We're Goin' to the Zoo!

Books Shared or Recommended:

Color Zoo by Ehlert

Dear Zoo by Campbell
Elephant’s Wrestling Game by Sierra
From Head to Toe by Carle
Life-Size Zoo by Komiya
May I Bring A Friend? By De Regnier
Wild About You by Sierra
Zoolooking by Fox

We find Five little monkey finger puppets in the story time apron this month.  Where can we go to see monkies?  Yes, the jungle!  But, is there some place closer?  Yes!  The zoo!

I start out by reading Dear Zoo by Campbell.  This is a pop-up version and the children seem to love it as they often say, "Again!  Again!"  I point out that it's a made up story.  We don't go to the zoo to get pets!  We go to the zoo to look at animals and leave them there.  Then I show them Life-Size Zoo a book which is full of facts, and not made up (non-fiction).  We look at some of the life size photos of animals and I point out some of the facts. 

Then it's time for an action rhyme:

The elephants goes like this and like that.

He's terribly big (Hold hands up high)

And he's terribly fat!  (Hold hands wide)

He has no fingers, He has no toes!  (Wiggle them)

But, oh!  My goodness!  What a nose!

(Make your arms into the elephant's trunk)

Flannel Board Story:  Lou from the Zoo

I show the children the photo of the habitat of an animal.  Then I say, "My name is Lou.  (Point to self.)  I work at the Zoo.  (point south or wherever your zoo may be.)  I feed all of the animals.  (I point to the children!)  Can you guess who? 

Then I give them clues such as, I live in the trees and have a long tail and eat bananas.  I keep giving the clues even when a child guesses correctly so that everyone is on board.

Here is a picture of the 'habitats' which were randomly taken from an old book:

Here are the animals:

I actually hold up the animals, covered by their habitat, one at a time.

Puppet time!  I get the five monkies onto my fingers and have the children show me their five monkies and the other hand becomes 'Mr Crocodile' or 'Mr Alligator', whatever they are used to calling the animal in this rhyme:

Five little monkies swinging in a tree.

Teasing Mr. Crocodile, 'You can't catch me!'

Along came Mr. Crocodile, quiet as can be,

And SNAPPED that monkey right out of the tree!

Now it's time to say good-bye!  Say good-bye!   Say good-bye!

Now it's time to say good-bye!  I'll see you in the bookmobile!