Chapter 1: Mr. Popper is a painter and will have no more work
until spring. The Popper family is going to have to economize on their
meals. Have the children plan an economical menu by using weekly
grocery ads and coupons.
Chapter 2: Mr. Popper wrote a letter to the explorer Admiral
Drake. Have the children find out who Admiral Drake was and write
a friendly letter.
Chapter 3: Mr. Popper receives a penguin from Admiral Drake.
Have the children research the different species of penguins to
figure out what species Mr. Popper's penguin is, based on the description
given.
Have each child choose a species of penguin they would like to study.
Print out Penguin
Worksheet for each child for them to fill in as you progress through
the rest of the book.
Chapter 4: The Poppers try to figure out what Captain Cook,
their penguin, likes to eat. Have the children research what their
penguin species likes to eat.
Chapter 5: Mr. Popper has the icebox fixed for Captain Cook's
house. Have the children research the habitat of their penguin species.
Plot on a map where their penguin species lives. Also plot where other
penguins live. See if they can figure out what all of these places have
in common.
Chapter 7: Captain Cook builds a nest. Have the children
research the nesting and breeding habits for their penguin.
Chapter 8: Mr. Popper is interviewed by a newspaper reporter.
Have the children pretend they are the reporter and write the newspaper
article.
Chapter 10: Captain Cook is acting ill, so Admiral Drake sends
another penguin, Greta. Read "A Penguin Year" by Susan
Bonners.
Chapter 14: In order to make money to pay for all of the penguin
expenses, the Poppers start a penguin show. Have the children put
on their own penguin show.
Chapter 17: Mr. Popper gives a testimonial for Owen's Oceanic
Shrimp in exchange for free shrimp for the penguins. Have the children
draw how they think the magazine ad would look.
Chapter 18: Mr. Popper's performing penguins encounter some
show seals. Have the children research what the natural predators
are for their species of penguin.
Chapter 20: The Popper's have traveled to Seattle, Minneapolis,
Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston, and New
York. In Chapter 20, Mr. Popper, the children, and the penguins set
off to the North Pole from New York with Admiral Drake. Trace their
route on a map.
This book uses a lot of alliteration: Popper's Performing Penguins,
Marvelous Marcos, Owen's Oceanic Shrimp, and Swenson's Seals. Let
the children try to come up with their own examples of alliteration.
Other fun penguin ideas:
Watch "The March of the Penguins" video.
Have each child draw a picture of the penguin they researched.
Have the children try to walk like penguins. Feed them goldfish crackers
as they "Ork"
Read Psalm 50:10-11.
Compare and contrast penguins with birds that live near your home and
with puffins.
Go to a zoo that has penguins.
Easy
Penguin Word Search
Penguin
Species Word Search
Older children might enjoy the movie "8
Below". It is about Antarctic explorers.
Penguin
Notebooking
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