Hungry as Can Be

Overview: Mammals eat a variety of items. Students will select a mammal of their choice and will illustrate what that animal might eat.

This lesson is part of a series. Select this text to learn more about the series and how to extend its usefulness, or proceed directly to a list and summary of related mammal activities.

Subjects: Science

Grades: 1-4

Length: Moderate

Materials:
- Heavy duty, non-waxy paper plates
- Pictures of animals, plants, and food items
- Markers, crayons, and/or paint
- Thread or fishing line
- Plate labels (provided)

Procedures:
1. Provide students with information on the diets of a variety of mammals. Refer to the content section of this guide or some of the resource books suggested at the end of the guide. Brainstorm with your students to make a list of carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores.
2. Provide magazines for cutting with pictures of items that mammals might eat. Explain that students will need to design a meal for the mammal of their choice. They may want to refer to the list from step one in making their choice.
3. Have students cut and glue what they think “their” mammal would eat on a paper plate. For items that students can’t find pictures of, they may draw directly on the plate.
4. Each plate should have a label on the back indicating the mammal they chose. Hang plates from the ceiling with fishing line or thread.
5. For older students, you can provide additional information and then have them design a meal for a certain situation. For example, seasons may affect the type of food available for some mammals, while others may have their diet affected by human intervention.