Ideas for Using Leo Lionni Books in Science Class

Leo Lionni's books are such well-written and illustrated books.  That is why so many are award-winning.  His books also have a clear message and integrate lots of science.  The humor makes them great for many age levels.  

Integrate a hands-on science activity to extend the learning.  Here are some great ideas.

 1.  For 3rd grade read this book to introduce learned traits.  Then have the kids research other types of learned traits.
2.  Learn about what a community is in nature.  Have students research animals in their area that work together.

1.  Create a Venn diagram of the differences between frogs and alligators.
2.  How strong is an egg?  Balance books or cans on top of eggs.  Learn how here.

A great introduction to the importance of camouflage.   Cut out 10 colorful chameleons or animals of choice.  I usually use fish.  Cut out 10 newsprint fish.  Open up a piece of newspaper.  Spread the colorful and newsprint animals on the newspaper.  Try to catch as many fish as you can in 10 seconds.  Did you catch more colorful or newsprint animals?  Why is one easier to catch?  This is great for recording data and creating a graph.  

Other Great Leo Lionni Books

Fish is Fish

Compare a fish to a frog.  This book is fantastic for introducing the frog lifecycle.

This investigation teaches about fish respiration.

A Busy Year

This is a great one for learning the seasons and talking about the life cycle of trees.

Try this fun lab that makes bookmarks.

Inch by Inch

A fantastic book for introducing measuring.  The students can also learn about the different animals in the story and create food chains.

Create this fun booklet with growing creatures.

There are so many others, and these are just a few.  I am sure you will find some that work and maybe a few ideas of your own.

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