A Primary Unit on Zoo Animals
Discuss with the children that there are zoos in all countries of the world. Explain to them that some animals, such as the elephant and zebra are from Africa while others, like cows and pigs, are from North America. Show them pictures of different zoo animals and tell them where those animals are from.
All zoos have different animals in them and they also have some that are the same. Emphasize to them that this is just like people. Even though we may look different, we have some of the same features, too.
Books on Zoo Animals
v Amazon Alphabet- Martin and Tanis Jordan
v Daddy, Could I Have an Elephant- Jake Wolf
v Animal Parade- Jakki Wood
v Rhino and Mouse- Todd Starr Palmer
v I Had a Hippopotamus- Hector Lee
v Zoo-Looking- Mem Fox
v Ten Little Hippos- Bobette McCarthy
v Where is the Bear at School?- Bonnie Larkin Nims
v I Went to the Zoo-Ann Tompert
v Elephant’s Aloft- Kathi Appelt
v How to Draw Zoo Animals- Jocelyn Schreiber
v Giant Pandas- Sandra Lee
v The Orangutan- Ruth Ashby
v The Cheetah- Philippe Dupont
v Tigers- Lynn M. Stone
v Animals at the Zoo- Ron Hirschi
v Giraffe—See How They Grow- Dorling Kindersley
v Joey—The Story of a Baby Kangaroo- Hope Ryden
Aesthetic
Sing Songs: The Animals at the Zoo (Tune to The Wheels on the Bus)
The Zoo Animal Chant
The Elephant (Tune to Mulberry Bush)
Underneath the Monkey Tree (Tune to Muffin Man)
100 Animals Chant/Rhyme
Pretend Play
Zoo Animals Puppet Show
Zoo Animal Masks
Zoo Play Area
Language/Emergent Literacy
Singing of the Songs
The library area
Children dictate a story about animals they would see at a zoo
Naming the different animals
Social
Play Tiger, Tiger, Lion (Duck, Duck, Goose)
Song Singing
Zoo Puppets
Lunch & Snack
Group Reading
Physical
Finger Zoo Puppets (fine-motor)
Zoo Games (gross-motor)
Animal Painting (fine-motor)
Zoo Play Area (gross-motor)
Coloring (fine-motor)
Zoo Hunt (gross-motor)
Construction
Coloring
Painting
Zoo Masks
Zoo Play Area
Cognitive
All of our activities include the cognitive domain
1. Use finger paints to paint different zoo animals
2. Make zoo animal masks
3. Make zoo animal puppets
5. Hand zoo animals: Have each child trace their hand on light colored paper. Allow students to use, crayons, markers, paint or fabric scraps to add the animals face, tail, markings etc.
6. To make a lion, use a large paper plate and provide lots of brown, yellow, and orange yarn (cut into 2 inch strips). The children can color the lions face, and then glue the yarn all around the edge to make a furry face!
7. Using Q-tips or new water color brushes, paint animal crackers with edible paint made from corn syrup and food coloring. Then let the children eat their creations.
Library Center
Provide numerous books about zoo animals for the children to read
Food Center
Provide ingredients needed to make the different zoo snacks such as: painted animal crackers, monkey tails, and graham cracker zoo cages
Computer Center
Using a painting program, have the children paint different pictures of animals & let them use the Geo-Safari program.
Sensory Center
Have a spray bottle at the water table and let the children spray it so they can see what water looks like coming out of an elephants trunk & provide stuffed zoo animals for the children to play with and feel.
Listening Center
Provide a zoo book and a cassette tape that goes along with the book for the children to listen to.
Coloring Center
Provide pictures of zoo animals for the children to color: some pre-cut and others not pre-cut to give them choices.
Science Center
Provide three bowls filled with hay, grass, and water. Give the children different plastic zoo animals and have them place them in the bowl that they think their habitat is.
Daily Schedule
8:45-9:00 Arrival
9:00-9:15 Morning
meeting
9:15-10:30 Work/Center
time
10:30-10:45 Clean-up
time
10:45-11:00 Snack
11:00-11:15 Circle Time
11:15-11:50 Outdoor/
Indoor Interest Areas
11:50-12:00 Prepare for
Lunch
12:00-12:45 Lunch &
Clean-up
1:00-2:30 Nap Time/
Center Time
2:30-3:00 Quiet Work
Time
3:00-3:15 Clean-up
3:15-3:30 Story Time &
Dismissal
Concepts
There are many different types of animals in the zoo.
There are zoos all over the world.
Some zoo animals are in cages and others are in an open, fenced area.
Zoo animals live in all different types of environments.
All ages of people can go to the zoo.
Materials Needed
Markers
Fabric scraps
Colors
Paints
Construction Paper
Paper Plates
Yarn
Books
Glue Sticks
Paintbrushes
Q-tips
Coloring Pages
Animal cutouts
Magazines
Graham crackers
Peanut butter
Animal crackers
Black licorice
Corn syrup
Food coloring
Bananas
Chocolate
Popsicle sticks
Hay, Grass, Water
Plastic zoo animals
Stuffed zoo animals
Spray bottle
Zoo animal picutres
Adapting for Special Needs
Provide bigger paintbrushes, have sensory items & book cassette tapes for the visually impaired, allow them to finger paint if they cannot hold the brushes.
When you are talking about different animals, hold up pictures of the animal so that the hearing impaired have an idea of what you are talking about.
Culminating Events
For an end of the year field trip this year, take the kids to the zoo. Earlier in the week, ask each child which animal they want to see the most, and then make masks with paper plates, construction paper, and yarn of each child's animal so that they can wear them at the zoo.
Have each child paint a picture of their favorite zoo animal and then have them write a little bit about that animal underneath their drawing. When all the children have done this, put all the drawings together and make a classroom book of favorite zoo animals.