If this December break from school is starting to feel long, here’s a new idea to spice up the post-holiday doldrums and ring in the New Year.
While the weather outside might be frightful, you can still go on an indoor family camping trip. Use this family activity guide to learn about gray wolves while laughing and learning together.
Kids love animals, though some animals have been negatively personified, even demonized, in popular culture. For centuries, “big bad” wolves have haunted the human imagination. It once was accepted as truth that they were savage predators and creatures of nightmares. Help your family dispel these myths by learning about the complex social lives of wolves.
The Gray Wolf Family Activity Guide has a variety of activities for kids ages 4-10 and their family members. Family members read, write, perform, create, draw, and play together while developing a deeper understanding of wolves. The guide is organized as though your family is going on a camping trip . . . in your living room. After reading books together, you can take turns telling wolf stories around your “campfire.” Family members can take turns pretending to be the alpha, omega, and beta member of a wolf pack using a wolf mask.
The guide includes sit-down activities like matching cards and a crossword puzzle. These are great before-bed activities. There is also a booklist that includes books for all ages that accurately portray wolves, for example, National Geographic Kid’s Mission: Wolf Rescue.
If you can take your play outside, there are instructions for a team tag game that puts kids in the role of a disperser, or lone wolf. Another creative activity is rewriting popular songs with lyrics that are about wolves. You could take turns performing the songs for each other and have your own sing-off.
For more resources, check out:
Mission: Animal Rescue—website