— September 26, 2024

Step inside a week of Letter of the Week with Oo is for Owl. Did you know that an owl eats their prey whole? Does your child know what a nocturnal animal is? The play based learning activities planned for this week will introduce your 3-5 year old to the fascinating world of owls. Follow the suggested schedule provided here or pick and choose the activities that will most interest your child and fit into your schedule.

Oo is for Owl is part of a free preschool curriculum.

It’s is completely free. Check out all the free printables, book suggestions, coloring pages, and more at the button below.

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A homeschool schedule for preschool.

Monday highlight: Alphabet wall display printable and nocturnal animal’s memory game.

To begin our homeschool days we enjoy Morning Basket. I always begin with my preschooler’s books because he may lose interest during his big brother’s read-aloud books. This morning we read a whimsical book for our theme, The Owl and The Pussycat by Edward Lear and illustrated by Jan Brett. Then to incorporate some math we read the book, Click, Clack, 1, 2, 3 by Doreen Cronin. 

Alphabet wall display printable.

The new letter of the week is introduced to my preschooler using the alphabet wall display letters. I created a train for my son Mick because he loves trains. After Mick colored in the uppercase and lowercase letters on the boxcar he hung it on the wall next to the letter “N.” 

The train wall display is available at the button below. Is the train not quite right for your preschooler’s interests? More themes are available, including a caterpillar and squirrel with acorns.

First owl activity.

Mondays usually stay relaxed so we simply played a memory game featuring nocturnal animals. A hedgehog, raccoon, mouse, bat, and more are included. Get the free printable at Oo is for Owl.

Tuesday highlight: What do owls eat? Printable and game.

To kickstart the day we had our normal morning basket. The themed book selection for today was The Barn Owls by Tony Johnston. Then I gave Mick his wooden alphabet puzzle to put together letters “A-O.” I omit the letters he has not learned yet so that he does not become overwhelmed. 

Once finished he colored one of the coloring pages included in the week of lessons while I prepared for the main event of the day.

Make an activity a play based learning experience.

After the puzzle it was time for a game my boys love. Whenever I have the chance I turn these types of printables and activities into a hide and seek game. Today’s activity was a “hunt-and-seek” game. 

The boys love having me hide the normal prey animals an owl eats and then they have to seek them. I create a play based learning experience for many sorting activities this way. Read on because the highlight for Thursday is exactly this. Sorting diurnal and nocturnal animals.

Wednesday highlight: Dissect owl pellets.

Morning basket kick-started our Wednesday. We reread The Barn Owls again because the book is more educational than The Owl and The Pussycat. It highlights the diet of an owl in a subtle way. Since we would be dissecting pellets later that morning this was a perfect book for my 3 year old. Once the morning basket was over, Mick reviewed the letters he knew with the Train Wall Display.

Now for the main event. Hump day is a perfect day for pulling apart hairballs to discover skulls and spinal cords. Wouldn’t you say? Whether hump day is better or not, this activity is a favorite of my boys and I know it will be for your kids too. These owl pellets are always exceptional and we love the informational and concise pamphlet that comes with them. 

Thursday highlight: Diurnal vs. nocturnal sorting game.

As I mentioned above, sorting activities can be turned into play based learning games easily. That is exactly what we did with this free printable. The diurnal and nocturnal animals are scattered around the living room. Then my boys run about and as they find them they bring them to the sorting paper and place them where they belong.

Friday highlight: Flashlight Hunting Activity.

Thursdays are the last day of the week that we have our normal routine of morning basket, alphabet review, and then the main event activity. Fridays we are out at nature group and piano lessons for the majority of the day. However, I still had one last Letter of the Week activity about nocturnal animals and based on a book, Flashlight by Lizi Boyd. It’s a fun and easy activity that sheds a little light on the mystery of the night.

Owl facts for preschoolers are hidden in play based learning activities.

Whenever learning opportunities can be made play based, they should be at this age. This can take the form of encouraging curiosity like dissecting owl pellets. Or using a boring sorting printable and turning it into a physically active game. 

If you enjoyed these activities or are looking forward to trying them out in your homeschool, let me know in the comments. 

Oo is for Owl 

For coloring pages, additional book suggestions, and much more check out Oo is for Owl. This week is a part of a complete 26 week curriculum full of creative activities based on around themes. Such as Aa is for apple, Bb is for Bird, …and more. Click the button below to learn more.

A week of Oo is for Owl at a glance.

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