Platypus Lapbook - Homeschool Share

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Is it a bird? Is it a fish? No! It’s a mammal. Learn all about this unique and amazing animal with our Platypus Lapbook.

Thanks to Kris White for completing the Platypus research and lessons for this study.

Platypus Lapbook Information

Here are some sample lessons from the Platypus Lapbook:

Where Does the Platypus Live?
The platypus lives only in the eastern part of Australia and on the island of Tasmania. A reference map has been provided below to help your child shade the correct regions of Australia.

Platypus Breathing
A platypus can stay underwater for two to three minutes. Its nostrils are on the top of its bill so it can stay under the water and breathe at the same time! For this minit book have your child write how long the platypus can stay under the water. Then, get a stopwatch and see how long your child can hold his/her breath. Record your results under the appropriate flap. In the center of the book write a little about the bill of the platypus and how he can breathe under the water.

Platypus Babies
The mother platypus usually lays her sticky, soft-skinned eggs in pairs. More rarely one or three eggs are laid. When three eggs are laid, they are attached in a triangle. She keeps the eggs in the burrow and keeps them warm on her belly and covered with her tail.

The babies, called puggles, are born blind and without fur, within two weeks. A week or so later, the babies suckle milk from their mother, not from the nipples but from tufts of hair. The babies drink milk off of their mother’s fur for four to five months. The platypus is not an ordinary mammal, it’s different. It’s labeled a monotreme.

You can grab a copy of the entire Platypus lapbook in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

Platypus Lapbook Printables

These printables are included in the Platypus Lapbook:

Platypus Facts Tab Book
What’s for Dinner? Plate Shape
Feeding Facts Tri-fold
Where Can I Find a Platypus? Map Book
Who Is Like the Platypus? Simple Fold
Platypus Babies Envelope Fold Book
Label a Platypus (Platypus Diagram)
Platypus Breathing
How Is a Platypus Like a ____? Matchbooks
Unique Australian Animals Shutterflap
Platypus Coloring Page

How to Get Started with Your Platypus Lapbook

Follow these simple instructions to get started with the Platypus Lapbook.

If you want, go to your local library and check out books about platypuses.
Print the Platypus Lapbook.
Choose and prepare the mini-books you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week of reading and learning all about the unique and interesting platypus!