Savanna Investigation

Much of February and March were spent in the warm climate of the African Savanna! 

Well, maybe more inside than out!

As is customary when we begin a new investigation, we brainstorm about what we already know and what we want to learn about the subject. This time, we recorded our ideas on a web and continued to add to it as we discussed savanna animals and their habitats in more detail. 

Our Kindergartners were curious and eager to dive in further. Where is the African Savanna? Where is AFRICA in relation to where we live? We read many books and looked at a globe to find answers.

We talked about what the savanna looks like and what animals live there. We worked collaboratively to create a savanna mural, painting the sky, adding grass, then trees and animals over a period of days.

 

Some were even inspired to make individual murals!

We had the opportunity to learn more about savanna animals through looking at books, observational drawing and painting, measuring and comparing the size of various animals, and making animals out of clay. 

 We love this process of learning as there are so many ways for each child to connect to the topic in a real and authentic way. 

(As you can imagine, we had many lions and cheetahs running on the playground throughout our investigation.)

After exploring savanna animals for a couple of weeks, we were paired up to begin our animal reports. Each pair had to work collaboratively, which led to listening to one another, showing patience and compromising as needed. We were very proud of how they worked together to not only agree upon an animal, but to research information, write it down, draw and paint their animal, then organize the information onto a poster. 

 When we finished our reports, each pair presented them to the class. We were excellent presenters, as well as audience members. 

As individuals, we decided which animal to mold out of clay. After they were fired, we painted them, then created a habitat to look like where they might live within the savanna. Our dioramas were so creative and fun! We were very proud to display them, along with our savanna sunset paintings at our Spring Showcase.  

 

The level of engagement and continued curiosity led to this being one of our longer investigations. We had a beautiful visit to the African Savanna and will remember it for years to come!