Reptiles and Amphibians

Discovering the richness of the animal world is one of the most rewarding and pleasing experiences that you can introduce to kids. Animal classification is a great way to explore different animal groups and their unique behaviors. Learning to distinguish between different types of animals is not only great for science lessons but also a great way to introduce geography lessons into the classroom. Kids can explore habitats as well as different areas where animals live. 

Reptiles and amphibians may at first glance appear very similar to each other. Explicitly pointing out the differences between the two groups of animals is vital and it will lead to a deeper understanding rather than simply memorizing which animals belong to which class of animals. 

Providing your kids with the chance to draw amphibians and reptiles will help them to discover some differences and similarities between the two classes of animals. Amphibians such as frogs and toads can live both on land and in the water while reptiles such as snakes and alligators have lungs and an outer covering of horny scales or plates. They often lay their eggs on dry land while amphibians such as frogs and toads lay their eggs in the water. Amphibians are born with gills so that they can breathe underwater. Frogs and other amphibians such as newts and salamanders and the charming axolotls develop lungs and legs later in life. 

Learning about the origin of words can also help kids to classify animals. Amphibian comes from the Greek amphi which means both and bios. The perfect way to describe amphibians since they can live both on land and in the water. The word reptile comes from Latin reptilis which means creeping. If you spend time watching snakes and lizards you can understand why this is a suitable name for these creeping scaly animals.

If you have the opportunity to watch some reptiles and amphibians in their natural environment that is fantastic. Otherwise, a great exercise is to describe the skin of a reptile and an amphibian. How does it feel to touch a snake? Snakes are often described as slimy but their skin feels dry and scaly. Amphibians have thin and smooth skin. Their skin helps them with breathing. 

Read and discover the remarkable lives of these animals while you enjoy the weather warming up there are signs of spring starting to appear all around such as frogspawn in your local ponds! 

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