HOUSTON – KPRC 2 knows this summer is different than others, but it’s one your family will always remember. Let’s make it memorable for all the right reasons with the KPRC 2 Summer Kids Program.
We will have a weekly program on a different theme each week. Your family can take part throughout the summer in activities that we hope you will find fun, educational and memorable. Our program will include printable coloring pages, an activity, reading list and online scrapbooking opportunity.
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Also -- we know not everyone will have the books listed on our reading lists, so we’re sharing our themes so you can get books on these topics: birds, cooking, weather, mammals, stars/space, health/physical education, dance/theater, and Texas history. Be sure to share your favorite books on these themes with us, as it’s always fun to get book suggestions from friends.
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Mainly mammals: This is Week 4 of the KPRC 2 Summer Kids Program
Mammals are the fourth theme in the KPRC 2 Summer Kids Program. Do you know what qualifies as a mammal? Any creature that is warm-blooded, has hair or fur, and drink milk from their moms.
This week we’re going to dive into some fun activities that revolve around mammals.
COLORING PAGE
To kick off the week, let’s start with a coloring activity. Houston Zoo Kids has coloring pages of some of their zoo animals. Check out this gorilla and African painted dog.
THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY
This week is full of activities for you. We are we are going to make a bat mobile and it’s not for Batman. Find a hanger and some paper because it’s time to get crafty You can also make this really cool bat sun catcher. Hang them your bedroom or our outside.
For something soft and cuddly, make your own no-sew stuffed animal from a sock. They can be personalized however you want.
For an activity to do with family or friends, here is a forest animals dominoes game. Cut it out and get ready to play.
Pro tips:
- For the bat mobile be sure to use a ruler to get straight lines
- If you don’t have tissue paper for the sun catcher, you can color a coffee filter with markers or water color paint
- Markers can be used to draw your animal on the sock if you don’t have felt, pom pom balls, or hot glue
READING LIST
“Stellaluna” by Janell Cannon - Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to their peculiar bird habits. Two pages of notes at the end of the story provide factual information about bats.
“Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents” by Lita Judge - Every baby mammal, from a tiny harvest mouse “pinky” to a fierce lion cub, needs food, shelter, love, and a family. Filled with illustrations of some of the most adorable babies in the kingdom, Born in the Wild is an awww-inspiring look at the traits that all baby mammals share and proves that, even though they’re born in the wild, they’re not so very different from us, after all!
“A Giraffe and a Half” by Shel Silverstein - If you had a giraffe and he stretched another half, you would have a giraffe and a half. But what happens if you glue a rose to the tip of his nose? Or if you used a chair to comb his hair? Join this giraffe on a rollicking and ridiculous journey that will charm readers from beginning to end.
“The Storm Whale” by Benji Davies - Every day, in a house by the sea, a little boy watches his father leave for a long day’s work. One night, a great storm washes a small whale onto the beach. The boy discovers the whale is a good listener. The father discovers the boy is lonely. Together, they return the whale to the sea. And from that day on, the boy learns that the father can be a good listener too, in Benji Davies’s heartwarming tale, The Storm Whale.
“Count the Monkeys” by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell - Kids will giggle as they count all the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages. Full of fun reader interactions and keeps readers guessing until the very last page! Matching Mac Barnett’s brilliant wit are Kevin Cornell’s luminous illustrations, which will have young readers begging to count the monkeys all over again.
“Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” Eileen Christelow - Their teeth are brushed, their pajamas are on, and as soon as they say good night to Mama, the five little monkeys start to jump on their bed! But trouble awaits as, one by one, they fall off and bump their heads! The uproarious rhyme is brought to life in this family favorite.
“Spunky Little Monkey” by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson - Sleepy little monkeys everywhere will clap, stomp, shake, and cheer -- while chanting this rhythmic, energetic dance song based on a popular playground game. And as they move their heads, hands, hips, and feet -- everyone will be bursting with clapping energy -- and ready to start a new day! With humor, high energy, and Bill Martin Jr’s trademark rhythm and rhyme, young readers will learn to name parts of the body. And the book makes a perfect exercise warm-up to start off a busy day of school!
“Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business” by Esphyr Slobodkina - Caps for Sale is a timeless classic, in print for over fifty years, and beloved by generations of readers. This easy-to-read story about a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity. Children will delight in following the peddlers efforts to outwit the monkeys in this new, enlarged, and redesigned edition, and will ask to read it again and again.
“Mr. Monkey Bakes a Cake” by Jeff Mack - Curious George meets Mr. Bean in this adorable new picture book series from author-illustrator Jeff Mack that follows the loveable Mr. Monkey on his wacky adventures.
“Curious George Builds a Tree House” by Julie Tibbott Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. - Wanting a place of his own with fewer rules, Curious George decides to build a tree house but finds the task more challenging than anticipated.
“Monkey Me and the Golden Monkey” by Timothy Roland - Clyde is an energetic student who just can’t sit still. After eating a banana that has been zapped by lasers on his class field trip to the science museum Clyde starts to feel weird. Now every time he gets excited, he transforms into a monkey! Only with the help of his twin sister, Claudia, can Monkey Clyde stay out of trouble.
“Bunny vs. Monkey” by Jamie Smart - A team of scientists has sent a monkey into space! And good thing, too, because he’s a mean, selfish, noisy, bullying little fur-bag. But... all does not go well with the flight, and Monkey’s spaceship barely clears the first hilltop before crash-landing in a peaceful forest. Monkey decides this is a new world and claims it for his own. And his first decree is that all other animals should be banished! What follows is a series of hilarious, off-the-wall interactions between Monkey and the other forest animals.
“100 Facts You Should Know: Monkeys and Apes” by Camilla De la Bédoyère - Presents one hundred details about primates, including information on different species, how they communicate and move, their intelligence and family life, and efforts to protect primates from extinction.
“What’s the Difference? Monkeys and Apes” by Lisa M. Herrington - What’s the Difference? is a super fun science series focused on everyone’s favorite subject: animals. Each book takes an in-depth look at some of the most exciting look-alikes in the natural world. Stunning photos and engaging text feature animals from around the globe.
JOIN OUR ONLINE SCRAPBOOK
Share your photos and videos in the widget below throughout the week as you color, complete the activity and read. We’ll share them throughout the week on KPRC 2 and at the end of the summer program.