When I was a kid, I belonged to Campfire boys and girls. One of the things we learned about was animal tracking, that is the skill of being able to identify and track animals by the subtle and not-so-subtle ways they let us know they were in an area. This always fascinated me as I had visions of what that animal did when they were in the area and believed that we were right on it’s tail, literally and figuratively!
If you are doing a unit study on animal tracking, here are some animal tracking unit study resources to help you put together an awesome plan!
Animal Tracking Unit Study Resources
Animal Tracking Lesson Plan Ideas
This Bird Track Infographic from Love Infographics could be a great resource for creating a unit study with just bird tracks.
This information on Tracking Red Foxes in the Winter from One Acre Farm could be a great unit study by itself.
Animal Tracking Printables
These free downloadable farm Animal Tracks ID Cards from Hobby Farms is perfect for finding common animals in the country.
This Match the Animals to Their Tracks printable from Exploring Nature is great for younger elementary students to take into the field with them.
This printable 2 page set is for animals in Oklahoma, but they are animals that are in most of the US as well so it can be used in many states.
Animal Tracking Crafts and Experiments
Here are some instructions on how to Make Animal Track Casts from with plaster from My Kids Adventures.
This “Inspecting Animal Tracks” experiment from Education.com is good for both older and younger students and is easily adaptable.
Animal Tracking Educational Videos and Clips
Here is a great short video from Nature Mentor on YouTube about 5 Things to Look for When Tracking Animals.
You can also track animals by their waste. Here is a great video on Tracking Animals from Scat by Woodlands TV via YouTube.
Animal Tracking Recipes
This whole grain Animal Track Snack is great for any age during your animal tracking unit study from Cocina Marie.
Additional Animal Tracking Resources
A Naturalist’s World has some good information on it about animal tracking.
Outdoor Action from Princeton University has a great tracking section to learn how to track certain kinds of animals.
BioKids is a site that offers some printables as well as information about various ways to track with clues animals leave behind.
Animal Tracking Books for Kids
Scats and Tracks of the Dessert Southwest by James Halfpenny
Scats and Tracks of North America by James Halfpenny
Who Pooped in the Park? by Gary D. Robson
Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks by Olaus J Murie
Mammal Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch
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