Deer Ears

Materials: empty toilet paper rolls – ( 2 per child ), brown construction paper, clear tape, ear pattern for tracing, scissors

Deer have a highly developed sense of hearing.  Their large ears are constantly scanning their environment. Each ear can work independently of the other.  They have “surround sound”!

Ask the children to trace around the ear pattern twice onto the brown construction paper.  (For younger children you will need to precut the ears.)

Cut out the ears.
Attach each ear to a toilet paper roll using the clear tape.
Children then use the “deer ears” to listen to environmental sounds.
Compare the sounds heard with and without the “deer ears”.

Take the children outside to listen for bird sounds and neighborhood sounds.

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework – Begins to use senses and a variety of tools…to gather information.  Begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations.

Early Learning Science Guidelines – Makes observations, tries out to see what will happen.

Fontenelle Nature Association - Science in the Early Years-Natural Science Programming for the Very Young

kmurphy@fontenelleforest.org