Life Cycles will be focusing on the life cycles of invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. This program will include a lesson plan, activities, and stations of biofacts, information, and hands-on tactile components. This program will also include an English portion, learning about the stages of a story and creating a group skit about one of the life cycles they have been educated on to perform to their classmates. 

There are 4 Life Cycle kits to choose from. These are listed below. If you have a preference please indicate when inquiring about a booking. 

Life Cycles kits are: 

• Life Cycles I - Invertebrates
• Dragonfly, Butterfly, Lobster, Spider, Worms
• Life Cycles II - Vertebrates
• Bat, Goose, Frog, Turtle, Salmon 
• Life Cycles III - Mixture A
• Wolf, Scorpion, Tree, Salamander, Butterfly
• Life Cycles IV - Mixture B
• Crab, Robin, Salmon, Bee, Bean/Flower

Life Cycles kits include:

• The rental is for your school 
  

• • as many teachers at your school may use this kit within the rented week(s) time

• A lesson plan (including topics on living and non-living, needs to survive, habitats, animal and plant life cycles, and elements of a story)
• Felt life cycle puzzles
• Biofacts (real and replicated animal and plant pieces such as skulls etc)
• North America's First People's meanings and importance of a spider, wolf, salmon, and turtle.
• Additionally, it aligns with First Peoples Principals of Learning. 

Cost to rent:

The rental cost for one week is $375
The rental cost for two weeks (two consecutive weeks) is $575 
The rental cost for two weeks (three consecutive weeks) is $725  

Plus: 
Refundable deposit $200
Shipping $125
Pick up and drop off option

*Price is subject to change

Testimonials

How to rent?

Choose one of the following available dates:

 2021 - 2022 Booked Dates:

Life Cycles I:

Life Cycles II:

Life Cycles III:

Life Cycles IV:

Contact me via email before purchasing, to make sure the date is still available. 

Agree upon the contract, sent via email.

Pay invoice.

Enjoy your kit upon arrival. 

note: this kit is not rentable at the moment in Calgary or Rockyview. Please email me for details if in these areas. 

Curriculum Competencies:

British Columbia

Grade 1:

• Classification of living and non-living things
• Names of local plants and animals
• Structural features of living things in the local environment
• Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
• Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
• Ask questions about familiar objects and events
• Make simple predictions about familiar objects and events
• Experience and interpret the local environment
• Communicate observations and ideas using oral or written language, drawing, or role-play
• Compare observations with those of others

Grade 2:

• Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment.

• Metamorphic and non-metamorphic life cycles of different organisms

• Similarities and differences between offspring and parent

• Sort and classify data and information using drawings,  pictographs and provided tables
• Recognize First Peoples stories (including oral and written narratives), songs, and art, as ways to share knowledge
• Compare observations with predictions through discussion
• Identify simple patterns and connections

Alberta 

Grade 2: 

Small Crawling and Flying Animals

• Recognize that there are many different kinds of small crawling and flying animals, and identify a range of examples that are found locally.

• Compare and contrast small animals that are found in the local environment.
• These animals should include at least three invertebrates—that is, animals such as insects, spiders, centipedes, slugs, worms.

• Recognize that small animals, like humans, have homes where they meet their basic needs of air, food, water, shelter and space; and describe any special characteristics that help the animal survive in its home.

• Identify each animal’s role within the food chain. To meet this expectation, students should be able to identify the animals as plant eaters, animal eaters or decomposers and identify other animals that may use them as a food source.

• Describe conditions for the care of a small animal.

• Identify ways in which animals are considered helpful or harmful to humans and to the environment.

Grade 3: 

Animal Life Cycles

• Describe some common living things, and identify needs of those living things.
• Observe, describe and compare living things.
• Contrast living and nonliving things.
• Identify ways in which living things are valued; e.g., as part of a community of living things; as sources of food, clothing or shelter.
• Classify some common local plants and animals into groups on the basis of visible characteristics
• Identify the requirements of animals to maintain life; i.e., air, food, water, shelter, space; and recognize that we must provide these for animals in our care.

• The child uses materials in the environment and community and becomes aware of how others use materials.
• Explores and responds to the design and properties of a variety of natural and manufactured materials and objects
• Describes the function of some common objects found in and around the home and the community
• Demonstrates some ways of organizing materials; e.g., collecting, arranging, creating and transporting
• Uses simple tools in a safe and appropriate manner
• Recognizes the need to care for materials, and uses materials without wasting them
• Begins to use some technology appropriately in learning activities and to communicate with others
• Becomes aware of the importance of protecting the environment. 

• Recognize First Peoples stories (including oral and written narratives), songs, and art, as ways to share knowledge.

• Describe the appearances and life cycles of some common animals, and identify their adaptations to different environments.

• Identify requirements for animal care.

• Specific Learner Expectations:
• Classify a variety of animals, based on observable characteristics; e.g., limbs, teeth, body covering, overall shape, backbone.
• Observe and describe the growth and development of at least one living animal, as the animal develops from early to more advanced stages. The animal(s) should be from one or more of the following groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects. Suggested examples include: gerbils, guppies, mealworms, tadpoles, worms, butterflies/moths. Additional examples from other animal groups might also be included: brine shrimp, isopods, spiders.
• Predict the next stages in the growth and development of at least one animal from each of the following groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects; and identify similarities and differences in their developmental sequences.
• Identify the food needs of at least one animal from each of the following groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects; and describe changes in how each Science (Elementary) B.16 (1996) animal obtains food through different stages of its life.
• Demonstrate awareness that parental care is characteristic of some animals and not of others, and identify examples of different forms of parental care.
• Demonstrate awareness that animals require different habitats in order to meet their basic needs of food, water, shelter and space.
• Recognize adaptations of a young animal to its environment, and identify changes in its relationship to its environment as it goes through life; e.g., tadpoles are adapted for life in an aquatic environment; adult frogs show adaptations to both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
• Identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten animal survival, and identify examples of extinct animals.
• Recognize that habitat preservation can help maintain animal populations, and identify ways that student actions can assist habitat preservation.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the needs of animals studied, and demonstrate skills for their care.

English Language Arts

• Discover and Explore 
• Express ideas and develop understanding
• connect prior knowledge and personal experiences with new ideas and information in oral, print and other media texts
• explain understanding of new concepts in own words
• explore ideas and feelings by asking questions, talking to others and referring to oral, print and other media texts 

• Clarify and Extend 
• Consider the ideas of others
• ask for the ideas and observations of others to explore and clarify personal understanding
• Combine ideas
• experiment with arranging and recording ideas and information in a variety of ways
• Extend understanding
• ask questions to clarify information and ensure understanding

• Use Strategies and Cues
• Use prior knowledge
• share ideas developed through interests, experiences and discussion that are related to new ideas and information
• identify the different ways in which oral, print and other media texts, such as stories, textbooks, letters, pictionaries and junior dictionaries, are organized, and use them to construct and confirm meaning

• Understand Forms, Elements and Techniques
• Understand techniques and elements
• include events, setting and characters when summarizing or retelling oral, print or other media texts
• describe the main characters in terms of who they are, their actions in the story and their relations with other characters
• identify ways that messages are enhanced in oral, print and other media texts by the use of specific techniques

• Create Original Text
• Generate ideas
• experiment with ways of generating and organizing ideas prior to creating oral, print and other media texts
• Elaborate on the expression of ideas
• use sentence variety to link ideas and create impressions on familiar audiences
• Structure texts
• experiment with a variety of story beginnings to choose ones that best introduce particular stories
• add sufficient detail to oral, print and other media texts to tell about setting and character, and to sustain plot

• Plan and Focus
• Focus attention
• use self-questioning to identify information needed to supplement personal knowledge on a topic
• identify facts and opinions, main ideas and details in oral, print and other media texts
• Determine information needs
• ask topic-appropriate questions to identify information needs
• Plan to gather information
• contribute ideas for developing a class plan to access and gather ideas and information

• Select and Process
• Use a variety of sources
• find information to answer research questions, using a variety of sources, such as children's magazines, CDROMs, plays, folk tales, songs, stories and the environment

• Access information
• use text features, such as titles, pictures, headings, labels, diagrams and dictionary guide words, to access information
• locate answers to questions and extract appropriate and significant information from oral, print and other media texts
• use card or electronic catalogues to locate information
• Evaluate sources
• review information to determine its usefulness in answering research questions

• Organize, Record and Evaluate
• Organize information
• organize ideas and information, using a variety of strategies, such as clustering, categorizing and sequencing
• draft ideas and information into short paragraphs, with topic and supporting sentences
• Record information
• record facts and ideas using a variety of strategies; list titles and authors of sources
• list significant ideas and information from oral, print and other media texts
• Evaluate information
• determine if gathered information is sufficient to answer research questions

• Present and Share
• Present information
• present ideas and information on a topic, using a pre-established plan
• Enhance presentation
• use print and non-print aids to illustrate ideas and information in oral, print and other media texts
• Use effective oral and visual communication
• speak or present oral readings with fluency, rhythm, pace, and with appropriate intonation to emphasize key ideas
• Demonstrate attentive listening and viewing
• rephrase, restate and explain the meaning of oral and visual presentations
• identify and set purposes for listening and viewing