Animal Classification Cards *freebie*

I recently had a lighting bolt of an idea:

I made animal classification boxes (a la Montessori continent boxes). I wanted something my kids could touch and sort through to understand what made each animal class distinct. I needed some type of control to explain the key points.

After looking all over, I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I made some in the Montessori three-part card style. 

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This printable (linked below) consists of primary three-part cards for the six basic classes (invertebrates + five main vertebrate classes):

• invertebrates
• fish 
• birds
• mammals
• reptiles
• amphibians

We are using them to more deeply explore each class and to compare / contrast animals between classes. My kids (aged 5, 8 and 10) have already learned so much with this activity; I’m happy to share it with you. I hope the idea and freebie help make learning more concrete and hands-on for your kids too. 

We just finished our mammal box. I will post to show the contents of all our animal classification boxes in the upcoming week.

I’d love to see any pictures of the cards / boxes in use! Also because I’m still growing our blog — I’d so appreciate a like, subscribe, share or follow on social media if this content is helpful to you. Thanks!  

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Note: Because cold-blooded and warm-blooded are difficult concepts, I created images that may need a little explanation.

To my kids I say: “Cold blooded means that the animal requires a heat source (such as the sun) to stay warm.

Warm-blooded means the animal’s body temperature stays the same whether it’s in a cold or hot environment.” 

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Also of note: I started to design an elementary-style version of these, but I haven’t had a chance to complete them. I promise to post an update soon!