River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!

Ranked #274 in Pets & Animals, #7,348 overall

Turn your Classroom into A Wet and Wild River Otter Habitat

Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate your classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme.

Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fiction and non-fiction books about river otters and discover the difference between River Otters and Sea Otters.

Check out the ideas for Word Walls, Poetry, Songs, Flashcards and lots of other games related to river otters.

There are math activities for understanding river otter measurements and ideas for making a Lapbook to use as a portfolio to culminate your River Otter Unit Study.

Photo Credit: River Otter by Chris Paul Photography
on Flickr, Creative Commons

River Otters, land or water animals?

River Otters or Lutra canadensis

Adult, Male North American River Otter

Adult, Male North American River Otter
Available on Allposters


The river otter is a land mammal that spends a good deal of its time in the water. River otters are adapted to fishing in the cold waters of North America with their webbed feet and thick layer of insulating fat.. Their thick dense fur also helps to insulate them from the cold water. River otters may measure as much as 125 centimeters long and weigh up to 11 kilograms.

River Otters can be living in the woodlands of Canada and the United States. Look for river otter tracks along frozen stream beds in the winter. Where ever they can find holes in the ice river otters may be hunting for fish, freshwater clams and other aquatic animals.

River otters often take up residence in abandoned muskrat dens. After mating in February river otters give birth to up to four baby kits in late April. River otter kits may be preyed upon by foxes, wolves and raptors but the adult river otters need only fear loss of habitat and ingestion of pesticides such at DDT which accumulates in their systems because of being at the top of the food chain.

Much of this information comes from Alberta Fish and Wildlife.

How to Make a Tree

Meet Grandfather Tree who tells River Otter Tales

During the summer a group of parents helped Mrs. Seagraves by making a tree for the corner of her classroom. She used it to tell stories to the children and introduce them to new Creatures of the Woodlands.

Make a Tree Mrs. Seagraves says,

"Meet Grandforest Tree. He lives in our Environmental Center Classroom, and he has many tales to tell. We love to listen to him tell us stories about nature and the environment.

He has a really neat voice. We also like to try to find the different creatures which make their home in and around Grandforest Tree.

If you look carefully, you might find a bat, preying mantis, a 5 lined skink, an opossum, a raccoon, a snail, ants, or a river otter! We like to use the puppets and tell our own stories just like Grandforest Tree."

Exploring the Forest With Grandforest Tree:
A Story of Seasonal Activities for the Curious Child


River otters live along river where trees hang over the bank. Grandforest Tree watches over the Little Joe Otter and his family as they slide down the bank and splash into the water.
Exploring the Forest with Grandforest Tree
Grandforest tree, who is very old and wise, unfolds the story of the forest and its many mysteries, providing children with dozens of hands-on, hearts-on activities to learn from and enjoy.
Exploring the Forest With Grandforest Tree. - book reviews | Whole Earth Review | Find Articles at BNET
Exploring the Forest With Grandforest Tree. - book reviews from Whole Earth Review provided by Find Articles at BNET

Create a Riverbank Habitat in your Classroom!

More Ideas to bring the River Otters' Habitat to Life

River Otters

Photo Credit: River Otter Swimming by vastateparksstaff
on Flickr, Creative Commons


The Salamander Room is a great read aloud for introducing the River Otter Habitat to your students. A young boy imagines how he could turn his room into the perfect habitat for a salamander.

I made a recording of it and have Grandfather Tree read it to the children.
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The Tree House provides a shady Theater for your River Otters

Set up a Computer in the Tree for River Otter Movies

Make a Tree
For a simpler version of Grandfather Tree try buying one or making one from a refrigerator box. There are great videos on Youtube showing how river otters swim, dive, slide and play that you could set up to play on a computer set in a hallow hole behind a panel in Grandfather Tree's trunk..
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The Interactive River Otter Bulletin Board

Let your little River Otters help to make the scene grow.

Bulletin Board: River Otters live in the woodlands near ponds and streams. To make the pond or stream:

1. Start by covering your bulletin board with an old blue sheet (paint it if it's not blue) to resemble a river or pond.
2. Have the kids experiment with blue and yellow paint on large paper at the easel.
3. Once they are dry the kids can cut them out in the shapes of leaves, treetops, bushes, grasses, sedges etc.

Bulletin Board
Freshwater Habitat Bulletin Board
Available from EduPress


4. Cut index cards to resemble fish and use these for children to record the names of books they have read. (River Otters love to eat fish.)
5. Use the overhead projector to blow up the outline of an otter to it's actual size.
6. Cut out the otter and attach it to the bulletin board with the caption "Fishing for good books to read".
7. An air bubble could be added above each fish for each additional child who has read the book.

More River Otter Bulletin Board Ideas

Make Your Walls Come Alive!

Your Bulletin Board can become another river otter habitat within the classroom.
Wetlands Mural


Bulletin Board To make a Word Wall for your River Otter Unit make a diorama such as the one your see here. This diorama is based on the real Wading Bird Rookery diorama at the American Museum of Natural History!


Ask the children to suggest words to post on the bulletin board describing the habitat of river otters. Choosing words that they might need help spelling will encourage them to use more creative words when writing during Writing Workshop.


Photo Credit: Wading Bird Rookery diorama
at the American Museum of Natural History

Encourage your Little River Otters to read in the River Otter Reading Nook

Turn your Reading Loft into a River Otter's Den

River Otter's Den:

Reading Loft

Photo Credit: Reading Loft
Available on Amazon


1. Ask your parents to build you a reading loft or check out the links to ones you can buy below.
2. Use an old refrigerator box to create a tree trunk around it or in one corner.
3. Line it with pillows and have a bin of otter books available.
4. Set up a CD player with Nature Sounds to very quietly play in the background.
5. Use clear Christmas lights, light rope or some means of lighting the area.
6. Add a couple of stuffed otters (see below) to cuddle with or read to.
7. A blue rug resembling a river might be added to the entrance.

Word Wall in the Tree

River Otter Habitat Word Wall Leaves

Magnet Leaves for River Otter HabitatThese Magnetic Leaves are perfect for writing words on. They can be attached to magnetic boards, filing cabinets or any other metal surfaces in the room.

As it gets near the ceiling, the branches could continue onto the ceiling along with the leaves and branches along the ceiling above the reading area. Some of the leaves could hang a little further down and have words written on them. Write the same word on each side so that as they move around everyone can still read them. For example these are ideas for animals that could be found up in the tree:

Photo Credit: Richard Hutton's Magnet Leaves
From NgispeN
Used by Permission


Lear Words

Photo Credit: Word Wall Words
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



bird
chipmunk
bluejay
crow
owl
squirrel

Have the kids suggest other words and make more leaves. Look for ideas in "Little Joe Otter" and other books by Thornton Burgess.

Picture Books for the Otter's Den

Let's learn about River Otters!

River OttersSupply the den with a good assortment of picture books such as Playful Slider by Barbara Juster Esbensen and My Little Book of River Otters which tell the life cycle of these playful little creatures. Otters Underwater by Jim Arnosky is written in large print with very few words per page making it ideal for beginning readers.

Little Joe Otter and other books in the series bring the woodlands to life with cute little fictional characters. Each chapter is only a page or so long so that they work very well in a classroom setting for story hour.

Otters under Water



Playful Slider: The North American River Otter explores the world of the North American river otter, describing the playful mammal's behavior and characteristics.
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Another River Otter Den idea

Turn the Lemming's Igloo into a River Otter's Den

Milk Jug Reading Nook or River Otter DenThis shows a lemming nest at the beginning of the unit when it is still winter. Later we cover it with brown blankets to turn it into spring and then green for the grass of summer. We use rope lights to see inside to read. After you have finished studying Lemmimgs you can turn your Igloo/Lemming Tunnel into a River Otter Den for quiet reading time.

See other ideas for a Bluebird Meadow Theme, Frog Unit Study or a Mouse Theme.

Photo Credit: River Otter Den Reading Nook
on Flickr, Creative Commons

This Igloo can easily be adapted to the following Unit Studies

The Igloo changes with the seasons. In Fall the mice use it to store seeds of knowlege (Books they are learning to read.) In winter it is a Lemming Den. As spring arrives it becomes a Woodchuck's Den. Then the Frogs use it as a place to bury themselves in the mud, reading away the winter, until they emerge in the late spring. As summer nears we use it as a bird blind to watch the Bluebirds, Purple Gallinules and Alligators.
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Plush River Otters

Cute little River Otters for snuggling and reading to!

Otter Den
Baby River Otter by James Hager
Available on Amazon

Keeping a few soft and snuggly river otters in the River Otters' Den sparks children's imaginations and encourages them to read.
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Reading Outside the River Otter Den

Busy little river otters can be reading all day long in every corner and under every bush!

Reading ChartRHYMING AND CHORAL READING: Poems and songs about otters should be printed on large poster paper, laminated and hung near the Calendar. (See Otter Math) Read and sing these each morning at calendar time. Choose a student to hold the pointer (maybe a cat-o-nine tail or a willow twig) to help everyone follow along. Call on students to find words that illustrate various phonics rules or grammar rules. Laminating allows you to use dry erase markers on them. During center time students may:

-trace over words beginning with a certain letter
-find words with a short o as in otter
-underline the verbs
-circle the nouns

Photo Credit: Classroom Chart
by the Province of British Columbia
under the Open Government License


Many more ideas for teaching beginning readers will keep your little otters busy during Center Time.

Nature's Otter Blueprints

Nature created the River Otter....Ever wonder how?

Close-Up of Two Otters Hunting for a Frog (Lutra Lutra)
Two Otters Hunting for a Frog
Available on Allposters


Otters are fish-eating mustelids (related to ferrets) known for rudder-like tails, flipper-like feet, and a silent dive that is always followed by expert swimming of an extremely hydrodynamic mammal.

An otter's eyes and nose are located near the top of its head so that it doesn't have to stick its entire head out of the water to breath or look around, which would attract predators. It's mouth is full of sharp teeth for catching, killing, and ripping up fish, and are also good for opening rock-weakened shells of clams and mussels.

River Otter Charts and Graphs

River Otter Word Wall

River Otter Word WallCHARTS AND GRAPHS: Make charts and graphs of the information you learn as you study about River Otters. Post these around the room, add to and refer to them throughout your River Otter Unit Study.

Hotroot Soup, a River Otter Song

This is a song sung by a River Otter a book by Brian Jacques

NEW Small Plain Cast Iron Cauldron (Cauldrons)


Hotroot Soup
(A song sung by Folrig the Otter)

When I was just a liddle beast,
I was so small and weak,
I'd often fall flat on me tail,
An' I could 'ardly speak.
I scarce could totter round the the floor, Me whiskers used to droop,
'Til granma made a great big pot
Of good ole 'otroot soup!
An now I'm brisker than a bee,
River OtterMore fitter than a mole,
Most every day I 'ear granma say,
'Give 'im another bowl!'
I'll live a thousand seasons,
Grow strong as any tree,
Give me a spoon an' fetch it soon,
Good 'otroot soup fer me.

by Brian Jacques, in "The Outcast of Redwall"

Photo Credit: River Otter
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Hot Root Soup File Folder Game for River Otters

River Otter Food

Soup and Spoons

Photo Credit: Multiplication File Folder Games
From the Talibiddeen Jr. Blog
Used by Permission


Help the river otters match the correct spoons to the bowls of soup. Write the answers on the back for self checking.

This file folder center for practicing the 6's table was designed by a 12 year old. Check out her other designs by clicking on the link below.
Multiplication File Folder Games
File folder games for practicing multiplication facts.

River Otter Poetry

Skipper and Company sing and recite poetry!

Hot Root Soup for OttersOtter Meal
(A lil' poem for older otters)

'Twixt the puddin',
Meadowcream an' tarts,
Liddle rosehip balls an' apple minicake,
Shaped like luvverly hearts.
Me an' me otter mateys,
Don't see what we really want,
It just ain't on the table,
Though other vittles may taunt.
Hotroot Soup is what we want,
Our stommachs grumble loud,
So get us a big potfull, sir,
An' we won't complain aloud!

Photo Credit: Hot Root Soup for Otters
on WPClipart


From Pearls of Lutra: A Tale from Redwall by Brian Jacques

Check out Susie's Everglades Poem.

Word Walls

for your River Otter Study

WORD WALL: Make sure that the wall is big enough for all children to be able to read the words from where they sit to write. Use this wall for Words related to your River Otter theme that your children need help spelling. Add just a very few words at a time and review them often.

Make other word walls all around the room.
-Post words about fish near the aquarium.
-Make a life sized drawing of an otter on a door and label it's parts.
-Make a Bulletin Board with Playful River Otters and a sign "What are we doing?" Label it "River Otter Verbs" and brainstorm verbs to add to it.

There are all kinds of activities that you can do with Word Walls to help the children learn to read and write.

More Word Wall Ideas

River Otter Word Walls

Teaching Reading and Writing with Word Walls (Grades K-3)



You will find lots more Word Wall ideas and ideas for learning to read on these lenses:
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A River Otter's Personal Office

Each of your Little River Otters can have a quick and easy reference folder at their desk.

Mini Office

Photo Credit: Mini Office
by jimmiehomeschoolmom
on Flickr, Creative Commons


PERSONAL OFFICE: Each student should have a personal office with their own list of words that they are working on and reminders of rules of editing and the pieces they are writing. Include words related to the River Otter Theme.
Mini Offices
Students can use Mini Offices as a reference for how to spell words, phonics rules, editing checklist or vocabulary word reference for their river otter unit study.

River Otters Read the Room

A River Otter Center to encourage use of the word walls that you have created

READ THE ROOM: Otters look everywhere for fish so you could cut index cards into fish shapes and use these to label the room. During circle time ask children to come up with several new words each day and attach them to those things. Later on during center time children can "Read the Room" or "Write the Room" with a partner taking turns with a pointer.

Write the Room

Photo Credit: Write the Room
on Flickr, Creative Commons


"Write the room" allows for differentiated skills practice. Children from Julie Lay's Class use a special form, grab a clipboard and off they go to "research" letters and words.
Notice the marking pens are glued (tip down) on a block of wood.
Writing to Read Kindergarten
Writing in Kindergarten is Active, Engaging and Social

Center Time

for small groups of River Otters

What follows are activities that have worked well in my classroom for Center Time.

As I transition from the Lemming Theme to River Otters I gradually change more and more centers until they all reflect the River Otter Theme. Then I begin to transition to Woodchucks
To learn more about Center Time see my lens on Beginning to Read.
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Clam Shell Flashcards

River Otters will gobble up these vocabulary games!

otter food

Photo Credit: Otters Eat Clams
on WPClipart


CLAM SHELL FLASHCARDS: Make clam shells out of cardboard. Put a picture on one side and the name of the picture on the other. Students put all the shells with the words facing up. They read the word to their partner and then turn it over to self-check. Later on they could start with the picture side up and try to spell the word.

The words that you include should be vocabulary words related to the River Otter Unit Study that your children are trying to learn to read. They could also be used as reference when writing about river otters during Writing Workshop.

The ABC's of River Otter Prey

A center for learning ABC order

ABC OTTER FOOD: Using sentence strips write the names of foods that otters eat. Add a picture or have the children draw one. Using a pocket chart and an alphabet chart, put the words in ABC order.
(clam, frog, salamander, snake, lizard, bird. beetle, fish)
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Hungry River Otters Eat their Words

A Vocabulary Word Center

River Otter Eating a Fish

Photo Credit: River Otter
on US Fish and Wildlife Service


HUNGRY OTTERS EAT THEIR WORDS: Draw an otter on a sheet of computer paper. Cut two slits in it's stomach. Make a strip of paper to weave through showing what the otter has eaten. On the strip draw a fish, freshwater clam, turtle, snake, snail, crayfish, wasp, frog, salamander etc. Write their words. As the child pulls the strip through he/she reads the word and then pulls a little more and self checks with the picture.

River Otters "Go Fish"

The Go Fish Game with a River Otter Twist

River Otter Fish CardsGo FishGo Fish
OTTERS GO FISH: Make a deck of cards with two sets of each card to play Go Fish using pictures of the animals that a river otter would eat. A picture and word on one card and just the word on the other helps the children to focus on reading the words while reinforcing the science of what a river otter eats.

Photo Credit: Rainbow Trout
on WPClipart

Charades: Guess who lives in the River Otters' Neighborhood

Animal Cards

Photo Credit: River Otter
on WPClipart



CHARADES: Make a set of cards with animals from the woodlands on acorn-shaped cardboard. Attach a can, covered in tree bark, to your tree at a height that the children can reach into. Children can take turns pulling out a card and imitate the animal until their partner guesses which one it is.

River Otters leave their Scent

River Otters learn about one of the Five Senses

Marking Scent

Photo Credit: River Otter Sent Game
on WPclipart


WHO WENT WHERE? Otters have scent glands just like skunks and leave their marks around their territory. Just before recess, have two children soak scrapes of cloth in two distinctly different smelling liquids. Then go out to the playground and leave the cloths all around. When the rest of the children go outside, they try to find the cloths and smell them to try to guess which river otter left his/her scent.

River Otter Riverbed

Make the Rice Table into a Riverbed

Rice Table

Photo Credit: River Otter
on Flickr, Creative Commons


RICE TABLE RIVERBED: Put on plastic aprons. Fill the rice or sensory table with mud. Add some plastic otters, and other plastic woodland animals. Scatter some birdseed onto the mud.

The children can create a river bank habitat. They might dramatize interactions between river otters and other animals they might encounter along the river bank. They can pretend to be river otters slipping and sliding down the river bank creating paths or slides down into the river. What fun!

Keep the rice table covered when not in use. Over the weekend the seeds will start to sprout. What a surprise for the children! Let them continue to explore the river bank habitat of the river otters while and discovering the parts of plants.

Encourage the children to keep a journal of their observations. Including interactions between river otters and encounters with other animals, river otters and the river bank as well as observations of plant growth.

Create your own River Otter or Clam Shell Flashcards

Create and print out your own flashcards.
Flash My Brain allows you to create and save your own sets of playing cards. Create flashcards with a river otter theme.

Short a Clam Bucket

River Otters learn their Vowels

Otter Food

Photo Credit: Freshwater Mussel
Photo by USFWS: Kristen Lundh
on Flickr, Creative Commons


SHORT A CLAM BUCKET: Make more clams out of cardboard. Paste pictures of words with short vowel sounds on them. Attach a magnet strip to the back of each one. If the word has the sound of short a as in clam, stick it to the outside of the pail. Tin pails are still fairly inexpensive.
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HANDWRITING and SPELLING PRACTICE

River Otters learn to write

Birch Bark Paper

Photo Credit: Birch Bark Letters
on Flickr, Creative Commons


HANDWRITING and SPELLING PRACTICE: Otters live in areas with birch trees. If you can find fallen birch trees it can be fun to write on the bark with pens. (Don't strip the bark from live trees as it will kill them.) River Otter TracksOtters also leave their tracks in the mud so your little otters might like writing in the mud outside, on a cookie tray covered with mud or sand, or painting their words with water outside on the playground.

When picking spelling words, have each child look in their journals for words that they are having difficulty remembering how to write.

They should practice these words during the week and take a test with a partner at the end of the week. Write misspelled words in their Personal Office.

Photo Credit: Cute River Otter Poster
by countrymousestudio
Available on Zazzle


To practice their river otter vocabulary or spelling words children might also like to use goldfish crackers to form words and then just like little otters, gobble them up.

Write Your Own River Otter Stories

Whole Group Reading and Writing about River Otters

Gather the your whole family of River Otters together and rewrite a story or poem.
Otters FloatingClass Book

Photo Credit: Otters Floating - Nature Art Postcard by yarddawg Available on Zazzle
Photo Credit: Books about River Otters on Clipart


Read to the children at various times throughout the day.

1. After reading The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse you might try rewriting it as The River Otter and the Sea Otter.

2. Try rewriting Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with an Oak or Maple tree instead of a Coconut Tree.

3. After reading Adventures of Little Joe Otter try making up new adventures for Little Joe and the Otter Twins.

These would also lend themselves well to puppet shows or skits about river otters.

Paper Doll Otters!

Dress these Otter Paper Dolls for any holiday!

Charles and Brook Otter were invited to the Annual Toymaker's Masquerade Ball and they must decide which outfits to wear. Marilyn Scott Waters has designed beautiful clothing for the otters. The characters accompany a book written by Ms. Waters featuring these otter paper dolls. Be sure to visit her site to purchase and read this delightful book.

paper dolls Encourage your children to make more clothes for the otters. How would these cute little otters dress for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, or for a birthday party?

Photo Credit: Puppet Doll Otters
by Marilyn Scott Waters
on The Toy Maker
Used by Permission

River Otter Research

River Otter is Hungry Emergent Reader

River Otter Emergent Reader

Read lots of non-fiction books about otters, rivers, and woodlands. Make graphs and charts about what you learned. Write your own non-fiction and fiction books.

Read several ABC books and then write a class ABC book with each child responsible for a letter of the alphabet. Brainstorm together for ideas for each letter.

A is for Aquatic.
B is for Brook.
C is for Crayfish.
etc.

Quiet Time for Little River Otters

Gather around on the rug to listen to stories.

Little Joe OtterThis would be a great time to read The Adventures of Little Joe Otter by Thornton W. Burgess.

This series of little books brings the woodlands to life with cute little fictional characters.

Each chapter is only a page or so long so that they work very well in a classroom setting for story hour.

Most first graders will be able to read Little Joe Otter by the end of the year.

Little Joe Otter

A story of a River Otter

River Otter with a Fish
River Otter with a Fish by picklelilly
Available on Zazzle


Little Joe Otter lives in the Green Forest and swims in the Smiling Brook. He is friends with Paddy the Beaver, and Jimmy Skunk but is weary of Reddy Fox.

Little Joe Otter is a wonderful children's story that teaches lessons of conservation and love of wildlife.
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Thornton Burgess was the Author of Little Joe Otter

More About Thornton Burgess

Old Mother West Wind By Thornton Burgess
It is a free etext that includes a chapter entitled "Little Joe Otter's Slippery Slide".
Thornton W. Burgess Society
Thornton W. Burgess author of The Adventures of Little Joe Otter wrote children's stories that teach lessons of conservation and love of wildlife.

MORE Picture Books for the River Otter's Den

River Otter Picture Books

After reading these books to the children I like to make them available to take home in Take Home Literacy Bags.
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Chapter Books for Bigger River Otters

Chapter books about river otters for older children can also be used as read alouds for younger children.
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River Otter Habitat

A River Otter would be at home on the banks of this river.

River Otter Habitat

A waterfall in Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. Thank you kiwisoutback for providing free images with a creative commons license to Squidoo Lenses.

River otters love to slip and slide down waterfalls like this one in Franconia Notch State Park.

Recently we visited the river otter exhibit at the Miami Metro Zoo and watched the river otters as the dipped and dived in the man made river. They chased eachother up the bank and plunged down the waterfall. It is rare to see river otters in the wild so try to take a field trip to a zoo where you can watch them up close. Be sure to come back and tell us about all that you observed.

Plants give your classroom the Riverbank Feeling!

River Otters live near riverbanks with lots of plants.

Classroom Vivarium

Photo Credit: Classroom Vivarium
on Flickr, Creative Commons



Classroom Vivarium: Filling a classroom with living plants, animals and natural materials brings life to learning.

PLANTS: Ask parents to donate lots of healthy plants. Have the children start some plants from seeds. Try growing birdseed in the rice table or in a dishpan. Sweet potatoes grow quickly into long vines and eventually have white flowers. Go on a field trip to a riverbank or pond where you are allowed to collect samples and take back some plants. Pussy Willows grow easily from cuttings. Other plants may need to be dug up and transplanted.

Allow children to choose the plants and animals that they would like to care for and have them record their observations daily.

Otter Anatomy

What's in and what's out!

River OtterSea Otter
Comparing River Otters with Sea Otters
Do you know the difference between river otters and their cousins the sea otters? This site comes with a FREE printable poster.

Little Joe Otter reads this book to his son every night.

Otter Reading

Photo Credit: Otter Reading about Clams
Available on Amazon


Excerpt - page 32: "... Gone fishing, my daddy and me."
A father and son go fishing, with a big fishing rod for the daddy and a little one for the child.
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The Tree of Knowledge! Additional Display Space

There are lots of trees in a River Otter's habitat.

1. Start with a large tree branch that has fallen to the ground in a wooded area.
2. Put it in a large coffee can, secure it with rocks, and pour plaster of Paris into the can so that the tree will set up firmly.
3. Occasionally change the location of the tree.
4. Use it to display information the children have learned about otters or as a Word Wall to display words related to otters.
5. Hang poems that the children have written onto theme shaped cover stock paper.
6. Ask the children for other ideas.

Election Time for River Otters:

Vote for your favorite river otter book!

Which books taught you something you didn't already know? Click on the arrows to chose different books on river otters and how many points you give them!(note: you must read them first.)

Adventures of Little Joe Otter by Thornton W. Burgess

Adventures of Little Joe Otter by Thornton W. Burgess

Great beginning chapter book. Thornton Waldo Burge more...2 points

River Otter at Autumn Lane (Smithsonian's Backyard) (Smithsonian's Backyard) by Laura Gates Galvin

River Otter at Autumn Lane (Smithsonian's Backyard) (Smithsonian's Backyard) by Laura Gates Galvin

In a den at the water's edge, a river otter nurses more...1 point

Otters under Water (Picture Books) by Jim Arnosky

Otters under Water (Picture Books) by Jim Arnosky

Under the watchful eye of their mother on the shore, more...1 point

You Call That a Farm?: Raising Otters, Leeches, Weeds and Other Unusual Things by Sam Epstein, Beryl Williams Epstein

You Call That a Farm?: Raising Otters, Leeches, Weeds and Other Unusual Things by Sam Epstein, Beryl Williams Epstein

Grade 5-8-- An informative, well-researched title more...1 point

River Otters go for a Swim

Water Displacement

Photo Credit: Crow and the Pitcher
on Wikimedia, Creative Commons

A Classroom Full of Water
What if your classroom were filled with water? How many gallons of water would it hold? How much area does an otter need? How many otters could live in your classroom if it was filled with water?
Act out Aesop's fable "The Crow and the Pitcher."
Fill a container almost to the top with water, and place it on a tray (or in the tub or sink). Have your children gradually add pebbles or marbles to the container until the water overflows.

River Otter Math

Measure, count, populate and and get wet while learning math.

Measure Water

Photo Credit: A Thimbleful of Water
on Flickr, Creative Commons


Part of our River Otter Unit Study involves studying the river otter's habitat. River otters live on the banks of rivers and streams. The volume of running water is vital to their survival. For math class we will be learning how to measure water. Being a liquid, water is measured by volume. You can also measure how deep the water is as well as how fast the water flows. Repeatedly taking these measurements and recording them will give you a new understanding of the stream or river near your home or school. How much water do you think river otters need to survive?

Add water or sand to your rice table with measuring cups. Allow children to discover how many cups in a gallon, teaspoons in a cup. Make flannel cutouts of the measuring cups, gallon jug, and measuring spoons. Make these to size. On a flannel board near the rice table have children record their observations for example putting a gallon jug, equals sign, 4 one-cup measures. Create a Gallon Man but make the face look like a river otter. Later they could record this in their math journals.

How Long is that River Otter?

How long is a river otter?LINEAR MEASUREMENT:

What do those numbers mean when you read how long an otter is?

1. Use an overhead projector to blow up a picture of an otter until it is the actual size.
2. Have a student trace around the outline, cut it out and mount it.
3. Do this with other similar animals to compare such as lemmings, weasels, mice, rats, etc.
4. An inchworm is hunches up itself in order to move forward about an inch at a time. An otter uses a similar motion.
5. Now that you know the average length of an otter, what nickname could you give it?

How deep is the River?

Is your river deep enough for a river otter?

MEASURING DEPTH: Go to a small stream or pond and measure depths using a tape measure. Take measurements every foot as you go across. Have a partner record the measurements. When back in the classroom make a graph of your observations. Share the information with your class.

How much does a River Otter really weigh?

WEIGHT:

What do those numbers mean when you read how much an otter weighs?
1. Research the weight of an otter. Using bathroom scales a grocery bag, fill the bag until it weighs the same amount as an otter.
2. Record your observations and share the information with the class.
3. Compare this weight with the weight of other simular animals.
4. Try to find other objects in the room that weigh the same amount as an otter.
5. Make a collection of 3 0r 4 objects and have others guess which one weighs the same as the otter.
6. Make this a self-checking exhibit by taping the answer to the bottom of each object.

What temperature is the water?

Can the water get too cold or too hot for River Otters?

Water Temperature

Photo Credit: Thermometer
on WPClipart


TEMPERATURE:

1. Go to a nearby stream or pond and measure the temperature.
2. Without stirring it up, try to measure it at different depths.
3. Go back and measure it on a sunny day compared to a cloudy day.
4. Do it again a month later, after a dry spell or after a rainstorm.
6. Record and share your observations.

Baby River Otters

Baby Otters

Photo Credit: Safari Incredible Creatures: American River Otter Babies
Available on Amazon


POPULATION GROWTH:

1. Research the birth and death rate of otters. Start with a male and female otter pair.
2. How many will there be after 1 month, 2 months, etc.
3. Try to obtain an otter stamp to chart population growth and record the information.

Little Joe Otter looks for patterns in the fish.

Help Little Joe Otter find the patterns on the fish. There are patterns in the words, plants bubbles and of course in the fish.

Patterns are the basis of all math. Recognizing patterns will help children understand sets, addition and eventuall algebra and geometry.
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The Science of River Otters

Cute pictures? You decide!

Study photographs of river otters. Notice the riverbank habitat. Notice how river otters can move so fluidly though the water. Look at the river otter's fur, thick with water beading off. Try drawing river otters as scientists do. Be as accurate as possible.

Click on the arrows below to decide which river otter pictures you think are cute!

River Otter

1

River Otter 4 points
Otters

2

Otters 3 points
River Otter

3

River Otter 3 points
river otter

4

river otter 1 point
Significant Otters

5

Significant Ott... 1 point
Plop

6

Plop 1 point

River Otter Science Theater

River Otter Puppet Theater

Puppet Theater

Photo Credit: River Otter Puppet Theater
Available on Amazon


Set up this video in the Theater Center where your little otters can learn about river habitats around the world. Include river otter puppets, puppets that represent the animals that river otters prey upon as well as other animals in the riverbank habitat. Children can put on plays reenacting the information they have been learning throughout this river otter unit study.
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River Games

Gather all your Little River Otters and learn how the water flows.

Little Joe Otter loves to play in the river.

Fishing Game

All the little otters in my class love to go fishing while working on math skills. Each player has a recording sheet and pencil. The number on the fish represents the number caught.

1. Catch 2 fish.
2. Write and add up the number caught.
ie: 3 + 2 = 5

Note: As their ability to add progresses you could increase the number values of the objects to be fished by writing numbers on the Chart instead of using the numbers provided by the game.

Once they understand place value, the first fish could represent the tens column and the second fish the ones column. In this case you could have the children catch 4 fish for each turn to add 2 digit numbers.
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River Otter Survival Game

River Otter Game

River Otter thank You Card card
River Otter by SavageArtworks
Available on Zazzle


This fast-paced river otter survival game includes printable invertebrates, snakes, turtles, frogs and fish, all animals that are eaten by river otters.
River Otter Survival Game
Printable game designed for Middle Schoolers but could be adapted for younger or older children.

River Otters Slip and Slide

MARBLE RUN SLIDE

River Otters

Photo Credit: Otters Under Water
Available on Amazon


MARBLE RUN SLIDE: Otters love to slide. Put together pieces of the Marble Run to make the Marble Otter, pretending that they are river banks. The marbles are the happy little otters, slipping and sliding down the riverbanks into the water.

Can you make other objects slide? Make a graph of things that will and won't slide down the river otter marble run.
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Art, Music and Drama

Fine Arts and the Lives of River Otters: Bring your Riverbank to Life

Otter on the RiverbankUsing just paintbrushes and water experiment with the way water changes how objects appear.Paint a riverbank scene with a river otter looking on!

Try painting on:

-river rocks
-leaves or flowers
-sidewalk or outdoor wall
-tissue paper
-plastic, metal, wood, glass

Photo Credit: A countryside stream with an otter from Mary Evans
Available on Amazon


PAINT WATER: Look at famous paintings. Try to figure out what techniques they uses to get certain effects. Take out the art supplies and start painting. Pick your best paintings and make them into a book describing the techniques you used. Make a series of pictures, add otters and tell their story. Or paint pictures that show what an otter sees as it swims through the water. Turn a refrigerator box into an art gallery and mount your paintings. Don't forget to mount them and give them titles. The above painting can be found in the link titled "Riverbank Painting" below.

River Otter Songs and Chants

River Otter Music

Otter Creek Stomp

OTTER SONGS: Change the words to familiar tunes to reinforce what you have been learning. Print these new songs on large poster paper, laminate them and hang them near the calendar. (See Reading Outside the Den above) for example "Ten Little Indians" can be changed to "Ten Little Otters".

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" fits the theme fine but maybe your could add other verses for example:

Photo Credit: Otter Creek Stomp Sheet
Available on Amazon


HAPPY OTTERS by Evelyn Saenz

Slide, slide, little otters
Into the water deep.
Swim around and look around
And find some fish to eat.

Swim, swim little otters
Swim along with me.
Around the rocks and under the logs
We're happy to be free.

Here's another Otter Song to the tune of "Are You Sleeping":

OTTER SONG by Evelyn Saenz
We are otters.
We are weasels,
In our den
On the bank.
We live in the forest,
Right beside the water.
Jump right in!
Come and swim.

Check out "Brandy Tree (Otter's Song)" by Gordon Bok in the link below.

River Otters Sing to Learn!

I Otter Be Singing bag
I Otter Be Singing by Otterthings
Available on Zazzle


Have you ever had a song repeat over and over in your head? To learn anything you must practice over and over. Repetition can be fun when it is disguised in a cheery tune. Change the words to a familiar song and soon the concepts you are teaching will be running through the children's heads day and night.
Sing to learn Kindergarten Science
Educational music so catchy kids will listen to it over and over again, all the while learning basic concepts in science.
Otter Song
Listen to this beautiful otter song online. :)

River Otter Theater

Watch real River Otters in action!

Set up an area as a Movie Theater. Children can make tickets, posters advertising the movies, sell tickets and make change. Include a video camera and they can even make their own movies to show.

River otters in Yellowstone 2 points

Little Joe Otter's Literacy Bag

I Otter Be Reading bag
I Otter Be Reading by Otterthings
Available on Zazzle


This would make a great Take Home Story Bag. Just add a couple of Books about River Otters, a stuffed River Otter, a game, and a journal for recording their experiences and you have the perfect homework assignment.

Children leave a story in the journal about the adventures that Little Joe Otter had when visiting their house. The next child to take home the River Otter Bag gets to read all of Little Joe Otter's previous adventures.
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Otter Voting! ;)

How do you feel about otters?

Otter in the Pool

Photo Credit: River Otter at the riparian restoration area
by VIU-CSR
on Flickr, Creative Commons



click an option to vote!

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River Otter Coloring Pages

O is for

Photo Credit: O is for Otter
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

O is an Otter
O is an otter That swims in the river. It splashes and swoops with a swish and a shiver.
River Otter Coloring Page
Color the River Otter

River Otters on eBay

Baby River Otters

Photo Credit: My Little Book of River Otters (My Little Book Series)
Available from Amazon

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Fish Catching Games

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Animals that Live on the River or Riverbank

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Who are the River Otter's neighbors?

Fauna in the River Otter Habitat

River Otters live on the banks of rivers. They often slide down the banks into the rivers. Sometimes it seems they slide for fun and at other times they may slide into the river to catch fish, crayfish and other aquatic dwellers. Along the bank river otters may encounter musk rats, amphibians, deer, and many kinds of birds.

Other Water Related Unit Studies

When you are looking for more water themed ideas to extend your river otter theme try looking at these unit studies. Each of them has fun, creative, hands-on water related activities that will get your children wet, wild and learning about the river otter habitat.
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River Otter Cousins

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The River Otters are in the Stonesoup Online Unit Study Directory

Directory of Unit Studies

Stone Soup Internet Directory of Unit Studies
Thank you to the Four Wheelers for having included the River Otters in their directory. This directory has now been passed on to Stone Soup Homeschooling.
Internet Directory of Unit Studies
A free Unit Study Database, featuring unit studies on nearly every subject!

River Otter Observations

Would you like to learn about river otters in a classroom alive with plants and animals?

Otters under Water (Picture Books)


Let me know your reaction river otter unit study. Have you ever observed river otters in the wild? Tell us about your experiences with river otters. Which ideas in this river otter unit study have you used?

  • Janiece Mar 11, 2012 @ 8:30 pm | delete
    River Otters are one of my favorites! Love this page on them!! Blessed by a Squid Angel
  • MelonyVaughan Mar 5, 2012 @ 8:33 pm | delete
    Great information and a beautiful lens! Thanks for sharing!
  • burntchestnut Mar 3, 2012 @ 3:33 pm | delete
    What a lot of information about otters. I've never seen them in the wild.
  • Big_Joe Mar 3, 2012 @ 9:58 am | delete
    Very detailed lens, nice layout and plenty of information and resources...
    I'm adding this lens as a related lens to my "cats eyes - a classroom kid's game on squidoo" and "reptiles eyes" lenses. Nice work... Liked, Shared and *Blessed*
  • mumsgather Jan 8, 2012 @ 10:38 pm | delete
    Wow! So comprehensive. I especially like the otter paperdolls. They're sweet.
  • WildWilliams Jan 7, 2012 @ 5:59 am | delete
    Otters are wonderful animals, I have seen them several times in the wild areas of Michigan.
    I have even developed a set of cartoon river otters. Take a peak if you like at: http://www.squidoo.com/Wild_Toons.
  • KimGiancaterino Dec 19, 2011 @ 4:41 pm | delete
    Very informative. I always learn a lot from your lenses!
  • SIALicenceUK Nov 3, 2011 @ 9:32 am | delete
    Wow now thats a great lens, everything you could ever need to know about otters. Thumbs up.
  • thebabyshop Jul 20, 2011 @ 10:40 pm | delete
    Beautiful lens! I love river otters. There's a museum in Milton, MA which has an outdoor river otter exhibit with a longtime otter that's been on display. He swims and puts on quite a show for visitors.
  • efriedman Jul 16, 2011 @ 6:12 pm | delete
    Two weeks ago got to see sea otters in the wild, off California coast (from high on cliffs). They are related to river otters at the taxonomic level of Family
  • phoenix-arizona-friends Jul 15, 2011 @ 6:43 pm | delete
    Cool animals.
  • efriedman May 27, 2011 @ 11:48 am | delete
    Fun ideas to get kids excited. I've never seen river otters in the wild - just in zoos.
  • dannygator7790 May 8, 2011 @ 2:08 am | delete
    Great lens! I just made one about sea otters, which are a little different, but otters none-the-less. They are such great creatures.
  • Tipi Apr 3, 2011 @ 6:29 pm | delete
    A wonderful learning unit on river otters, delightful!
  • Squidoolinepro Apr 1, 2011 @ 12:10 pm | delete
    Happy April Fool's Day. No pranks, just blessings;)
  • BuckHawk Feb 14, 2011 @ 9:06 am | delete
    Just flying over to drop some Angel Dust on your fabulous lens. Featured on Angel Flys Over Small Mammals.
  • KokoTravel Dec 18, 2010 @ 2:06 pm | delete
    Great things about otters... I have loved them since I was a child.
  • chemknitsblog Dec 9, 2010 @ 12:22 pm | delete
    This is such a phenomenal lens! Not only did I learn something about otters, but I've learned about great ideas on how to teach about them! I can't help buy bless this lens.
  • WriterBuzz Oct 5, 2010 @ 11:20 pm | delete
    I just found your lens. I like it a lot. Thanks for building it. Gave you a thumbs up.
  • karanta Oct 2, 2010 @ 6:15 pm | delete
    You have so many interesting and very well done lenses :) Fantastic work!
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About the Author of this River Otter Lens

Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.

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Otters are elusive creatures. I have never seen one in the wild but hope to one day soon as I Walk in the Woods.

Come see what else I'm up to:
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Writing about River Otters

River otters on Wizzley,


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Evelyn_Saenz

My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning... more »

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River Otter Neighbors 

Unit Studies in the River Otter Habitat

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