity that features them before you start these pages.

The links below are affiliate links.

This book is part of a series that explores animals that live in various habitats around the world.

Children will learn about the animals that live in the arctic as they put together this polar bear-shaped puzzle.

This cool set of Magna-Tiles features characters from the book Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You See?

Exploring the Color By Code Monster Pages

If you are having a non-reader work on the color-by-code polar animal pages, you may want to help them highlight what they need to do. First, you can have them underline the number they are focusing on for each step. Next, children will need to place a line that matches the color mentioned in that step over or under that number.

Some children will be fine with just highlighting the directions. However, there will be some that need to draw a dot near the number in each section that matches the assigned color. They can go back later and color in the whole section.

Polar Animal Shape Challenge Cards

January 18, 2023 By Deirdre

This polar animal shape challenge card set invites children to build the shape featured on each card. The shapes can be built with any materials you have on hand. Below you will find a list of suggested building supplies.

What Animals and Shapes are Displayed on the Polar Shape Challenge Cards?

An arctic hare is a diamond.
The moose is a square.
A musk ox is a rectangle.
An arctic puffin is a pentagon.
The orca is a parallagram.
A snow leopard is an octagon.
The polar bear is a circle. (This shape will be hard to build. Building something close to a circle would be fine.)
An arctic wolf is a triangle.
The walrus is a heart. (The rounded part of the heart may be tricky. It is okay if they are more pointed than rounded.)
A reindeer is a hexagon.
The penguin is a trapezoid.
An arctic fox is a star.

Getting Ready to Explore the Polar Shape Challenge Cards

Gathering the Building Supplies

The suggested items are things that you probably have already. Others will be purchased really cheaply at a dollar or big box store.

Coffee Stirrers
Craft Sticks
Buttons
LEGO
Unsharpened Pencils
Toothpicks with Points Removed
Sections of a Straw

Downloading the Cards

The cards are in a PDF format. You will need a PDF reader like Acrobat Reader to open them.

Polar Animal Shape Challenge Cards Download

Laminating the Polar Shape Challenge Cards

You can have your children work on the cards uncovered if you like. However, if you laminate the mats you can use them over and over again. Below you will find links for a laminator I recommend. There are also links for laminator pouches and a laminator.

The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. My Amazon Picks

Scotch Brand PRO Thermal Laminator, Never Jam…$55.99~~$128.93~~ (11009)

Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 200- Count-…$27.99~~$42.99~~ (22799)

Exploring the Polar Shape Challenge Cards

The challenge cards can be explored in a number of ways. The ideas below are just that ideas. You may come up with new and different ways to use them.

Hint:
Before you have your children start exploring the challenge cards, you will want to go over the shapes and animals displayed on the cards. After that, you may want to talk about the number of sides and edges each shape has.

Maker’s Space or Center

The cards can be placed along with building materials for children to explore. Children can work on building the shapes at any size or height they want to.

Small Group Work

It is fun to see how different children complete the same challenge. You can select the material and card you want them to explore. Then you can have them each build what they think the shape should look like. While some children may want to make their shape just like the neighbors, others will strike out on their own. What fun it will be to have them discuss why they built their shape the way they did!

More Building Activities

Build a Shape Fire Pit Mats

Building an Eraser Tower

Polar Animal STEM Challenges – Build Pattern Block Animals

January 17, 2023 By Deirdre

The polar animal STEM challenges in this set invite children to build animals with pattern blocks. Each of the STEM challenge mats has a key at the bottom that show children the blocks they will need. The pattern blocks can be stacked right on their picture on the mat.

Helping Your Children Explore the Polar Animal STEM Challenges on the Mats

Review the Shapes

Before your children explore the mats, you may want to review each of the pattern block shapes. While they don’t have to know each shape’s name to build the animal, it would be a good thing for them to know.

Counting the Shapes

Each of the shape mats indicates how many of each shape children will need. Some children will be able to find and count the shapes on their own. However, there will be some who need you to count the blocks with them.

Building the Animals

The polar animal STEM challenge mats were not designed to have the blocks fit right on each animal. They were designed to have the animal built beside the animals on the page. This way children can refer to the picture while they build.

Getting the Polar Animal STEM Challenges- Building Pattern Block Animals Set

Polar Animal STEM Challenge - Pattern Block Mats

First, you will need to download the set.

Polar Animal STEM Challenges with Pattern Blocks Download

Second, if you don’t have Acrobat Reader you will need to download it. The algorithm page is an Acrobat Reader PDF file.

Third, you must go to your download file and open the page. You may be asked if you want the file to open right after you download it. You won’t have to hunt for it in your download file if you are.

Pattern Block Suggestions

Below you will see a variety of sets of pattern blocks. Some of them are plastic and others are wooden. While you could print out a set of paper pattern blocks, these sets will be easier for your children to use.

The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

More Building Challenges

Build a Bird’s Nest STEM Challenge

Building Challenge Cards with a Magic Theme

Narwhals Explore Words in Binary Code

January 16, 2023 By Deirdre

This is the first of five sets of polar animal-themed worksheet sets. This narwhal set invites children to explore words in binary code. It does this by asking children to write alphabet letters in binary code to build words. Then they are asked to color each letter’s row of narwhal bellies to display the code. Each of the pages in the set focus on narwhal-themed words. After exploring this set, I have more sets available. There are sets that examine parts of a shark, patriotic words and Valentine’s Day words.

Getting Ready to Explore Words in Binary Code

First, Getting the Binary Code Set

Before you download the worksheet set, you will need to make sure you have a PDF reader. Acrobat reader is a popular PDF and is the one I use. Next, you will need to decide which of the words you want to explore with your children.

Narwhals Explore Words in Binary Code Download

You may want to print out two different worksheets for each of your children. One you would do with your children. Then one they could do on their own.

Reading About Binary Code

Here are some books and activities that explore binary code. The links below are affiliate links.

This is an amazing book that looks at computer coding and explains binary code in a way they will understand.

Here is another good book written for children that explore coding.

Explaining Binary Code to Your Kids

It is the code used by a computer to understand letters, numbers, symbols, and commands. The code uses groups of 8 numbers to represent each letter, number, symbol, and command you type in on a keyboard. The only numbers that the computer can use to create the code are 0s and 1s.

Binary code can be confusing. Therefore, you may want to visit Teach Kids Binary in One Simple Step to get more information on how to teach it to your kids.

What Words are on the Worksheets

Narwhal– A medium-sized toothed whale. One of the teeth has developed into a spiraling twisted tusk.

Unicorn– A mythical horse-like animal with a horn protruding from its head.

Blessing– A group of narwhals.

Explore Words in Binary Code

First, you will want to explain what binary code is to your children. A simple explanation is shared above.
Then your children will need to look for the code for each letter in the chart at the bottom of the page.
Next, they will need to write each number for the code on one of the little lines after each letter.
After that, your children must fill in circles next to the number representing a one.
Finally, you will want them to check their work. It is really easy to color in the wrong circle or put a zero in one’s place.

More Binary Code Activities

Christmas Holiday Words in Binary Code (This set is available on my TPT shop.)

Pool Noodle Ideas- Building Binary Codes

Polar Animal Worksheets and Activities

January 15, 2023 By Deirdre

Welcome to Polar Animal Week! 3 Dinosaurs and I will be sharing five days of polar animal worksheets and activities. The sets in my part of the series focus on coding, STEM-building challenges, and binary code. Each weekday a new set will appear on each of our blogs. Please take a moment to check out and download each of our sets.

At the end of this post, you will find several other polar animal-themed activities. These are only a few activities available. Every day, more polar animal posts will be shared at the bottom of the new set of polar animal worksheets. After downloading the recent sets, you will want to check them out.

Building Background Before Starting an Activity

The links below are affiliate links.

You explore one of these polar animal-themed activities or books before working on one or all of the sets. It will help children build a background on themselves.