MEET ME AT THE ZOO

I love to go to the zoo. I hope I never lose the thrill of seeing the animals and watching what they will do to entertain the people. Whether you take a real trip to the zoo or an imaginary trip on the internet, over the next three days you’ll find some activities that children will enjoy. These ideas could also be related to literature, such as making the elephant puppet when you read HORTON HEARS A WHO. Other ideas could be adapted to literature standards (poems or riddles about zoo animals) or informative writing (habitats, body covering, babies, food).


We’re Going to the Zoo
(Tune: “The Bear Went over the Mountain”)
We’re going to the zoo.
We’re going to the zoo.
We’re going to the zoo.
Won’t you come, too?

The elephants swing their trunks. (Stick out one arm like a trunk
The elephants swing their trunks. and stomp from side to side.)
The elephants swing their trunks.
And we can do it, too.

*Insert other animal names and these motions:
Kangaroos jump around… (Bend elbows like paws and jump.)
Bears put all fours on the ground…(Put hands and feet on ground and walk.)
Giraffes walk on tippy toes…(Stretch neck and walk on toes.)
Zebras gallop to and fro…(Gallop in place.)
Snakes slither and wiggle…(Wiggle as you go up and down.)
Penguins wobble and jiggle…(Palms out by sides and wobble.)


Guess Who?
Let children take turns pantomiming different zoo animals as their friends try and guess who they are.

Zoo Animal Puppets
Let children create their favorite zoo animal from a lunch bag, paper plate, craft stick, or envelope.



Animal Cheers
Seal of Approval – Extend arms in front of you and cross them over each other. Clap as you make a barking noise.
Elephant Cheer - Stick one arm out straight from under your chin. Put top lips over bottom lip as you blow and make a trumpeting sound.
Snake Cheer – Palms folded together next to your chest. Keeping them together wiggle them out as you make a “Ssssss” sound. Stick your tongue quickly in and out of your mouth.
Tiger Cheer – You’re GGGRRREEEAAATTT! (Stick fist in the air.)


Imagination Bag
Give each child an empty lunch bag. Demonstrate how to open the bag and ask them to do the same. Explain that you are going to take an imaginary trip to the zoo. Ask them to look in their bags to see what they can find. Encourage children to name the animals in their bag as they create an imaginary zoo on the floor in front of them.


Matching Game
Make a matching game where children match up mother zoo animals and their babies. Can they tell you the names for the different animal babies?
*You could also play a memory game with these cards.
Hint! I found my pictures at google images.

DON'T WAKE UP THE BIRDIES!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfZuGmjlyPMBirdies 

Don't Wake Up the Birdies!

Way up in the sky (Put hands in arm pits and flap arms
The big birdies fly. like a bird.)
Way down in the nest (Make a nest by cupping hands.)
The little birds rest.
With a wing on the left, (Wiggle left arm like a wing.)
And a wing on the right, (Wiggle right arm like a wing.)
The little birds sleep (Put head down on palms as if sleeping.)
All through the night.
SHHHHHH! (Put finger over lips.)
DON’T WAKE UP THE BIRDIES!
Then up comes the sun. (Put arms over your head.)
The dew falls away. (Bring down palms.)
Good morning! Good morning! (Put open palms around your head.)
The little birds say.

Sing and Act
Let children dramatize this song. Choose one child to be the mother or father bird. Let the other children be the baby birds.

Lunch Sack Nest
Open a paper lunch sack and roll out and down until you reach the bottom and it looks like a nest. Children can roll play dough eggs for the nest, or they can make a paper bird for the nest or a little bird from two tissues. (I demonstrate on the video.)

*Make the shape of a tree on a bulletin board. Staple the nests in the tree and then let children make birds out of construction paper to go in the nests.

*Staple on a pipe cleaner handle and you've got a little Easter basket.


Bird Watchers
Take a nature walk and see how many birds you can identify.

 P.S. A teacher shared this website where children can learn to identify birds and their calls. It's so engaging even for adults like me!
https://www.aaastateofplay.com/50-bird-species-sounds-they-make/?fbclid=IwAR3JkCpq5zt33DNG-QVeSDSR5Hku-c5PUKiYVRXh_17xvRjEZ_7AzcksUkw

FAIRY TALE DAY

Tell a Fairy Tale Day is February 26th. What a perfect opportunity to help children “recognize different types of texts” and be entertained!

Some people think fairy tales are too violent for young children. And I would agree that some of them are a little twisted and dark. However, most of them aren’t any more violent than Saturday morning cartoons. The bottom line is children have enjoyed these stories for hundreds of years. Proof that a good story is a good story! There is usually a protagonist (good character) that struggles with an evil character. The best part of fairy tales is that they always end happily and good prevails. Many psychologists support fairy tales because they believe children will face “dragons” throughout their lives, and fairy tales give them hope, determination, and strength to defeat their problems.

I love this cartoon I found on the internet!

Let’s see how we can use “Tell a Fairy Tale Day” as a springboard for teaching this week.

Discussion
What is a fairy tale?
What do children know about fairy tales?
Are they fiction or non-fiction? Why?

Brainstorm
How many fairy tales can they name?
Make a list on the board as they call them out.
Go to the library and search for fairy tale books.

Comprehension
Get a storybook (without pictures) and have the children close their eyes as you read to them. Challenge them to make pictures in their brain.
*Stop before the end of the book and ask them to draw pictures of what they think will happen. Compare their predictions with what actually happened by reading the end of the book.

Read several different versions of the same fairy tale and compare and contrast.

Compare different illustrations of the same fairy tale.

Creative Activities
Let children dress up like their favorite character from a fairy tale. Encourage them to retell the story and explain why they chose that character.

Have children make puppets of favorite fairy tale characters from lunch bags, paper plates, or sticks.

Divide children into small groups and let them act out their favorite scene from a fairy tale.

I was a lucky little girl because I grew up before videos and iPads. I do remember my mother reading to us from this storybook every night. Look at the forward I found when I opened the book! 

This book is my house.

The door is open and I shall enter.

I shall be happy here because my house has so many windows and

my companions are men and women who love me.

Here I will find laughter, love, romance, beauty, and happiness.

OLDIES BUT GOODIES

 

Here's a new video of an "old" favorite from my childhood.  Thanks to my webmaster Alex May for his intelligence coupled with AI!

Click to view

https://bit.ly/drJFarmerPics

ACTIVE LEARNING VOCABULARY

Vocabulary words will "stick" in children's brains with these strategies. They're also good for learning a second language.

Dramatize
When introducing new words invite children to dramatize what the words mean. They can dramatize with their faces, hands, or whole bodies.

EXHILARATED!

Pantomime
Children pantomime vocabulary words as classmates try and guess their word.



Sign Language
Learn how to sign vocabulary words by looking at videos online.

Brochure
Tri-fold a sheet of paper to make a brochure. Children write the word on the top section, the definition in the middle, and illustrate it or write a sentence in the bottom section.




Antonym Actions
Let children act out words that are opposite what the teacher says. For example:
Teacher says “hot.”
Children respond by shivering.
Teacher says “loud.”
Children respond by being quiet.

Synonyms
Call out synonyms for the students to interpret. For example:

Happy – delighted – joyful - gay - pleased

Angry – mad – furious
Sleepy – tired – fatigued