Overview
It’s nearly Christmas. What are the Australian rain forest animals so excited about? Learn how the adaptations of the Sugar Glider make it an ideal choice for Santa’s helper.
Background Information
Sugar Gliders are fascinating and iconic Australian creatures. Investigate their adaptations and meet some of the other animals living with them in rain forest habitats through an exploration and extension of a delightful children’s Christmas picture book.
STEM in a Box
You will receive a teacher guide with follow-up activities and a Christmas card template which will need to be printed for the students to use during the video conference. This program will draw on the students’ imaginations and creative skills.
Prior Knowledge
No prior knowledge is required.
Learning Intentions
In this program students will:
- Discover how different body parts of sugar gliders link with their functions.
- Understand how Sugar Gliders are able to fly.
- Discover a variety of Australian animals living in a rain forest environment.
Activities
In this video conference students will:
- Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about suitable Australian animals to deliver Easter eggs.
- Move around like Sugar Gliders and other rain forest creatures.
- Predict which Australian animals survive in particular habitats.
- Listen to a Christmas storybook set in the Australian rain forest.
- Sing along to the Mik Mak’s Christmas Australian animal song.
- Write a message and colour in their own Sugar Glider Christmas card.
Victorian Curriculum 2.0
Science: Science understanding
- Plants and animals have observable features that can be used to group them in different ways (VC2S2U01)
- Plants and animals have external features that perform different functions to enable their survival; in plants these features include roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, bulbs, trunks and branches while different features in animals enable them to move, breathe, eat and respond to their environment (VC2S2U03)
Art: Creating
- Use play, imagination, experimentation, materials and processes to discover create artworks that communicate experiences, ideas and observations and explore meaning (VC2AVAFC01).
Art: Presenting
- Share their visual arts works with viewers and audiences (VC2AVAFP01)