Animals: {Pets} {Zoo/Jungle}
Animals: {Pets} {Zoo/Jungle} From
Stormie:
Although
I'm posting ideas below as often as I can, my very favorite activities have been
reserved for my "ANIMALS"
booklet (see the "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" section
of my website).
Animal Posters: Need animal theme posters for the wall and pictures to hold up or use at grouptime? Save old calendars. Animal calendars are very popular so you can easily find animal pictures. But pick any topic, then keep your eyes open for outdated calendars. I went to a Hallmark store one year in January and they gave me all their old calendars from the past year! Gluing the pictures to cardboard and laminating them will keep them always looking fresh and new.
Field Trip Suggestion: During your "Animals" theme, instead of going to the zoo, another option is to have the Zoo Moblie come to your school.
Straw Hat Turtle: Do you have an old straw hat around? Turn it into
a turtle. Add posterboard head, arms, legs, and tail, and glue "shell-like"
design wallpaper scraps on top.
Finish the Animals: In advance, cut out animal patterns from various colors of posterboard -- except leave off the legs, tails, and ears. For doing the activity, provide children with the cut-outs and a box of various types, sizes, and colors of clips and clothespins (tiny clothespins, colored paper clips, page clips, etc -- you'll find lots of options in the office section of Wal-Mart). Children use the various clips and clothespins as legs, tails, and ears for the animals. This activity provides hours of fine motor fun and the animals are cute because they can stand up. But it's also very interesting to see what the children do. I have seen them match the posterboard color to the colors of the clips/clothespins, give a four legged animal two clothspins to equal four legs, give a bird body one clothespin to equal two legs, discover that large clothespin ears on a small animal will make it topple over, and so on. (Get your pen and paper ready to write down some observations.)
Language Skill Practice (Listening) & Creative Drama: "The Tortoise and the Hare": Remember this old familiar tale? Well, this is one of my favorite activities: Read the story to the children then allow two of them at a time to act it out. Attach a string to the "straw hat turtle" above, and another string to a stuffed rabbit. As the two children listen to the words of the story, they pull their animals making them move accordingly. (Oh, don't forget to tell them what a "Tortoise' is.) Obviously, the children can't sit long enough for everyone to have a turn, so allow the story to be acted out on other days too.
Animal Picture: (Creativity Within the Limits of a Theme): In advance, cut lots of different animal patterns from construction paper. Cut enough for children to have many to choose from. After discussing the topic of "animals," have children choose one animal cutout to glue on paper. Also provide lots of drawing and collage materials. Then, instruct them to finish their animal pictures however they wish. Observe and encourage as they draw and collage. You might ask, "Where does your animal live?" "What do you think your animal eats?" "What color is your animal." "What color skin does your animal have?" "Is it a tough skin or soft and furry?" Have them tell you about their completed pictures, then print their exact words on their papers.
Zoo Animal Cages: Provide magazine pictures of animals (or the magazines for children to cut out their own animals if their cutting skills are developed). Provide cage options (Styrofoam trays, shoe boxes, paper plates, paper bowls, mesh-wire or plastic berry baskets, lids, etc). Provide cage-bar options (strips of paper and/or cardboard, pre-cut pieces of rope, rolls of masking tape, etc). This activity could be a free-choice option for the duration of a "Zoo Animals" unit.
Class Project: Alligator (promotes
development of social skills): Provide a long rectangular sturdy box for
the Art Center and lots and lots of egg carton cups that have been individually
cut from cartons in advance. Also in advance, simply round off one end of
the box (for the alligator head). Children simply glue the egg-cups (open
side down) all over the box to represent scaly skin. Once dry, they can paint
the gator. Allow them to decide what could be used for the "eyes."
This project could go on for several days.
Alternative to egg carton
cups: Sand (for a crocodile).
By the way, a good sub-theme for an "Animals" unit is "Animal Homes."
Stormie's Games: By the way, I offer two animal related sorting games in the "Teaching Aids" section of "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers. One game is "Dogs and Cats." The other game, "Land, Sea, Air," allows children to sort animal pictures according to where the animals live or how they move. You might also consider my "Wacky Animals ABC Cards" for your classroom.
Fingerplay: This popular little rhyme may be familiar to you but I've added my own last verse. Children can use their fingers, hands, and arms to act it out fingerplay style, or act out the rhyme using props and choosing one child to be the alligator and 5 others to be the monkeys. Do it several times throughout the week so that everyone will get a turn.
All
the marvelous Cat Activities marked with a 
below are from Debbie Reynolds and her classroom pet cat, Dora. Like
Debbie, you can have a "Totally Cat" day with the children:
Cat
Paws: Using black markers, we make "paws" by tracing around children's hands
and just the fingertips (not the whole fingers) on white tag board. We cut
them out and children color them pink (like the bottom of a cat's foot).
They color other paw shapes the same color as the top of our classroom pet, Dora's
paws (which happen to be black and golden in color). We then glue the white
sides of the two paw shapes together creating a cat's foot.
**To
make "puppet-like" paws, we cut strips of tag board (about 2" wide by 5" long)
and then have the children color them the same color as the top of Dora's paws.
Children's hands are measured to determine the diameter of the straps which are
folded into circular rings and attached (hot glued) between the two paws.
When the children place their hands into the straps, then hold their hands up,
they can show their paws (the pink bottoms and the fur-colored tops).
Cat
Tails: We traced our real cat's tail on white tag board
and cut one out for each child to color, again the color of Dora. We placed
Velcro dots on each tail and on the back of children's clothing so the tails could
be worn.
Cat Ears: Cut
ears from felt (in cat colors, say black and a smaller pink
for the inside, for example) and glue them to headbands.
Cat
Faces: We bought face paint (way back
in October, when it was available CHEAP!). We painted pink noses
and white whiskers on the children's faces (beware
of allergies). We had some pink
lipstick samples we used for the lips. (Use a little black
and brown with the white for the whiskers so it will show up if photos are taken.)
Optional: Children can "become" cats
even more by wearing black or brown tights and/or sweatshirts/pants
to school.
Cat Snacks:
What would you like to eat if you were a cat? How
about fish-shaped fish sticks or Goldfish crackers?
Pre-Math:
Cat Shapes Project: Have children create a "cat" from various basic shapes.
Fine Motor Extension: Children tear pieces of cat-colored tissue paper
and glue it all over the cat.
Cat
Songs:
Cat
Books:
If you think Debbie's cat ideas are great,
wait 'till you see her list of cat books! Click here.
Have children
bring their stuffed cats from home to sleep with at naptime!
I'm
extremely grateful to Jane Karyuka, in Queensland, Australia for this submission:
From
Kae Douglas:
Animal Clothesline
Alphabet Review: (For older children): Print letters of the alphabet on a
clothespin. Place the pins on a clothes line. Children then pin an
animal picture card to the beginning letter name of that animal.
Extension
from Stormie: For younger children or those who aren't yet ready for the above
activity, here's a letter recognition version of the game: Print letters on the
picture cards, then children can match the letters on the cards to the ones on
the clothespins. Clothes line/pins games provide such great fine motor practice.
From
Carol Stratton:
Fine Motor/Creative Pets: Have
children tear newspaper strips, crumple them up, and stuff them into small paper
bags -- till the bags are fairly full. Help them close the bags with tape/
rubber bands. They then add a face on their bags with markers or bits of
construction paper. They can also add ears, whiskers, paws, and a nice fat
yarn tail in back. They usually like to name their pets. And here's
the best part -- help them tie on a yarn "leash" and they can take their pets
for walks. Don't expect these to actually look like any kind of animal,
but I promise, the kids will have a ball!
From
Natascha, in Sydney, Australia:
Introduce
the Australian echidna (or hedgehog) to the children in your classroom through
pictures and books. And here's some Fine Motor fun:
Clothespins
Echidna: Provide children with an echidna posterboard cutout but do not give
it spines. The children attach colored clothespins to it for the spines.
Playdoh Echidna: Roll a piece of playdoh into
a ball, pinch one side to create a snout, poke two small holes above the snout
for eyes and use lots of colored toothpicks for spines.
From
Rosie F:
Science: Monthly Pets: I wanted
a pet in my classroom this year, but worried about long term care and holidays......so
I went to a local pet shop and asked them if I could borrow a pet once a month.
They were really helpful! Each month, we have a different pet and the children
get to learn about more than one kind of pet or insect.
From
Rhonda, in New Mexico:
Gross Motor &
Foods/Cooking Project: Stormie, here's an easy recipe that can be done in
the classroom with the children: We make "Crocodiles." (But actually,
they could also be Alligators, Dinosaurs, or other animals with rough scaly-like
skin):
Crocodiles
In a non-stick pan, melt
3 Tablespoons of Margarine, then add 1 bag of Marshmallows. With
close supervision, children can help stir this mixture until the marshmallows
are completely melted. Then add 4-6 cups of Cornflakes (may need
to experiment with how much) and mix the whole thing together well (good arm exercise).
Spread the mixture in a 9 x 13' greased pan. When cool, cut into small
rectangular or ovular shapes to represent elongated animal bodies. (By the
way, to keep the mixture from sticking to small hands when spreading into the
pan, have them wear small sandwich size baggies that have been sprayed with a
cooking spray.)
Favorite Books:
From
Stormie:
*
Quiet! There's A Canary In the Library,
by Don Freeman: Cary
imagines she's a librarian who holds a special day when only animals can come
to the library.
* I've
found some nice picture books at a thrift store that I like placing in the Science
Center during an "Animals" unit. They are from the "Family Library of Animals"
(put out by Octopus Books Limited):
Baby Animals
(In Color), by Maurice Burton
Kittens
(In Color), by Anna Pollard >^..^<
* Fancy
the Fox, by Jane Burton: This
is a truly wonderful and true story (with real photographs) about three abandoned
baby foxes who are cared for in a special animal shelter.
*
How Puppies Grow, Written by Millicent
E. Selsam; Photographs by Neil Johnson: This
book with real photographs of puppies is so darling and the reading is very simple
for young children to understand.
*
Tacky the Penguin, Written by Helen
Lester; Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger:Tacky was
an odd bird who did weird things. He wasn't like all the other penguins,
but one day, his being "odd" rescued him and his friends from impending danger.
Caps For
Sale, told and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina: This
is one of my very favorite books of all! A peddler who walks the streets
selling caps stops to rest under a tree one day. While he's alseep, monkeys
in the tree steal his caps. When he awakens and demands his caps back, the
monkeys only mock everything he says and does till finally their mockery tricks
them into giving the caps back. (This story is good for an animals unit,
colors, or anytime really! I'm not real sure why I like it so much unless
it's because the first time I heard it read to a group of children, the reader,
who was my boss/director at the time, Linda, did such a fantastic job adding
drama to the monkey's mockery--I loved it and have tried to read it like that
ever since! By the way, I've found that the children love saying the monkeys'
lines.)
* Sea
Otters, by Marfe Ferguson Delano: This
is a 12-page National Geographic book that teaches children about the lives
of sea otters using real photographs. What a neat book for your Science
Center!
*
From Head to Toe, by Eric Carle: Children
can practice gross motor skills while you read this book as they move like animals.
Carole Watkins
in Indiana shares this favorite animal book (with follow-up activities):
Stormie,
my favorite book is The Piggy in the Puddle,
by Charlotte Pomerantz; Pictures by James Marshall.
It may just become one of your favorites too
after reading it to a group of young children. The rhymes and silly words
make children and adults giggle with delight as Piggy plays in the muddy puddle.
Her daddy, mommy and brother all try to coax her out of the puddle, but all she
will say is "NOPE!" So they join her, all of them having a wonderful time
playing in the "mooshy-squooshy" mud. (You might just hear shouts of "read
it again" upon finishing the story!) This is an excellent story for the
themes of Spring, the letter Pp, the color brown, farm animals, or to teach rhyming
words. And here's a fun idea: Cut a large puddle shape from white paper
and let the children paint it brown, then staple it to your bulletin board.
After reading "Piggy in the Puddle" and discussing the book, calling attention
to the illustrations, give each child their own "Piggy cutout" to paint and decorate
in any way they choose. When dry, staple the "piggies" to the bulletin board.
Let the children choose where to place their piggy--either IN or OUT of
the puddle. You can then use this bulletin board display as a transition
time learning tool: Move the piggies around after a few days, then, while waiting
to wash hands, go to lunch, etc, ask each child if their piggy is IN or OUT of
the puddle. (I have even used this board at dismissal times. For example,
"If your piggy is IN the puddle you may go wash your hands for lunch." or "If
your piggy is OUT of the puddle you may put your coat on for outdoor time.")
Karen
reminds us that these magazines from the National
Wildlife Federation make
great additions to any classroom: Your Big Backyard,
Ranger Rick, and Wild
Animal Baby
From
Barbie Lelek in Colorado City, Texas
Stormie,
While at the Library today I found a series of books by Janet
McDonnell that you might like to include on your
site. Each book is about an animal who has things happen on his/her way
to alphabet town. For example, Annie Anteater goes to alphabet town, Bobby
Bear goes to alphabet town, etc.
From
Nicole Mercer, The Kenworthy School, Maitland, Florida
Read
"If I Ran the Zoo, by Dr. Suess"
to the children and then make this snack called "McGrew Zoo Food' which also
practices pre-math skills: (Be sure children wash their
hands before they begin.) Set three bowls out on a table, one with
peanuts, one with animal crackers, and one with banana chips. Give each
child a Ziploc bag with his/her name on it and have them count out 10 of each
item (more or less, depending on their age and developmental stage) to put in
their bags. Seal the bags, shake, then eat and enjoy!
From Stormie:
Making a Multi-Cultural Connection Through Books:
"Dream
Wolf," by Paul Friendly Wolf Goble (An Aladdin Picture Book):
This is a story about two Plains Indian children who get lost but then are guided
back home by a wolf.
Reminder from Stormie:
If you would like to begin collecting ALL my current classroom ideas (each on
a 4 x 6" index card), as well as new ones that I create, you can do so by
ordering my "Activity Cards." Click here
to check them out.
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