Eee, Eee,
Aah, Aah, Ooo, Ooo,
Welcome to the ZOO!!
Paper Bag Elephants
Cut a large section out of a brown paper grocery bag.
Have the children crumple it up and make it all wrinkly.
Then have them smooth it out flat again and paint with
gray tempera paint. When dry, cut out a large elephant
shape out of it. Draw on the facial features except for
the nose. The nose can also be made from the paper bag
painted grey. Accordian-fold it after the paint dries and
then glue onto the elephant face.
Game - Play "Monkey See, Monkey Do"
Song -
Did you ever see a zebra,
a zebra, a zebra?
Did you ever see a zebra
With black and white stripes?
They go this way and that way,
And this way and that way.
Did you ever see a zebra
With black and white stripes?
(Do actions to each verse. 
Giraffe - sway this way and that way;
Kangaroo - hop this way and that way;
Elephant - stomp this way and that way;
Snake - slither this way and that way;
Lion - roar this way and that way;
Hippo - swim this was and that way;
Monkey - swing this way and that way;
etc.....)
Fill the water table with sand or rice. Provide the children with plastic zoo animals. Also give them small twigs to use for trees and maybe even fences to create their own zoo environment. Or hide them in the sand or rice for them to discover. Or fill the table with rice or white packing peanuts to make a cold snowy environment for winter animals like penguins and polar bears.
At Circle Time, tell Zoo Riddles and the children guess which animal you are talking about.
I have a long tail and live in trees. I love to eat bananas. Who am I?
I look like a horse. I like to run and I have black and white stipes. Who am I?
I am huge. I have big ears and a long gray nose and wrinkly skin. Who am I?
I am the king of the jungle. I have a golden mane and love to roar. Who am I?
I am white. I love where it's very cold and love fish for supper. Who am I?
I am pink. I have a long neck and usually sleep while standing on one foot. Who am I?
I also have a long neck and very long legs. I eat leaves off the tops of trees. Who am I?
etc.... let the children make up their own also
Cut out a zebra shape for each child from cardstock or other heavy paper. (I used a horse shape, which worked also) Use a side view and cut off the legs. Have each child paint both sides of the zebra with a thin brush and black paint. Also paint two spring-type clothespins with black stripes on both sides. When all is dry, clip the clothespins in the spots for the legs and now he stands up!!(This can also be done with a giraffe, elephant or other animal with fairly large long legs)
Create your own zoo using farm fences or blocks for cages and separating the animals into categories.
Take a field trip to the zoo!!!
At circle time go around to each child and chant "We took a trip to the zoo and what do you think we saw....?" The child answers with an animal or other things found in the zoo like the keeper, food, hay, cages, etc... Adam answers "elephant" so the group answers back. "Adam Johnson went to the zoo and this is what he saw..." and everyone yells "Elephant" (Can be clapping in rhythm with the chant.)
Draw a bunch of cages or sections on a large sheet of tagboard. Give the children animal crackers to categorize the animals into sections over and over again. To make this a one-time hanging project, have the children take turns gluing the animals onto the sheet.
Panda Bear bread
Thaw out two loaves of bread dough.
Shape into the shape of a bear. Let rise
and bake as directed. When ready to eat, color butter
or cream cheese with black food coloring. Either leave
some parts the natural color of the bread or spread parts
of it with white cream cheese. Spread other parts black
to make your panda bear bread for snack.
Bulletin Board
Take a picture of each child. When developed, cut a circle around the head only. Glue the picture to the center of a sheet of paper. Have the children draw around the picture their favorite animal - using their own head as the head of the animal. Label these "If I were a Zoo Animal, I would be a _________" These can be logical, or something crazy like a mixture of several animals. For the younger children I drew what animal they wanted and labeled it for them. They colored it after that.
At lunch, talk about what animals might like the same foods you are eating..... Monkeys like bananas, Elephants like the peanuts from a pnb sandwich, giraffes might enjoy greens like lettuce or spinach,
lions might like milk, etc....
Some zoos have dolphins, seals, fish and other sea life. See my "Under the Sea" pages for some ideas.
Talk about and show pictures of the differences between monkeys, orangutans, gorillas, baboons, and others.
Watch Disney's "Lion King" and talk about the different animals you might see in a zoo.
Have any animal shaped cookie cutters? Dip them in paint and make prints on paper.
Suggested Reading:
Animals in the Zoo
by Allan Fowler
Rumble in the Jungle
by Giles Andreae
The Biggest Animal on Land
by Allan Fowler
Dear Zoo
by Rod Campbell
A Children's Zoo
by Tana Hoban
Edward the Emu
by Sheena Knowles
Edwina the Emu
by Sheena Knowles
If Anything Ever Goes Wrong at the Zoo
by Mary Jean Hendrick
Jungle Jack Hanna's What Zoo-Keepers Do
by Jack Hanna
Mother and Baby Zoo Animals
by Caroline Arnold
Zoo Do's and Don'ts
by Todd Parr
Playtime for Zoo Animals
by Caroline Arnold
Jungle Bungle
by Patricia Hartland
Jungle Jamboree
by Kimberley Knutson
The Bird, the Monkey, and the Snake in the Jungle by Kate Banks
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