Greetings, Mama, it’s Science Saturday!

And in honor of Science Saturday, we’re getting into a little Biology. Specifically, animals and their eating habit classifications: herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

K loves everything about science these days, but has been experimenting more with Chemistry than Biology. Considering how much she loves animals, I just had to rectify that situation! As we’ve been talking about all month, it’s our job as parents to expand our child’s horizons and explore learning beyond what they learn at school!

A couple weeks ago we went to a local zoo-like animal rescue: Sharkarosa. There was so much to learn about! Did you know that bears in captivity, if they’re getting food every day, won’t hibernate during the winter months? Apparently that’s one of the reasons bears live longer in captivity. We also learned about camels, horses, lemurs, and so many more.

I really enjoy going to places like Sharkarosa with friends and family, and doing projects with K like all the fun games in Beyond the Classroom. Not only am I helping my daughter further her education, but I’m learning things as well! And boy did I learn a thing or two when we played today’s game – Animal Sort: Herbivore, Carnivore, or Omnivore.

Animal Sort: Herbivore, Carnivore, Omnivore

What do you need?

Your Animal Sort Sheets

Cardstock

Colored Craft or Construction Paper

Marker/Sharpie

What do you do?

Step 1: Print and Cut

Start off by printing out the animal sheets on that cardstock! We want them to be thick so you can keep them and reuse them. Cut out each of the animals. For older kids, you can have them help you cut.

*If you want to go a step further, you could even laminate each animal cutout and keep them forever. But it’s not necessary.

Keep the Animal Sort fact sheet for yourself, Mama – we’ll use that in a minute.

Step 2: Label Category Sheets

Now take your colorful sheets of craft or construction paper – you’ll need 3  – and whip out that marker. Label each sheet as follows: Herbivore, Carnivore, and Omnivore.

This will be where your little one places her animals.

Step 3: Sort Animals

Let your child sort the animals according to how she believes the animals are classified. Talk to her about the different foods each animal eats (or you think they eat!).

Remember that if you get one in the wrong spot, it’s no biggie. This game stumps some of the best of us.

Step 4: Discuss!

Once your child is finished sorting, it’s time to check her work! Use the included fact sheet to check which animals belong in which category.

Some of them we just never really think about – skunks and bears, omnivores like humans?? Chickens too? That one really stumped K. Chickens that are able to graze naturally not only eat grains on the ground and their feed, but they clear out bugs too. And bugs aren’t plants, they’re meat!

Bonus Step: Store & Reuse

If you printed your animals and laminated them all individually, your little ones will be able to play Animal Sort for years to come. Sticker paper is also an option if you prefer to try it once and be done. But if printable sheets aren’t your thing, you could also use the 3D option – these adorable animal figures from Amazon.com.

Whatever you decide to do – be sure to have fun with it! The biggest trick to getting your kids to enjoy learning is by making said learning process fun. And Animal Sort is sure to do the trick!

Have fun Mama!

PS: Have you seen the rest of our educational game collection, Beyond the Classroom?!