Children’s Author
Now you can download the Copy That, Copy Cat! Teacher’s Guide all in one file!
Plus it includes a new Language Arts activity. Animals Go Vroom! by Abi Cushman was one of the inspirations for Copy That, Copy Cat!. “Good Copycat or Bad Copycat?” invites students to compare and contrast the two books and practice being good copycats in their own writing.
Hands on Science!
At long last, the last chunk of the Copy That, Copy Cat! Teacher’s Guide is available. With these inquiry-based experiments, kids will discover how planes fly, how snowshoes work, and make their own soda can submarine!
You can find the rest of the Teacher’s Guide in Resources.
I have a couple of new resources for educators!
Here’s a printable coloring sheet of one of my favorite COPY THAT, COPY CAT! spreads:
And check out my guest post on Patricia Newman’s LitLinks blog. It includes the biomimicry song, two hands-on science activities about lift, and a language arts activity on how to be the good kind of copycat! The site is full of lots great STEM activities connected to children’s books,,
In case you missed it: Teacher’s Guide, Part 1. You can also find all of the educator resources on the Resources page.
Looking for activities to go with Copy That, Copy Cat? The first two installments of the Teacher’s Guide are now available! You can find them in Resources.
First is the official activity guide put together by Barefoot Books. It has discussion questions and a design your own animal-inspired invention activity, which includes a worksheet. It’s more educator-oriented, but can be used at home too. With younger kids, try designing the invention as a group!
The second uses music and movement to introduce the word “biomimicry.”
Ask the Planet by The Missoula Coyote Choir & Friends is an album created by the Biomimicry Institute. Sung by a children’s choir and some celebrities, it features songs for kids about biomimicry and nature. They’re all fun, but my favorite is “What’s Biomimicry.” It’s super catchy—if you listen to it, you’ll always remember that “bio(s)” means “life” and “mimicry” means “imitate”!
I’ve added motions—thanks to my nephew and his friends for testing them!
The Biomimicry Institute also has a Teacher’s Guide with activities for the whole album as part of their AskNature educational resources: https://asknature.org/resource/ask-the-planet-cd-and-teaching-guides/
“What’s Biomimicry” on Spotify
Next up? Hands-on activities to explore all of the science concepts in Copy That, Copy Cat. Coming soon!
