Assign a mammal to each student to research, but tell them to keep it a secret from their classmates. The next day, the students must bring in information about their animals, such as their habitat and what they eat. Each student will have a chance to stand in front of the class and give clues to try to get the class to guess what animal he researched. The student who correctly guesses can get a small reward and will get to go next.
Very young children will be fascinated by illustrated books about different types of mammals. "The Mammal Book: Jaws, Paws, Claws and More...," by Barbara Taylor, provides facts on a wide variety of mammals in their habitat. "Is a Camel A Mammal?" by Tish Rabe, is a Dr. Suess book about mammals. Extinct animals are discussed in
"Prehistoric Mammals," by Alan Turner.
Divide students into partners or groups and give them magazines with pictures of animals in them. Assign each group a different type of mammal, such as marine, hoofed or marsupials. Have the students cut out pictures of their type of mammal and create a collage on construction paper. The groups will show their collage to the rest of the class and discuss what makes their type of mammal different from others.
End the unit with a field trip to the zoo. Have the students identify the mammals they see in the exhibits. If there is an aquarium, take in the dolphin or whale show. Arrange a behind-the-scenes tour so a zoologist can speak to the children about mammals or show them exotic and rare mammals up close.