Phase I
Beginning the Project
The journey through the 'Animal Kingdom', began with children sharing their knowledge and awareness about different animals, their habitat and sounds, through group discussions and pretend play. Children showed a lot of curiosity, and were eager to explore the 'Animal Kingdom.'
Exploring Children's Prior Knowledge
During group discussions, children shared their prior knowledge about the names of animals, ‘lion, cat, chameleon, giraffe, cheetah, peacock and dinosaur without forgetting many names of aquatic animals, fish, starfish, shark, octopus and jelly fish. Children pretended to be different animals, they portrayed movements of animals and also sounds.
Vivaan Joshi-"This is cat and ant."
Children enacted as Animals
A symbolic play by children where in they pretended to be animals.
kush_thakkar_ a cat.mp4Kush Thakkar
Enacting as a cat
Hridya_ujalayan_a butterfly.MOVHridya ujalayan
Enacted as butterfly
Aarav Khamar- Peacock, cat, Elephant
Parigya Jain-Elephant, Lion, cow
Vihaan Shah- Dinosaur, duck
Granth Ajmera- Deer lives in forest.
Aaradhya Singh Octopus, Fish, Starfish,Shark
Reyansh Rathod
Snail, starfish
Kahaan Sheth
Giraffe, Anaconda, Mouse
Children were aware that different animals eat different food as they shared, giraffe eats leaves, elephant eats sugarcane and leaves, horse eats grass and chana, rabbit eats carrot, fish eats fish food, shark eats small fish.
Extinct animal names were also shared by children:
Hrishav shared, "T-rex is a type of dinosaur and biggest and now it is no more."
Kaira shared "Dinosaur lived on Earth long back. They are not seen now."
Children were aware that the following animals need protection or they will be extinct. "Tiger is our national animal and we have to protect them." "Panda is found in Australia, eats bamboo, it needs to be saved."
"Kaira Desai: "Giraffe eating leaves. Cat eats cat food."
Kush Thakkar: "Yeh Giraffe trees ke leaves kha raha hai."
Children shared about animal habitats during group discussions, and showcased the same during art sessions by making clay models and drawing.
Aarav : "Tiger lives in a cave. Lion lives in a den."
Aarna : "Animals live in a zoo."
Hrishav : "Monkey lives on a tree. Fish lives in water."
Kaira : "Fish live in water. Tiger lives in a cave. Birds live in nests ."
Kush : "Squirrels live in the trees."
Vivaan : "Machli paani mein rehti hai. Chidiya ped pe rehti hai."
Aardhya : "Wild animals live in the Jungles, water animal lives in water."
Granth : "Dog,- dog house, rabbit in barrow."
Hridya Ujalayan:"Fox lives in a jungle. and Hippo in the water."
Hrishav Gandhi: "I drew a Lion."
Children showcased their prior knowledge through illustrations
Aaradhya Singh: "I have drawn a tiger, lion and a caterpillar."
Vihaan Shah: "Yeh pig hai, yeh dog hai."
Story weavers
Children also weaved stories on animals
Kush Thakkar
Ek shark thaa. Paani mein thaa. Frog aaya paani mein gir gaya. Shark utth gaya aur wapas paani mein chala gaya.
Reyansh Rathod
Ek Lion, Ek shark, frog bus mein gaye. Bus school gayi. school mein shark, lion frog ne lemon coriander soup piya. A, B, C , D padhaii ki and shar gaye and so gaye.
Aarna Raval
I am a little ray fish. I was diving in the water. I saw shark stuck in the rock. I saw babies trapped in the cave. I saved them with the tail. It is long and strong.
Kaira Desai
The Fox and Grapes
Once upon a time in a jungle a fox was walking. He saw grapes. he jumped and jumped but could not reach. he was very sad. A bird came and asked, "What happened?" Fox said, "I want to eat grapes but I am not able." bird helped the fox and both are friends now.
Children's curious questions about animals helped us understand that their interest was towards aquatic and marine life.
"Want to know how do fish live in water?"
"Want to know more about octopus- where it lives? what is the colour of blood and what it eats?"
"Why does frog jump and not walk?"
"What do crocodiles eat?
"Want to know more about jellyfish and octopus"