Baby Animals

Introduction
As we celebrate mother's day we are reminded that God created us through mothers and that mothers are all around us in creation.

Every mother knows her baby---but do you? Take the quiz!

A mother horse gallops with her ______________.
The mother cow gives milk for her _______________.
A baby tiger hunts food for her _________.
The mother hen looks for worms for her _____________.
The mother dog plays with her ______________.
The mother duck swims with her ______________.
The mother cat catches a mouse for her ______________.
The mother goat nibbles grass with her __________.
The mother pig is busy caring for her ____________.
The mother sheep calls her ______________.
The mother fox hunts for her _______________.
The mother kangaroo keeps her ____________ in her pouch.
The mother deer lies with her _______.
A mother frog takes swims with her _________.
The mother bear takes care of her ________.
The mother donkey runs with its _________.
A mother eagle brings back a worm for it ________.
A mother Ferret takes care of it's _______.
A mother goose swims with its _______.

Answers
pony, calf, cub, chick, puppy, duckling, kitten, kid, piglet, lamb, pup, joey, fawn, tadpole, cub, colt, eaglet, kit, gosling

Variation
Write the names of the animals and baby animals on cards and place them on the backs of the children. Then they must ask "yes" or "no" questions and try to find the baby that matches with the mother.

Variation
You can place the cards on a table and play a concentration style card game. Kids turn over two cards. If a mother is matched with the baby animal they can go again. If not they turn the cards back over and the next child turns over two cards. The child with the most cards at the end wins. As a variation you can get photos of parents and children and paste them to cards or photocopy them on cards. Then they must also match mother and child.

Variation
"Battle" also known as "slap"-- Add animal cards (see website below for more animals and babies) as well as duplicates. Shuffle and deal the cards into two equal piles. Divide the class into two teams. Each team chooses a person to turn over cards. Each team turns over a card at the same time as the other team. When the two cards go together the first person to slap the top of the discards in the center gets all those cards. If they slap the stack and the cards do not match, the other team gets all the cards. The team can shout directions for its player and help them to determine when to slap the deck. Once the deck has been slapped, the next person from each team turns over the cards. The game is over when one team obtains all the cards in this manner.

Variation
Have each child bring a stuffed animal. Put them all put in a pile. Then one by one mothers are blindfolded and they have to find their child's stuffed animal without looking!

Variation
"Name That Animal"- This is a fun game for small children just beginning to learn their animals. Pass out animal stickers or small stuffed animals, and have the kids imitate the animal they receive. You might write the names of a baby and a mother. Then by imitating the animal they have been given they most find the mother of that animal.

More animals and their babies can be found at
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/subjects/animals/Animalbabies.shtml
They also list the names for groups of animals such as a pride of lions.

Application
Each animal has a special name for its baby. Your mother gave each of you a special name as well. And God knows each one of you by name. Just as mother animals take care of thier babies, your mother takes care of you. Take some time to thank your mom for taking care of you.