Have fun hopping, waddling, and wriggling—just like animals!
What You Do
- Kangaroo Hop
- When kangaroos hop or jump, they keep their back legs together. Bend your elbows and wrists the way a kangaroo holds its arms. Now try hopping. How far can you go in a single hop? In five? Measure the distance with a tape measure.
- A male grey kangaroo can travel about 30 feet in a single hop. Mark a starting point, then measure and mark a finish line 30 feet away. How many jumps does it take for you to cover this distance?
- Duck Waddle
- A duck’s webbed feet are great for swimming, but not as good for walking on land. Try walking around in swim fins.
- When ducks get scared, they move much faster by flapping their wings as they walk. The flapping helps the ducks be less anchored to the ground. Flap your arms as you waddle to see if it helps you go faster.
- Penguin Waddle
- A penguin’s legs are short, so they can’t walk fast. Stand up and put your feet together with your toes pointing to the sides. Now waddle like a penguin.
- Seal Wriggle
- Many seals move by stretching forward and gripping the ground with their front flippers. Then they hunch their backs to pull the rest of their body forward before stretching again. They don’t use their hind flippers on land.
- Lie on the ground with your legs together and your feet apart. Then wriggle like a seal. Can you bark or clap like a seal, too?
- Keep Moving!
There are a lot of ways to get from here to there. Can you jump like a frog, crawl like a croc, slither like a snake, and pounce like a cat?
