Preschool Zoo Lesson Plan
A zoo theme can be used to teach about animals, of course. It can also be used as a springboard for learning about the environment--protecting endangered animals and their habitats.
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1. Using banner paper, make the basics of a zoo. All you need to do is to draw paths and enclosures. The rest can be added throughout the month as you learn about the animals. The enclosures don't have to be wire cages. They can be walls or whatever else you want them to be.
2. Make a paper doll child for each of your children. Each day, your child can move the doll to the new enclosure. (Use tape or flannel.) Put in as many enclosures as you need to get through the month. Let your child add trees, grass, benches and other decorations along the path.
This is my one of my favorite sites for paper dolls:
Making Friends
- The second day read a book about the zoo. Look to the right-hand column for book ideas for this unit study.
Good Night, Gorilla
by Peggy Rathmann
It’s very make-believe, about a gorilla who lets all the animals out of their cages, but it’s a great way to introduce the theme and have a little silly fun.
- Each day feature a new animal. When doing endangered animals, include conservation information.
4. Visit some live animal cams. Check out the list on this site, which also has many other zoo related materials:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/
5. If you don’t like zoos, you might also consider a forest or jungle theme, or perhaps a new biome each week. You might like to finish the month with a week on pets and celebrate by buying a pet. (How’s that for a final exam?)
Here are some general biome or pet related websites to visit:
Amazonia This site has animal trading cards.
6. Explore endangered animals.
This is a hard subject to cover with young children, but if you start now to help your children love and appreciate these animals, they will become the defenders when they’re older.
Begin this lesson by reviewing pictures of animals you have placed in your zoo. Point to one or two that are endangered. If you haven’t yet taught an endangered animal, add one the day before. Tell your child that there are many, many dogs. There are many, many cats. But there are some animals that are endangered, which means there aren’t very many. We have to take special care of those animals.
Explain that some zoos are trying to protect and take care of endangered animals. We don’t want these animals to be gone forever.
Dinosaurs might be talked about here. Most children love dinosaurs and you can use them to show what happens if endangered animals aren’t taken care of. In fact, you could do a dinosaur lesson prior to this one, and then, as you start this unit explain that you’re learning about some animals that might also become like the dinosaurs. Children see dinos on television, so you may have to explain that the only dinos left are pretend ones.
Now introduce an endangered animal or two. When you’re finished, talk about ways we can help endangered animals. I’ll give you some resources for that shortly.
This site, while not for children, will give you a list of endangered animals by continent, so you can choose which animals to feature. Children learn best when they become attached to just one or two endangered animals. Choose one that might have special significance for your child—cute, scary, or nearby…whatever he likes. You can also learn about the endangered species act and simplify it for your child.
Kids Planet
Print some coloring pages from Sea World.
In the spring, participate in a local conservation event, such as reporting on robins singing in your yard:
7. Shape Practice:
Instead of using normal shapes, try making solid outlines of the animal cutouts you have. For instance, you can trace around the monkey picture on solid cardstock. Let your child try to match the shape to the animal. This is good practice for reading and a variety of other academic skills.
Craft and project ideas:
- Make a mobile of endangered animals using the pictures you colored earlier.
- One cause of endangered animals is loss of habitat. Create flannel board versions of your animals. Print them on cardstock and then glue a strip or two of flannel or pellon to the back. Let your child draw or color items that would create a good habitat for the animal you’re learning about. Use your copier to print them onto card stock and turn them into homemade flannel board items. Your child can play with creating appropriate habitats for his animals. You might add some things that would be inappropriate for your animal—dirty lakes, iceburgs, trash, and so on—and teach your child to choose the correct habitat. Use the word habitat often as you play.
- Create a 3-D habitat for toy animals. Use a shoebox and small toy animals to build a habitat for an endangered animal. Your child can use real plants or branches or anything else you have around.
- Plant a butterfly garden. While your butterflies might not be endangered, you’ll be doing something to protect animals.
Check the right hand column for book suggestions. Shameless Plug: Buying them, or any other Amazon product by reaching Amazon through my links (whether or not I list what you're buying) will help pay the hosting costs of this site.
