Even though every day should be Earth Day, I love to use Earth Day in April as a way to place extra emphasis on protecting our planet. Young children often have a special concern for animals, so I wanted to focus on endangered animals this Earth Day. Of course, these endangered animal activities are perfect at any time of year. And I also have a new Montessori-inspired endangered animal pack for our newsletter subscribers’ resource library!
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Montessori Shelves with Endangered Animal Themed Activities
Note: Be sure to check out World Wildlife Federation Species Directory for a helpful listing of endangered animals.
Montessori Shelves with Endangered Animal Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired endangered animal numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
You could mix your endangered animal themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special endangered animal themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. Many of these are designed for early elementary as well as preschoolers. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Montessori Book Basket and Shelves with Endangered Animal Themed Activities
Even though I have books on shelves, I keep many books for our current theme in a book basket by the themed shelf. You’ll find a few of the books I’ve used here. For toddlers and preschoolers, at least ¾ of the books I use are Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles).
Notice the framed art print A Young Lion Playing with Its Mother (1830) by Eugene Delacroix. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!
If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers
I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop.
Don’t Let Them Disappear and Critically Endangered Animals Books with Endangered Species Habitats Cards
I really like Don’t Let the Animals Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe by Chelsea Clinton. It has so many facts in an easily understood and accessible format. At the end is a page on why the animals are endangered and another on what you can do. Those were great to read to my 7-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, who immediately had questions about why animals are endangered and how we can help.
Critically Endangered Animals: What Are They? isn’t a book I would generally read straight through, but it’s a helpful reference book with many colored photographs. I like it for looking up information about a specific animal.
Free Printable: Endangered Species Habitats by Classroom of Creativity at Teachers Pay Teachers. This printable has photographs of 8 endangered animals and habitat cards for forest, polar, ocean, and grassland habitats. While they can be used to match each picture to the appropriate habitat, the habitat labels could also be used for miniature habitat sensory bins.
Threatened Species Pages from DK Smithsonian Science! with Healthy Habitat and Danger to Habitat Sorting
Even though the DK Smithsonian Science! book isn’t designed for preschoolers, my 3-year-old grandson, Caleb, loves to have books like this read to him. All my grandkids find the pictures fascinating, and the text can be adapted for a variety of ages. I love the wealth of information along with the gorgeous photographs throughout the book.
Healthy Habitats and Danger to Habitat Sorting
Free Printable: Danger to Habitat and Healthy Habitat Cards from Every Star Is Different (Go to Free Printables Tab, then to Thematic Activities, and then to Animal Activities to find the Earth Day Unit Part 2: Endangered Species where this printable is or to other animal activities and printables)
Although this activity has sad images, it’s especially helpful for elementary-age kids, who wonder what’s causing animals to be endangered.
Behind the Behind the book is the Melissa and Doug 48-piece endangered species floor puzzle. Caleb loves this and has completed it a number of times! The puzzle includes a helpful control picture telling the names of all the animals.
Salt Writing Tray for an Endangered Animal Unit
Endangered Animals Salt Writing Tray
Free Printable: endangered animals letter “e” for salt writing tray (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
The sandpaper letters I use are available in print or cursive.
I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words.
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
Endangered Animals Booklet with Chimpanzee Alphabet Cards in Print and Cursive
Free Printable: Endangered Animal Posters with Animal Facts from Instant Display
Free Printable: Chimpanzee alphabet cards in manuscript and cursive (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
I printed the endangered animal posters two to a page and used a binder ring to make a booklet. My grandkids love handmade books, so I often use that format for activities. The posters (pages of the book) have lots of helpful information about endangered animals and the levels of threat to a variety of species.
Working with Chimpanzee Alphabet Cards and Learning About Chimpanzees
Caleb loves both language and geography activities, so this activity featured both topics along with the counting book One Gorilla. We have the hardcover version, although there’s a board book version now, too. My grandkids all loved this book as toddlers and almost wore it out, so the board book version would be a good option for many. There are different primates for each number from one to ten, and the images are simply captivating. All my grandkids have been fascinated by the primates’ eyes. Some reviewers see the ending as promoting evolution, although I viewed it simply as humans and apes all being primates and one family because of that. Viewed in that way, it’s a perfect book to promote care of endangered animals and all animals. If you are a Creationist, though, you might want to check out the ending to see if you want to get the book.
Save the Animals Addition Game
Sisters Having Fun with the Save the Animals Math Game
Free Printable: Endangered animals math cards 1-12 and addition symbols (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Zoey had fun showing her 3-year-old sister, Sophia, how to add the endangered animals in our Save the Animals Addition Game. I focused on the 12 animals in Don’t Let the Animals Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe. I used the animals from the Safari Ltd. Endangered Species Land Animals TOOB for some of the animals and animals from other Safari Ltd. TOOBs for the rest. (Note: You don’t need to use animals that go with this specific book or even a set number of animals. It’s just what I did when I created the game.)
Our goal was to “save all the animals.” The way we played was for the two dice to be rolled and an equation made. For the example in the photo, Zoey and Sophia rolled 5+4 and made the equation 5+4=9. I said: “One year, we saved 5 species and another year we saved 4 species. We saved 9 species all together.” Our goal was to save all 12 species, so they had to roll the dice until we saved all 12. We just used one die to roll until we got a number that would total 12. Zoey and Sophia only needed a 3 to “save” all 12 species.
Both Zoey and Sophia really enjoyed the game, and they had fun playing with the animals afterward!
Endangered Animals and World Map Puzzle
Endangered Animals and World Map Puzzle
Free Printable: World Zoology Cards from Research Parent
These cards weren’t specifically designed for an endangered animal theme, but each card showed the status of the animal. I didn’t use animals specified as those of least concern but all the others. One of Caleb’s favorite puzzles is a 2’x3′ foam world map puzzle. This can be used as a background for the cards. You could also use a Montessori world map and place the cards beneath the continent pieces used as headers.
Free Endangered Animals Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Phonics Instant Download)
Free Endangered Animal Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Montessori-Inspired Endangered Animal Pack
Montessori-Inspired Endangered Animal Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Earth Day (Earth Day Every Day) Resources
Free Endangered Animal Songs and Educational Videos {Save the Animals}
- Free Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Printables and Activities for a Montessori-Inspired Earth Day Unit
- Free Recycling Printables and Montessori-Inspired Recycling Activities
- Free Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Phonics Instant Download)
- Free 3-Part Recycle Cards
- Montessori-Inspired Earth Day Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Activities for Earth Day Every Day
- More Montessori-Inspired Earth Day Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Lorax Activities
- Free Earth Day Printables and Montessori-Inspired Earth Day Activities
- Montessori-Inspired Arbor Day Activities
- Free Recycling Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Recycling Do-a-Dot Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Conservation Songs for Home or School {Character Education Resources}
- Free Earth Day Songs and Rhymes for Circle Time
- Free Tree Printables and Montessori-Inspired Tree Activities
- Thank You for Planet Earth (or Thank You, Planet Earth) Mindfulness Cards and Booklet
- Kids’ Earth Day Every Day Pinterest Board
If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout April and May, see my April Themed Activities for Kids and May Themed Activities for Kids.
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
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