Fast and Easy Extension Activities for Mr. Popper’s Penguins
by Richard and Florence Atwater
For this one, I have various activities spaced throughout, and many of them can be done with the whole book, so look ahead to pick and choose which ones you want to use. I thought about putting them all at once, in the beginning, so if you prefer that, let me know, and I can change up the format.
Chapter 1:
- Become a painter like Mr. Popper. You can use either sidewalk chalk, or to become even more like Mr. Popper, sidewalk paint (affiliate link)
- Watch a video about the youngest (14 years old) person to ski to the North Pole (polar explorer) (2.5 minutes)
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins lapbook ($6.00)
Chapter 2
- Arctic vs. Antarctic Song (by 3-2-1 Contact) (1 minute)
- Hang some pictures of penguins on your wall. Just google “penguin photographs” and find all kinds of awesome art that can be turned into wall hangings for the duration of the book.
- While I didn’t find any scintillating videos of Sir Francis Drake online, I did find a rather interesting and fun video by a child at the South Pole with lots of penguin talk. (24 minutes)
- Call the radio station and have them announce your child’s name at a particular time. Pretend you are listening to music and wait for them to announce their name over the air.
Chapter 3:
- You might wish to buy penguin figurines to play with while reading this book. (affiliate link)
- How to draw a penguin (11 minutes)
Chapter 4:
- Explore your house from a penguin’s point of view. Crawl around and get down lower to the ground, and try to imagine what a penguin might find interesting.
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6:
Chapter 7:
- Explore around your house to find things a penguin might use to make a nest.
Chapter 8:
- Go sledding, sliding, or tobogganing.
- Pretend to interview your child (or have your child interview you) about something unusual or unique you may have, a family pet, or a story about your past.
Chapter 9:
- Antarctica Lapbook with a reading list
Chapter 10:
Chapter 11:
Chapter 12:
- Talking about the Penguins and their food made me think of food, so here are a bunch of different penguin-themed snacks you can make, some healthier than others. 😉
Chapter 13:
- Shubert’s Military March (song for marching) (5 minutes)
- The Merry Widow Waltz (song for fighting) (2 minutes)
- By the Brook (I hope this is the right one, tobogganing song) (2 minutes)
Chapter 14:
Chapter 15:
Chapter 16:
- Dozens of Penguin Coloring Pages
Chapter 17:
- Eat like a penguin with Canned Shrimp Salad Sandwiches
Chapter 18:
Chapter 19:
- Watch a class perform as Mr. Popper’s Penguins (45 minutes)
Chapter 20:
Extras:
Movies–
- Disney Plus has Mr. Popper’s Penguin, the movie. However, do not expect it to match the book.
- Happy Feet (and part 2)
- March of the Penguins
- The Christian animated series 3-2-1 Penguins! (not about real penguins)
Sequel–
- Not a true sequel because it’s not by the same authors, The Popper Penguin Rescue (associate link)
Audiobook–
