A guide for using our resources

Children will describe the Arctic habitat as they follow a walrus through its day.

Social Studies Focus: habitats, animal adaptations

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

Paired Text: If Wendell Had a Walrus by Lori Mortensen

  • Wendell dreams of all the wonderful things he would do with a walrus, if only he could find one.
  • His tireless search leads to an unexpected happy ending.

Draw the Word: tusks

  • Kids learned the word tusks from the issue. Help make the word “stick” by having kids draw what the word means.
  • Use our Draw the Word skill sheet or have kids draw the word tusks in a word journal.

Hands-on Activity: Walrus Puppets

Skill: art, oral language

Materials: brown paper lunch bags; two precut large brown paper circles and one small black paper circle per puppet; googly eyes; craft sticks; glue; crayons

  • Give each child a lunch bag and a set of paper shapes. Have kids glue the brown circles to the bottom edge of the bag so they overlap and hang down from the edge.
  • Then have them glue on the black circle for the nose and draw whiskers.
  • To complete the walrus’s face, have them glue on googly eyes.
  • Last, have kids glue or tape craft sticks to the back of the brown circles for tusks!
  • Kids can use their puppets to act out the walrus’s day, using information from the issue.