Dec. 12, 2007: Animals of the Holiday Season

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in the Rocky Mountain News. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers. Click here to learn about subscribing to the eEdition at no cost to you (for Colorado teachers).

Activities:

1. Make holiday animal trading cards. Use 3-by-5-inch index cards. Draw a holiday animal on the card. Write interesting facts about the animal on the back. Share your cards with friends.

2. Cut out words and pictures of holiday animals from the newspaper. Use the words and pictures to create a holiday poster.

3. Look at the ads in the newspaper to find items you could use for a family pet.
Circle items for dogs in red, items for cats in green, and items for fish or birds in blue.

4. Which of the animals shown in today's Mini Page (a) can carry people on their backs, (b) can live comfortably in very cold climates, (c) eat plants, and (d) are often shown in Christmas manger scenes?

5. Write a story about yourself and one of the animals in today's Mini Page.
Include this information in your story: Where does the story take place? Why are you in that place? How do you meet the animal? What is a problem that you have to solve? How does the animal help you solve the problem? How does your story end? Share your story with family members or friends.

This week's standard:

• Students understand the characteristics of organisms. (Science: Life Science)
  
  

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)