Rainforest: Monkeying Around

This week we are studying the Rainforest.  The kids are already getting good at remembering the various layers and some of the animals that inhabit each layer.  Yesterday and today we focused on the canopy and two of the animals you might find there:  toucans and monkeys. 

We read Jan Brett's The Umbrella and The Great Kapok Tree  by Lynne Cherry.  We cut out pictures of rainforest animals and glued them in the layer of the rainforest they live in.  Then, we wrote in our journals about the toucan using a has/can/is anchor chart: 

Today we began a more involved writing activity about monkeys using the same type of chart.  These are some examples of what we have so far:

                                                   

Tomorrow we will add some monkey "embellishments"! 

I found the cute extras here:  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Prompt-Craftivities-Jungle-Animals 
You can purchase as a unit or just buy the materials for individual animals. 

Here's the finished bulletin board:

It says, "We love to monkey around in K17!" 

My students are really getting inspired to begin their at-home Rainforest Animal Reports and projects for Open House!  I can't wait to see what they come up with!