Activities for Spoonbill Swamp
Make a wetland using wet play sand in a box. Line the cavity with plastic wrap. Draw birds, plants and animals from the book and add them
to the wetland.
Compare and contrast the alligator and spoonbill. What physical features do they have to help them survive in the swamp? Compare their
involvement as parents.
Get a supply of pink, orange and crimson paints. Mix sunsets and the colors of the spoonbill. Get other colors to paint the alligator.
Alligators are cold-blooded. Look at the last page of the story to see how the mother alligator uses her tail to warm up in the early
morning sun. Read more about alligators to find out what they eat and how often.
Prepare a list of words from the book that sound interesting; i.e. - shimmers, glistening, craggy nose, crisscrossed, nudges, etc. Write a
story about two animals using some of these words. Having two characters instead of one will allow them to have problems and conflicts
with each other.
The black and yellow bands on the alligator babies allow them to hide in the grass. Discuss camouflage. Research other animal babies
that use coloring for protection.
The spoonbills nest in a rookery. What would happen if all the trees were cut down or blown over in a hurricane? Could the spoonbills
nest on the ground? Look up other kinds of birds to see how they build a nest.
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