Duck finger puppet

STREAM Activity: Duck Finger Puppet

Spring Has Hatched!

Activity best for children ages four and up

Spring is here! This season brings warmer weather, beautiful flowers, and new life! Animals that went into hibernation for the winter are waking up from their long nap and are greeted with new adorable faces. We see the birth of animals like lambs, fawns, and bunnies. But did you know animals like birds and ducks make their entrance into the world by hatching from an egg?

Baby ducks are called ducklings and after hatching they are born with down feathers that keep them warm. Spring is the perfect time for ducklings to hatch because the weather is warm and there is an abundance of food (insects and plants). They learn to swim very quickly, usually just a few hours after hatching. But their favorite thing to do is spend time with their mother! They have a natural instinct to stay close to her and you may have even seen some ducklings following behind their mother in a duckling parade. Now that you know all about ducklings it’s time to make our own!

VOCABULARY

  • Spring: One of the four seasons, happens after winter and before summer.

  • Season: A period of time during the year based on changes in weather and daylight hours.

  • Hibernation: Period of time when an animal or plant spends the winter in a deep sleep.

  • Down Feathers: soft fluffy layer of feathers that ducklings have before they grow their adult feathers.

GUIDING QUESTION

  • What is your favorite thing about spring?

  • What’s something you look forward to in the spring? Or What activities do you like to do in the spring?

MATERIALS

  • Yellow and orange cardstock paper

  • 3/4-inch circle hole punch

  • Googly eyes

  • Scissors

  • Glue

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Start by cutting out a small circle for the head and a slightly larger circle for the body.

One small circle and one big circle

STEP 2

Next punch or cut out two holes at the bottom of the larger circle (big enough to put your fingers through).

Hole punch two holes in the bigger circle

STEP 3

Then glue the smaller circle at the top of the larger circle. Make sure to leave the two holes at the bottom of the larger circle visible.

Glue little circle to the bigger circle

STEP 4

Now you can glue googly eyes onto your duckling’s head.

Add googly eyes

STEP 5

Cut out an orange beak and glue that right under the googly eyes.

Glue on orange beak

STEP 6

Let your duck take flight by adding wings! You can use any material you have available (cardstock, feathers,etc). Glue the wings on each side of the larger circle and your duck finger puppet is finished.

Duck finger puppet