Welcome to our “Amazing Ice Age Animals Week” – an at home camp filled with days of relaxed learning and fun activities all themed to learning about animals that once lived on this Earth! For this day, we learned all about the intriguing Irish Elk! Read on to check out a fun filled day of learning, reading, crafts, and activities all on this Giant Deer!
A TYPICAL DAY
All kids are different and you can definitely vary your day with whatever works for you 🙂 Our relaxed & learning fun day kicks off with an introduction to the day’s theme. Then, we move onto videos and themed activities (reading, writing – or story telling – time, crafts, food crafts/snacks, and games or experiments). Feel free to pick and choose whatever works for you 🙂
INTRO
Irish elks may not be featured in many cartoons or movies, but these majestic creatures are definitely worth a close look! They’re mostly known for their massive antlers which can span as much as 3.5 meters! Unfortunately, they no longer roam the earth but they can be found in some museums! If you need a refresher or a quick intro, these sites have some great quick facts 🙂
WHAT TO WATCH
We find that mixing in a short video themed to our day is a great way to add some learning fun! We try to pick informative videos OR mix in a cartoon favorite (where they don’t even realize they’re learning). Below are some of the videos we picked from for the day:
- When Giant Deer Roamed Eurasia by PBS Eons (7m)
- Giant Irish Elk: The Largest Deer To Ever Live | Extinct Animals Documentary | Real Wild by Real Wild (23m)
FOOD CRAFTS / SNACKS
What’s more fun than taking a break and having a simple snack??? Including the snack in your theme of the day! We find that our kiddos are more than happy to eat the snacks they create especially when they can arrange them into fun shapes and scenes!
There are no shortage or reindeer themed snacks – if you make the antlers slightly larger then you have a passable irish elk snack! For our snack of the day, we created a few “mini deer” using munchkins, pretzels, and mini candy eyes.
READING
It’s no secret that reading is an important part of learning, which is why we pick out a handful of books that are fun and filled with some learning tidbits. For our older ones, we have them fill out some worksheets (or let them create some of their own comics) to describe what they read and/or learned! These are a few we picked from for the day:
- Irish Elk (Prehistoric Animals Set II) by Michael P. Goecke
WRITING & WRITING PROMPTS
Just like reading, writing is a great way to keep kids learning by both encouraging their creativity and thought process as well as helping them practice their motor skills and penmanship.
If you’ve got a little one, have them trace words related to the theme: EXTINCT, ICE AGE, IRISH ELK, GIANT DEER
If you’ve got older children, have them write a sentence or two up to a page or two (depending on their age). Encourage them to be creative AND give reasons for why they made certain choices. This was our writing prompt of the day (and we offered up some examples as well) but definitely pick something your kiddo might be interested in writing about!
- Scientists have several theories on why the Irish Elk’s antlers were so large. What do you think they were used for?
- If Irish Elks lived in today’s world and you had one for a friend, what helpful things could your friend use their antlers for? What about fun, silly things – what mischief could you cause with the antlers?
CREATE & CRAFT
If you’ve got a crafty little one, a simple craft is a great way to keep them interested in the topic. While their creative juices are flowing, you can also chat about what they’ve learned so far or ask them what else they’re excited about learning!
- Irish Elk Coloring Page by Kidadl
- How to make your own Giant Irish Deer Antlers by National Museum of Ireland
STEM & STEAM ACTIVITIES
While crafting and writing get their creativity and imagination flowing, we also like to add in an activity that gets them thinking along the lines of science, technology, engineering, or math! These engaging activities or experiments are a great way to keep them learning!
- Lego Sets – Legos are always a fun activity for little master builders. While the kit we found is not technically Lego, it did have a few animals who fit into lego sets.
- Measurement Worksheet – Using a tape measure or ruler, measure the average length of an Irish Elk. Now measure how tall you are! How many of your body lengths would it take to equal the length of an Irish Elk’s antlers?
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for checking out our at home learning fun article! If you enjoyed this post, please let us know what you think in the comments below and/or follow us on Pinterest
Also, if you haven’t already, check out some of our Digging Up Dinosaur Discoveries, Prehistoric Sea Creature Week, as well as our DIY At Home Camps!
Happy Learning!
