Zoo Animals -- Preschool & Kindergarten
Zoo Fingerplays/Songs
Zookeeper
Sing to the tune "Mulberry Bush" the tasks of a zookeeper:
"This is the way we feed the lions,"
"This is the way we clean the cages."
"This is the way we wash the elephants."
Zoo Animals
(tune: Have You Ever Seen A Lassie?)
Have you ever seen the ________.
The ______, the _______?
That lives in the zoo?
That lives in the zoo,
That lives in the zoo.
Have you ever seen the ______,
That lives in the zoo?
Have children take turns naming zoo animals. After each child's turn have the children sing the above song, filling in the blank with the animal's name.
The Zoo
A good poem to use with body movements.
At the zoo we saw a bear.
He had long dark fuzzy hair.
Pretend to walk like a bear.
We saw a lion in a cage.
He was in an awful rage.
Pretend to be a angry lion.
We saw the big, long-necked giraffe,
And the silly monkeys made us laugh.
Be laughing monkey.
But my favorite animal at the zoo,
Is the elephant--how about you?
Discuss everyone's favorite.
Art
Animal-Picture Books
Need: magazines, catalogs, paper
Cut out magazine pictures of different kinds of animals. Provide each child with several sheets of paper, folded and stapled into a book. Encourage them to choose pictures to glue into their books, then make up stories about the pictures. Encourage children to write their own stories by using scribbles or invented spelling or by dictating their stories.
Zoo Collage
Have children cut out animal pictures from magazines and make a collage.
Zoo Pennants
Need: triangle shape construction paper.
Make pennants for zoo visitors. Have children paint and decorate large paper triangles; they can include their favorite zoo animal on the pennant. Use the pennants to decorate a bulletin board or staple onto cardboard tubes for the children.
Zoo Language
Zoo
Introduce the word "zoo". Cut out the letters zoo letters, paste in order and color.
What Animal Is Missing?
Place the animal cards in the middle of a group of children. Name the animals. Talk about the animals. Have the children close their eyes and the teacher removes one of the cards. Let the children guess which animal is missing.
Use the Zoo Animal Cards to:
Children color the animal and color the animal name.
Have children lay out the animal cards in alphabetical order.
Zoo Math
Use the Zoo Animal Cards to:
Patterns. Print multiple pages for children to lay out in patterns.
Concentration game. Print two sheets of each page, glue to a folder
type paper, cut out. Play a game of concentration.
Animal Safari
Tape picture of zoo animals throughout the room or building. Give each child a clipboard and a "Safari" graph. The children color in a box on their graph when they find an animal.
When done collect the animal pictures and use them to make a floor graph. Compare the children's graphs to the floor graph.
Zoo Learning Centers
Habitat
On the science table, place a bowl of water, a tray of dirt, and a box with hay or grass. Also, include many small toy zoo animals. The children can place the animals in their correct habitat.
Look Close
Provide magnifying glass with pictures of zoo animals. Children can examine the animals up close.
In the sensory table(water table) place rubber, plastic, or wooden models of zoo animals. Place hay (or paper strips) in a for children to feed or bed down animals.
Create an area as a concession stand (puppet theaters work well for shops) with play: popcorn, juice, hot dogs, hamburgers, tickets, and money. Decide on a name for the “Zoo Shop” and decorate a sign to hang up. Create a price list for the zoo shop items. See below for zoo money and zoo tickets. The $1 is a child’s ticket and the $5 is an adult ticket.
Math--Count The Zoo Animals In Cages
Collect a set of ten plastic strawberry containers and place a numeral from one to ten on the bottom of each. These willserve as zoo cages when turned upside down. Ask the children to place the appropriate number of plastic animals beneath the cages.
Add plastic zoo animals (and small brushes if available) to the water table for the animals to be given baths. You can add dish soap to the water for animal bubble baths.
Zoo Snacks
Animals on Grass
Take a graham cracker and spread either peanut butter or green-tinted cream cheese on the top. Stand an animal cracker on the top of the graham cracker.
Bananas
Popcorn in paper bags, like you would buy at the zoo.
Let's Go To The Zoo Video
Gross Motor
Feeding Pail Toss
Toss balled paper balls into a feeding pail.
Balance Beam
Walk like cats on the balance beam.
Recommended Books
My Visit to the Zoo
by Aliki
How would you like to travel from a tropical rain forest to the African plains, and down into a deep canyon all in one day? Then get ready for a wild trip to the zoo.
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo: A Counting Book
by Eric Carle
A counting board book with Eric Carle's whimsical illustrations of animals.
Monkey
Fingerplay/Song
The Monkey
The monkey claps, claps, claps his hands. (clap hands)
The monkey claps, claps, claps his hands. (clap hands)
Monkey see, monkey do.
The monkey does the same as you.(use pointer finger-change actions)
Science
Fleas
Monkeys often have fleas. Provide a large picture of a flea with a magnifying glass for children to examine up close.
Flea imageMonkey Meals (serves one)
Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 hot dog roll , 2 tsp. peanut butter, Miscellaneous vegetable slices
Peel banana, place in hot dog roll. Spread peanut butter over the banana. Add various vegetable slices for condiments.
Tiger
Games
Tiger Ball
Need: Large ball
Children sit in a circle (a small circle of five to eight children provides more learning opportunity). If the group is large, divide into two or three circles. Children chant the following verse as they pass the ball around the circle:
Tiger ball, tiger ball,
Where it stops, no one knows.
If you're caught holding it,
You become a tiger.
On the word, "Tiger," whoever is holding the ball at that moment must lose a turn, and sit in the center of the circle. Children do not mind this penalty in the slightest because they are the center of attention and because their time out is very brief.
This game, while very, very simple, is a great delight for little children. It teaches them, in the gentlest way, something about cooperation through simple give and take.
Color Pages
Sites to See
San Diego Zoo Kids Section
elephant family color page.
