HS Zoo Animals

Interest Area Changes to Environment

Zoo Animals

Zoo Books

Empty Animal Cracker Box

Paper Plates

Yarn (12 inches or smaller)

Safari Truck

Safari Hat

Animal Picture Cards

Animal Stencils

Animal Stamps

Stuffed Zoo Animals

Cotton Balls

Animal Masks

Animal Paper Plates

Animal Cookie Cutters

Zoo Keeper Wardrobe

​Cardboard Boxes

Real Animal Pictures

Teaching Concepts for Large Group

1. What animals live in the zoo?

2. What is your favorite zoo animal? Chart.

3. Go into detail on the children’s favorite zoo animals listed in #2.

4. Who takes care of animals at the zoo?

5. Who is a veterinarian?

6.  What do animals at the zoo eat?

7.  What is the differences in animals that live in the zoo verses the same animals that live in the wild?

Teaching Concepts for Small Group

1.  Talk about ways lions use their sense of smell. Place cotton balls around the room with a few unscented and a few scented.  Have children pretend to be lions on the hunt by crawling around, and use their noses to find the scented ones.

2. Have children make patterns with safari animal rubber stamps.

3.  Classify animals into categories.  Examples: zoo animals / farm animals, mammals / reptiles, etc..

4.  Make monkey faces and bananas from felt. Number each monkey. The children will place the correct number of bananas next to each monkey.

5.  Lion Paper Plate Masks - Have the children paint a paper plate yellow or brown. After the paint has dried, have the children use a hole punch around the rim of the plate. Supply the children with yellow, orange and brown yarn pieces, about two inches in length. The children should place a piece of yarn in a hole and tie it. Continue until there is yarn all the way around the plate. At this point the children may cut out the facial features to make a mask, or glue on facial features.

6.  Make cages with blocks for the animals in the zoo. Discuss how you have to take care of the animals.

7.  Make lego puzzles with pictures of the animals and have the children put them together.

8.  Sort the real photo of the animal with the toy.

9.  Make animal tracks out of play dough. Then make cages with popsicle sticks.

10.  Handprint animals found in the zoo.

Teaching Concepts for Music Movement Wellness IMIL

1. Elephant Tracks - Affix elephant track shapes on the floor in a path with contact paper. Have the children follow the path. You can make the shapes close together or far enough apart so that they can hop from one to the next while playing music.

2.  Bear Hunt

3.  The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Tune: For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow

The bear went over the mountain,

The bear went over the mountain,

The bear went over the mountain,

To see what he could see

To see what he could see,

To see what he could see

The other side of the mountain,

The other side of the mountain,

The other side of the mountain,

Was all that he could see

Was all that he could see,

Was all that he could see,

The other side of the mountain,

Was all that he could see!

Teaching Concepts for Fingerplays

1. Sally the Camel

Sally the camel has five humps.

Sally the camel has five humps.

Sally the camel has five humps,

Ride, Sally, Ride.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

**Repeat verse with four humps, three, two, one, and

then no humps.

Sally the camel is a horse of course

2.  Five Little Elephants

Five little elephants rowing toward the shore.

One fell in, then there were four.

Four little elephants climbing up a tree.

One slid down, now there are three.

Three little elephants living at the zoo.

One walked out the gate, then there were two.

Two little elephants playing in the sun.

One fell asleep, now there is one.

One little elephant isn’t any fun.

Abra-ca-dabra, then there were none!

3. 100 Animals

I went to the zoo

And what did I see?

100 animals

Looking at me.

There were,

10 tall giraffes, eating from the trees.

10 silly monkeys, scratching on their knees.

10 sleeping snakes, lying in the sun.

10 munching elephants, eating peanuts one by one.

10 leaping tigers, performing in the shows,

10 pink flamingos, standing on their toes.

10 grouchy bears, trying to get some sleep.

10 happy hippos, in the water deep.

10 roaring lions, walking two by two.

10 galloping zebras, all living in the zoo

4.  5 Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree

Teaching Concepts for Outdoor Experiences

1. Zoo Keeper May I?

Played just like Mother May I? The child and teacher stand at opposite sides of a room. The child asks if he/she may: take so may step forward. i.e. “Mother may I please take 3 baby steps forward?” the answer would be either, “Yes you may,” or “No, you may not.” The child wins when they reach you. Encourage the use of descriptive words, such as little, big, huge, tiny, and giant.

2.  Duck, Duck, BEAR!!!

Played like “Duck, Duck, Goose” except the children will go around the circle, and say “Bear” instead of “Goose.”

*Substitute Bear for other Zoo animals

3.  Zoo Keeper Says:

Played just like “Simon Say” except the teacher says “Zoo Keeper Says.” With younger children, do not make children sit out… just say “Zoo Keeper didn’t say.”

CLASS Concepts

After reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? at circle time or small group, encourage children to make their own Brown Bear type book.  Allow them to write their name twice for the title and help them to finish it by prewriting or helping them to write “what do you see?” Provide many magazines, store sales papers, etc. for children to cut out pictures and glue them into their book.  The children can also use art materials such as markers and colored tissue paper to create their own illustrations that will look like the illustrations in the actual book. Provide an opportunity for the children to read their books to the class.  These would be great to place in the book center.

Teaching Concepts for Distance Learning

1. Animal Walks

Show an animal card or say an animal and children move like that animal.

2. Catch the Monkey's Tail!

Ask children to move like monkeys. Point out that monkeys use their arms, legs, and whole bodies to run. leap, or climb through trees. Mimic how a monkey moves around and imitate its sounds too ("ooh, ooh, ee, ee, ah, ah"). Children can take turns being "It". Give each child a scarf or fabric strip to tuck into their back pocket or waistband. Give children a few seconds to run, leap, or climb like monkeys before being chased. Then say, "Ready or not, here I come". Reach and gently grab a tail, which makes the child "It". Now it's his/her turn to chase the monkey's tail.

3. https://onmykidsplate.com/15-amazing-virtual-field-trips-online-for-kids/

15 amazing online virtual field trips.