On Friday, February 19, 2010, Mrs. Davenport's kindergarten class studied emperor penguins.  This was a collaborative venture with Mrs. Dickens, librarian and Mrs. Kilcher, speech pathologist.  The kindergarteners' study began with Mrs. Davenport explaining, with the help of a true-sized poster of an adult emperor penguin, that penguins dive into very cold and icy water to catch food like fish and krill.

Mrs. Davenport further explained that the male, "daddy," penguin incubates the egg on his feet in the coldest of winter.  Mrs. Kilcher picked up the discussion by helping the students create 3-D baby penguins from paper sacks.  Mrs. Kilcher contrasted the students' craft penguin with a picture of a real baby emperor penguins.  To our surprise, both penguins were "approximately" the same size.  Mrs. Dickens followed by reading to the students, "TACKYLOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS" and PENGUINS - ANIMAL FAMILIES.  These two selections contrasted fiction and nonfiction.  The librarian further summarized penguin facts. 

Although penguins are birds, penguin nests are different.  The daddy penguin uses his feet and a stomach flap to keep the egg warm.  Penguins use their wings not to fly but to propel them through the water.  Penguins are very comfortable in the water.  In closing this emperor penguin discussion, the kindergarteners walked like penguins.  They shared their fish crackers with their penguin baby. 

All the kindergarteners had their pictures taken with the penguin poster and their craft penguin.  Mrs. Dickens, now acting as art teacher, had the children make a 2-D penguin in its habitat on Monday.