Materials
Pictures of a kangaroo, wombat, koala, and possum
Large manila envelope
Instructions
1. Place the animal pictures into a manila envelope and sit with it in your lap. (The envelope becomes your pouch.)2. Explain to the children that marsupials are animals with a pouch and that most of them are found in Australia.
3. Reach into the envelope and pull out a picture. Explain each animal to the children.
4. Ask the children to imitate the animal (such as hopping for a kangaroo, digging like a wombat, climbing like a possum or koala). Kangaroo facts: A kangaroo lives for the first six months inside its mother's pouch. A baby kangaroo is called a joey.Wombat facts: Wombats are furry little creatures that like to dig underground. They are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day.Possum facts: An Australian possum looks different from an American possum. They have fuzzy tails and large ears. The American possum hangs upside down by a skinny tail.Koala Facts: Koalas love to climb. They eat only eucalyptus leaves. Many people call them koala bears, but they are not bears at all.More to doFind out about more Australian animals, such as the platypus, emu, and kookaburra. Encourage the children to imitate these fun animals, too!
