Echidna Life Cycle Printables

We have had something leaving holes in our backyard for a couple of months now. It comes during the night while we are sleeping and we have never been able to see it; until now. A few nights again, I was taking the dog outside for a toilet break before bed and heard something scratching around.  On closer inspection, we came across a small echidna digging in our backyard. To learn more about these native Australian animals, I created these Echnida Life Cycle Printables.

Check out the list of materials that we use with these printables.

Short-beaked Echidnas are found throughout Australia in forests, woodlands, grasslands and arid environments. They use their pointed snout and sharp claws, to dig into the ground or to break into terminate nests to catch its prey. They then flick their long sticky tongue in and out, catching a lot of dirt with is expelled in its droppings.

The echidna, like the platypus, is an egg-laying mammal or monotreme that lays one egg at time. They are shy, solitary creatures that has few natural enemies. Even with so few predators, three of the four species of echidna are critically endangered; mainly due to excessive hunting and destruction of their habitat.

We are extremely lucky to be able to see a wild echidna in our backyard. It seems to come back a couple of times a week, in the late evening / early morning. Here are a few photos we have taken, in the dark between 11:45pm and 1 am on two separate occasions.

To learn more about the life cycle of these incredible creatures, this echidna life cycle printable pack is a great, especially for children in kindergarten through to grade 2, though some of the life cycle activities could be used with older children.

The activities you will find in this 120-page printable pack are:

• Alphabet Cards – Cut out, laminate and use to match the lower case letters to the uppercase ones. Can also be used to spell words.
• 3 Part Cards – Can be used to match the words to the picture or in games such as memory. These cards can also be used together with the alphabet cards. using the alphabet cards to spell out the words.
• I Spy – Count the Objects – Count the objects.
• Counting Puzzles – Cut out, laminate and use the numbers to place the puzzles back together.
• Counting Cards – Cut out, laminate and use a peg or paperclip to clip or place a pom pom or candy onto the correct answer.

• Addition Cards – Cut out, laminate and use a peg or paperclip to clip or place a pom pom or candy onto the correct answer.
• Subtraction Cards – Cut out, laminate and use a peg or paperclip to clip or place a pom pom or candy onto the correct answer.
• Size Sequencing Cards – Cut out, laminate and place in order from largest to smallest or vice versa.
• Colouring Activity – Colour in the object using the color listed below.
• Do-A-Dot Letter Activity – Using a dot marker or bingo marker, dot out all of the correct letters.
• Dice / Graphing Activity – Cut out the dice and glue together. Roll the dice and graph each object the dice lands on.
• Size Sequencing Cards – Great for practicing order from largest to smallest or the other way round.

• What I Know/ Want to Learn about Echidnas – Write what you want to know and then research echidnas and write the answers to your questions.
• Echidna Life Cycle Writing Pages – Research the echidna life cycle and write our what you find.
• Echidna Life Cycle Pages – Place / write the echidna life cycle in the correct order.
• Echidna Life Cycle Emergent Reader – Print out this book and have children read it to you. As they read, they will learn all about echidna, and the life cycle of these gorgeous animals.
• Echidna Life Cycle Mini Posters – Laminate and use as posters.

 

For all the cards and puzzles activities, I prefer to print them out on white card stock and laminate them for durability and repetitive use.To grab your Rose Life Cycle Printable Pack, click on the link below:

*** Echidna Life Cycle Printable  ~ Colour***

*** Echidna Life Cycle Printable Pack ~ Black and White  ***

You may also like: This Massive List of Animal Life Cycle Printables.