Every animal lives in a place that gives it what it needs: food, water, shelter and air. This home is called a habitat. Learning about habitats helps children understand why animals look and behave the way they do.
What your child will learn
- Match familiar animals to their habitats
- Know that all animals need food, water and air
- Sort animals into groups such as mammals, birds, fish and reptiles
- Describe animals as herbivores or carnivores
- Explain simple ways animals are suited to where they live
Habitats big and small
Habitats can be as big as an ocean or as small as a pile of leaves. A rainforest is home to orangutans and parrots, a desert to camels and lizards, and a pond to frogs and ducks.
Built for their homes
Animals have features that help them survive. Polar bears have thick fur to stay warm, ducks have webbed feet for swimming and camels store fat in their humps for long desert walks. Habitat Hills asks children to explain these features, not just remember them.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Which animal lives in the hot, dry desert?
🏜️- Frog
- Camel
- Penguin
- Dolphin
Show answer
Answer: Camel. Camels can go a long time without water, so they are suited to the desert.
2. Which animal lives in the ocean?
🌊- Camel
- Squirrel
- Owl
- Whale
Show answer
Answer: Whale. Whales live in the ocean. They are the biggest animals on Earth!
3. Where does a rabbit make its home?
🐰- In a nest
- In a pond
- In a burrow
- In a web
Show answer
Answer: In a burrow. Rabbits dig burrows — tunnels under the ground — to stay safe and warm.
Tips for grown-ups
- Visit a park, garden or pond and look for animal homes.
- Sort toy animals into land, water and sky.
- Watch a nature documentary together and ask "Why does it live there?"