Animals Around Us
Primary 2 · Science and Elementary Technology
Animals Around Us
Lesson 2 of 3
12 min
Let's begin
Keza runs inside, out of breath. "The cow has a baby! It is standing up already!"
Her father laughs. "Yes. And you must not call it a baby cow. It has its own name. It is a calf."
Every animal has a home, and every baby animal has a special name. Today you will learn them.
Keza's cow sleeps in a cowshed. It has a roof, so the rain does not fall on the cow at night.
Now walk around Keza's home with her and look at every home you pass:
The wild animals have homes too — but nobody built them.
You do not say "a baby cow". You say a calf. Here are the names to learn:
Keza's cow carried her calf inside her body. One morning the calf was born, alive and wet, and it stood up on its long legs. Cows, goats, sheep, dogs, cats and rabbits all have their babies this way.
The hen is different. The hen laid an egg. She sat on it and kept it warm for many days. Then the shell cracked open and a small yellow chick pushed its way out.
So: some animals lay eggs (hens, ducks, birds, snakes, fish, crocodiles). Other animals give birth to a live baby (cows, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, lions, elephants).
Ishimwe must say the home and the baby name of a hen.
Now do the same for a goat: home → a pen or shed; baby → a kid; and the kid was born alive, because a goat does not lay eggs.
Tip
Learn the baby names in pairs. Say them out loud, again and again:
Cow → calf. Goat → kid. Sheep → lamb. Hen → chick. Dog → puppy. Cat → kitten. Lion → cub.
Remember the funny one: a baby elephant is a calf too, just like a baby cow. A huge animal with a baby-cow name!
Answer in your head, then look underneath.
What do we call a baby goat?
Answer: a kid. (A kid is a young goat. That is the animal word.)
Where do bees live?
Answer: in a hive.
Uwase's hen sat on her eggs for many days. What came out of them?
Answer: chicks. A hen lays eggs, keeps them warm, and the chicks hatch out of the shells.
Mugisha built a little wooden box with a door for his rabbit. What is that home called?
Answer: a hutch.
Name the baby of a dog, a sheep and a lion.
Answer: a dog has a puppy, a sheep has a lamb, and a lion has a cub.
Note
What you learned today:
Quick check
Match each animal to its baby.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
