Polar animals make a great topic of study for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and early elementary students. Over time, I have posted a number of activities that would be perfect for parents and teachers who want to do a unit study on polar animals and lands with their kids.
Polar lands include the Arctic region near the North Pole or the Antarctic region at the South Pole. These regions are characterized by extreme cold and little sunlight during the winter months. Polar animals are those animal that spend all or part of the year in the Arctic or Antarctic regions. Due to the freezing winter temperatures in the polar regions, animals that live in these regions have special adaptations that allow them to survive and even thrive in sub-zero temperatures.
If you are planning to learn about polar animals and lands with your kids or students, I have lots of resources and ideas below to make your polar unit a success!
Although it is common to lump “polar animals” together, there are very few species that spend time in both the Arctic and Antarctica. Most polar animals live at just one of the two poles. Some live there year round, while others migrate in and out during the year. No humans live year round in Antarctica, although scientists travel there frequently to study the region and its animal inhabitants. There are, however, many people who live year round in the Arctic.
My kids and I have largely studied the Arctic and Antarctic regions separately, and I have divided the activities below by region.
Arctic learning activities
More Arctic resources
Antarctica learning activities
More Antarctica resources