1-2-3 Come Do Some More Zoo Activities With Me!

Do you go on a field trip to the zoo with your students or take a “virtual” field trip online?

If so, then I think you’ll enjoy this “What Did You See at the Zoo?” packet.

There are a variety of activities included, which are easy to diversify for different ages & skill levels.

The packet includes:

1. * “What animals did WE see?” colorful animal poster to use as a whole group activity, with a matching BW “What animals did YOU see?” worksheet.

2. * “Sizing Up the Animals!” worksheet, where students can practice their comparison & contrast measuring skills: “What animal was taller than you?” (shorter, heavier, longer…) “What animal would fit in your backpack?” A colorful option is also included so you can do this as a whole group.

3. * Two, “We Saw Animals!” worksheets in both color to use as a whole group discussion activity, as well as black & white versions, so you also have the option to do one or both as an independent activity.

4. * Fun Worksheet: “Oh My! An animal is escaping. It’s following you out of the zoo.” Complete the picture, by drawing your favorite animal, or one you’d like to take home.

This can simply be a “draw & color” activity for little ones, or a writing extension for older students, who will then explain their picture, or tell “how they escaped” or “what happens when they get home.”

5. * “What Did You See at the Zoo?” booklet, where students trace & write the animal word, then answer the question by marking an X in either the “Yes” or “No” box. They also color the picture of the animal.

6. * I’ve also included a colorful teacher’s edition, (“What Did WE See at the Zoo?” ) which you can do as a whole group activity with little ones.

Each full-size page, features 4 animal strips, so you can easily cut them apart to make a “Snip & Flip” Strip Booklet.

This allows you to make your booklet as long as you like; or limiting the number of pages for wee ones. There are 24 animal strip options, on 6, full-size pages.

These activities pair nicely with my
"We're Going to the Zoo!” Field Trip Packet I blogged about last week. Click the link to take a peek.

Today's featured FREEBIE is also animal-themed. Alpha-bird, is a super-fun craft that your students can either make. OR...

You can make just one for your classroom to use as a unique asssessment tool!.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. 

We have relatives coming to stay with us this week from Washington, so my feet have hit the floor running. 

Wishing you a fun-filled and stress-free week.

"Always having somewhere to go is HOME. Always having someone to love is FAMILY. Having both is a beautiful BLESSING." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Zoo Craftivities With Me

I’ve taught PK, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 12th & college; going on a variety of field trips or “outings” with all of them. Plus, as a mom and grandmother, I’ve done my share of chaperoning too.

Why’s that important? I’ve “been there & done that” many times! You might say I’ve earned a “black belt” in the karate of field tripping.

I’ve used that experience to design this comprehensive zoo packet. Basically, it has everything you need to plan a field trip to the zoo, so that things run smoothly, and you too can enjoy the excitement & fun.

It’s my hope that the packet is also a huge time saver & “stress buster” for you.

I’ve done an elephant's ton of work, so that you can simply “print & go” and know that "I’ve got you covered”; with a nice assortment of things to do before and during the trip, as well as a huge variety of activities for after; with plenty for several days following.

I've divided the packet into these 3 major parts.

There's a "preparation section" which includes initial notes home to parents, with follow-up reminders; as well as chaperone information, permission slips, checklists, and a variety of forms.

There's also a section of helpful tips, several "To Do" lists; and a "We've Gone to the Zoo" doorknob hanger.

This "preparation section" also includes posters; "we're Going to the Zoo Tomorrow" Slap Bracelets, to use as a fun reminder to parents; plus a KWL black & white worksheet for your students, as well as a colorful one you can do as a whole group.

Also in this section, is a set of 8 different animal name tags. This is a super-easy way to group your students with their chaperone.

There are various debates over the  safety of having a child's name out there for all the world to see.

However, we discuss "stranger danger" as part of our field trip behavior. I've included discussion questions, a poster & contract for students to sign.

I think the many advantages of having a name tag, particularly for chaperones, far out weighs "that might  not happen" disadvantage. 

I laminate the tags, then write children's names on with a black marker; then use a Mr. Clean sponge to rub the names off later. Takes a bit of elbow grease, but so worth it, so I can use them again.

You can pin the "badge" on, or you can make them into a necklace. I cut up colorful plastic straws and strung those on a length of cord, alternating them with pony beads.

Another pattern in the "before" part of the packet, is a "How Many Days?" craftivity.  I've included 4 real photographs of zoo animals for you to choose from. Pick two, and glue them back-to-back, then laminate.

I punch a hole in the top and dangle a paper chain from the bottom.  There are X number of links, which equal how many days there are before our field trip. This is how I tell my students the exciting news.

Ripping off a paper link, becomes part of our daily routine, which really stops all the inevitable questions of "How many days before we get to go to the zoo?" 

Besides using the chain as a countdown, I review all sorts of math standards with my students. The paper chain is made up of 2 colors in an ABAB pattern, so we practice that, as well as: counting how many links are left, then subtracting one by ripping it off the chain, ("Now how many are left?") "Is this greater or less than the other number?" etc. 

Chaperones is another helpful preparation section. Each of my chaperones gets a clipboard to carry. 

On it is a list of students, which includes any health issues like allergies, as well as the phone numbers for the other chaperones. There's also an itinerary and map of the zoo clipped on. 

Since it's nice to be prepared for the "oops" that may happen; I also give them an "Emergency Baggie", which has a small pack of Kleenex, several Band-Aids, plus a little bottle of hand sanitizer.  This inexpensive gift has often come in handy & is truly appreciated. 

I've also included colorful, as well as black and white patterns to make chaperone "thank you cards", which my students sign and I attach to the clipboards as well. 

There are several options, plus a thank you note for the bus driver too.

One of the most helpful forms for me, is the lunch bag reminder note, which I attach to a brown paper lunch bag. 

This helps the note "stand out" which has eliminated "forgotten" lunches, plus parents are truly appreciative of the convenience. I don't want to haul heavy lunch boxes, but instead have a completely "disposable" lunch sent, so providing the bag, has also eliminated that issue as well.

Blank versions of all my notes, forms & checklists, are also provided. 

I've included a variety of activities that can also be done before the trip, as I think students get so much more out of their field trip experience, if they have some in-school information and lessons to refer to. 

I love it when I hear my students say things like: "Pandas are endagered." "That monkey is a mammal", "Polar bears have an artic habitat!" 

To help build vocabulary and animal identification skills, I've included 35, animal pocket chart cards featuring real photographs of the animals.

There's also 3 different sets (30 cards in a set) of animal word & picture cards, so that children can play a variety of games, as well as practice sorting, sequencing & making patterns. 

Another thing you can do with the cards, is play the "Hip Hippo Ray It's Feeding Time!" game.  My students absolutely LOVE "feeding" the hippo. It's such a quick, easy and super-fun way to practice a variety of standards.

Besides the above mentioned cards, I've also included a set of animal cracker cards for upper & lowercase letters, as well as numbers from 0-50. Use the cute, poster-poem to introduce the game.

Likewise, there are many activities that you can do after your field trip to the zoo, so I've included worksheets, word finds, mazes, centers, writing prompts, graphing activities & some Venn diagrams.

It's very important for students to be able to process everything they've seen. One way to do that, is with the "feedback form". 

You can do this verbally, as a whole-group activity on the bus, while children are excited to share what things they enjoyed the most, or interesting tidbits that they learned. 

To help children calm down, and get back into the routine of school when you return, you may want them to make the "flip-the-zoo-gate" writing prompt craftivity, and jot down their experience. 

Completed projects make a cute bulletin board too. I've included a giraffe poster for the center of your display.

I sincerely hope that my latest "labor of love" gives you peace of mind, and that you enjoy these activities as much as I did creating them.

Here's wishing you a stress-free, relaxing and super-fun time, as you plan for, and go on an ed-venture to the zoo! 

Today's featured FREEBIE, is also animal-themed and features a name writing and alphabet activities with an elephant.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

Two of my nine grandchildren are coming over today to go swimming, so it's time to put my nana hat on along with some suntan lotion. 

Wishing you a carefree day filled with giggles galore.

"The city is not a concrete jungle, it's a human zoo." -Desmond Morris

1-2-3 Come Do Some Activities For "Polar Bear What Do You Hear?"  

Bill Martin's ”Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear?” is one of my Y5s all-time favorite stories.

With that in mind, I just finished designing some quick, easy and fun activities children can transition to after you read the tale.  I'm featuring 3 on the blog today.

First up is a story wheel craftivity, which is an interesting and simple way to assess comprehension and practice the sequencing and retelling a story standards.

There are full color patterns to use for centers, plus a black and white pattern so your students can make their own.

When everyone is done with their story wheel, have children pick a partner, and take turns retelling the story.

We sometimes do this with our older "reading buddies".

As a comprehension-assessment tool, and for fine motor practice, another option is to make the “Polar Bear Pie Puzzles”, which have BW & color templates.

In order to practice a variety of standards, there are 5 different puzzle-base options.

Simply choose which is most appropriate for your kiddos.

There's also a writing prompt worksheet, where students write what happened in the story, which will further check comprehension and reinforce chronological writing.  

Next up is the "Polar Bear What Do You Hear?" SOUND packet.

Because the characters in the story hear different sounds, the tale is perfect for explaining onomatopoeia & reinforcing the 5 senses.

Since most of my students have never heard the sound of these animals, I’ve included links to real animals roaring, hissing, snorting etc. (One for each animal in the story!)  
My kiddos absolutely LOVE this activity, and are truly amazed how animals “speak”.

The packet also includes:

* 3 writing prompt worksheets.
If your students are like mine, even your most reluctant writers will enjoy contributing their page to 3 class-made books.

1. “Animals Animals What Would You Like To Hear?”
( Fill-in-the-blanks & illustrate worksheet page).

2. “Chit Chat With The Animals”
( If a _______ (animal) could talk what are some things they might say?” Color-me worksheet pages featuring a variety of animals for children to choose from). 

Younger students can dictate or write one simple sentence, encourage older students to do a bit of research on their animal and write sentences that incorporate that information. "The zookeeper measured me today and I weigh 5 tons and an 11 feet tall."

3. “Children Children What Do You Like To Hear?”
(When it comes to awesome sounds, here’s a list of my top ten favorites: color-me worksheet pages).  Includes girl & boy options.

Completed work makes a wonderful bulletin board.

I've included 3 posters to use for the center of your displays.
Later, add the covers to make class-made books, which are great for parent-teacher conferences.  There's also . . .

* A set of puzzle cards where students match the animal section to the sound section. Fun for Daily 5 word work, or a vocabulary-building activity.

* 2 graphing extensions.

* A set of pocket chart cards, which helps reinforce the onomatopoetic vocabulary in the story.

Make an extra set for an independent center activity, where students match the sound card to the animal/zookeeper card.

These can also be passed out prior to reading the story.
As you read “Polar Bear What Do You Hear?” the child holding that card brings it up and places it on your flannel or white board.

Afterwards, pass the animal cards out and see if children can arrange them in the correct sequence of the story. Grab that teachable moment to practice ordinal numbers.

* I’ve also included a mini-set of the cards for “Memory Match” & “I Have; Who Has?” games. Children can sort, sequence & alphabetize these smaller cards, as well as use them to make up sentences.

Toss them into a container and have children choose an animal card then make that noise, or choose a sound card and tell which animal made that noise.

Finally, the farm unit, is one of our preschoolers favorites, so I wrote “Farmer Farmer What Do You Hear?” as a fun, parody-like writing prompt, for them to transition to after we read “Polar Bear What Do You Hear?”  Instead of wild animals, this story features animals on the farm.

Even beginning writers will enjoy filling in the blanks, then illustrating their page for a sweet class-made book. PK kiddos can simply dictate their answers.

Completed projects also make an adorable bulletin board.  I’ve included a poster for the center of your display.

Later, collate the pages and add the cover to make the booklet, which is perfect for parent-teacher conferences.

Besides the class book, I’ve also included an emergent reader.
There are 3, BW options, making it suitable for PK kiddos as well as kindergarten and first grade, or to diversify within your classroom.

I've also included colorful teacher templates as well.

The featured FREEBIE today is a cute "5 Senses" anchor chart poster.  I hope you find it useful. 

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

I'm watching 2 of our 8 grandchildren today, so it's time to switch to my "Nana hat"; we're going to make Valentines. 

Wishing a day filled to the brim with blessings.

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson

1-2-3 Come Do Some Animal-Themed Alphabet Activities With Me

Summer's a great time to visit the zoo.  It was also my favorite field trip with my first graders.  With fond memories of special animals and outings, I decided to design some animal-themed alphabet activities. 

Woo hoo! After an entire week of "playing", I just finished my  "Wild About the Alphabet" packet. Animals are a hot-button for children, so I think these will grab their attention and keep them focused.

Whether assessing to see where your kiddos are at for the beginning of the school year, or learning and practicing upper and lowercase letters throughout the year, I think you'll find some unique and useful activities here.

The packet includes the following:

An ABC Emergent Reader: “My Animal Alphabet Booklet” (Black & white plus color copies). Students read, write, trace & color.

ABC Cards: There are 5 different sets in various sizes for upper and lowercase letters; in color plus black and white, with blank templates to program with whatever.

Word Cards: Since part of learning the alphabet, is associating the letters with sounds and words, I've also included 26, mini-animal word cards, that match the emergent reader booklet, plus 26 more, with additional animals that include those on the Dolch noun list.

8 Games: "Mischievous Monkeys" a wall-display game; "Monkey Business" a hidden-letter game; "I Spy!" plus "Feed the Alpha-gator and Lion" game.

Along with a 4-page tip list to explain the card games: Memory Match, I Have; Who Has?, Kaboom, Speed and What's Missing. 

2 Center/Station Activities: Animal-print, strip puzzles for the uppercase letters, plus a Clothespin Clip game.

23 Worksheets for both upper and lowercase letters. "Monkey Mess", "Zooey Zoo", and "Bonkers Barnyard"  to name a few, which include colorful answer keys. 

I've included "trace & writes", "missing letters", matching, word finds, a Venn diagram, scrambled words, alphabetical order, a poem, Elkonin boxes, plus "cut & glue".

3 Craftivities: Gg Is For Giraffe Letter Slider, which can also be used as a fun way to whole-group assess.

Animal-Print Initials, (Make extra strips out of the animal-print paper:snake, leopard, zebra, giraffe, alligator & tiger used for the puzzle center.)

Children create their first initial to make a personal letter puzzle, or glue the strips down. 

For that finishing touch, add their school photo and make a "Wild About Kids, Learning & Letters" bulletin board.

"Feed the Animal" Kleenex-box craft.  I've included black and white templates for both the lion & alpha-gator.

As well as the B&W alphabet cards, (snack crackers), so that children can make their own "Hungry for the Alphabet" game, for a fun way to practice at home. 

10 Posters: Color, plus black & white. Use the B&W ones, as worksheets.

There are also 26-large, uppercase, animal-print letter posters, to use in your puzzle center for little ones to lay the strips on.  These also make fun flashcards or anchor charts as well.

6 Assessments with recording sheets, so you can assess: uppercase, lowercase, sounds, &letter formation.

I've also included a quick & easy "note home to parents", with assessment results, which identifies letter difficulties, and enlists their assistance.

3 Bookmarks: Color, plus black & white. Use as a reference, reward or mini assessment tool.

2 Certificates of Praise: Black & white, plus color for upper & lowercase letters.

As always, there are also directions, samples and photographs.

You can see, I've packed in a little bit of everything you need to help make learning the alphabet less tedious and more fun. 

This big boy is a whopping 200-pages long and just $7.95 in my TpT store.  I truly enjoyed every minute of the zillion hours of work that went into it. Click on the link to pop on over. 

I haven't forgotten the FREEBIES either. You can get a color copy of the Animal Alphabet emergent reader, plus the matching poster, by clicking on the link.  

Can't visit a zoo? I've also put together another FREEBIE: A  Virtual Zoo Field Trip packet, click on the link to grab a copy and let the "ed-ventures" begin.

Well that's it for today.  Doing the happy dance that I finally finished this whopper, and can concentrate on knocking off some much smaller back-to-school projects.  Wishing you a carefree day.

 "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France

1-2-3 Come Play Some Alphabet Games With Me

I designed these cards to go along with the FREE ABC Zoo Booklet that I posted yesterday. (Scroll down to the next blog article to have a look or click on the link for the item.) Whenever I did a theme with my Y5's I really tried to find or make matching things.  I'm not sure if that's the perfectionist or artist in me. 

Any hoo, I thought you might like a few matching things to supplement your lessons too, so I once again used the adorable clip art of djinkers.  She's one of my favorite artists and I simply fell in love with her cute critters.

These alphabet cards, can be found in my whopping 200-page Wild About the Alphabet packet in my TpT shop.  For a limited time, the cards will be FREE (all this week), simply click on the word FREE.

Use the cards as a border or for flashcards. They are also great for games like Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?"   Students can match uppercase cards to lowercase ones or they can match the word card with the picture card.  Have them find all three to complete a puzzle. 

One of my favorite games that I played with my Y5's was "What's Missing?"  I'd gather my kiddos in a circle and lay 4 small seasonal items in the center, then point to each one and we'd say the name together.  They then closed their eyes and I'd take one away.  To make sure there was no "peeking cheating" I held a paper plate or some sort of cover over the items, then reached under and took one.

"Open your eyes!"  I'd whisper and they'd try to figure out what I took away. To strengthen their memories, I'd continue to add up to 7 items for them to look at.  To reinforce standards, you could do this with shapes, numbers or these ABC cards.

Make things a bit more interesting, by giving the missing card to the person who calls out the correct answer first, then add another card and continue to play 'til you've used all of the letters.  For more ideas, and games, such as "Kaboom" , take a look at the 4-page list of tips that are also included in the packet.

I've also included a black and white set of cards, so your kiddos can make an Itty Bitty alphabet booklet to color, cut and collate, then take home and share with their family. (Great  home-school connection and fun way to reinforce lessons.)

Mix up the word cards and have students put them in alphabetical order, then post them on a mini-word wall, or pass them out and then flash an uppercase letter card. 

Whomever is holding the matching word card holds it up and reads it.  Afterwards, as a writing extension, have students use their word card in a sentence.  There's a "No Lion About It" worksheet for that in the packet as well.

 For letter-writing practice, there are plenty of upper, as well as lowercase "trace and write" worksheets, along with 20+ other fun worksheets to reinforce letter recognition, formation, as well as word sounds. I hope you like the packet as much as I enjoyed designing it. Wild About the Alphabet

Thanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.  Do you have an alphabet game you could share with us?  I'd really enjoy hearing from you.  You can contact me at dianehen@teachwithme.com  or leave a comment below. 

It gets rather lonely on this side of the computer screen.  I often wonder what people think when they read my blogs, and if what I design truly helps make someone's life easier and more fun.  Blessings to you and yours.

"I love acting, but it's much more fun to take the kids to the zoo." -Nicole Kidman

1-2-3 Come Make An Alphabet Booklet With Me

This emergent reader is a wonderful activity to do before or after your zoo field trip, as most of the letters are associated with an animal.  This colorful FREEBIE is part of my jumbo (200-page)  "Wild About the Alphabet packet in my TpT shop.

I have another cover that doesn't say zoo and is simply an ABC book, if you prefer that.  The FREEBIE is in color, but I also have a black & white version, so that students can make their own booklet to trace, write and color.

To practice comprehension, ask students which letters didn't have an animal associated with them, like Ii is for ice cream, or which animals would they probably not see at a zoo, like a dog or cat.

The packet also includes an alphabet anchor chart/poster in color.  I have a black and white student version in the big Wild Packet.

Posters can also be used as an assessment tool, or to play an "I spy" game.  Simply call out a letter; children find and color the animal associated with it.  

Continue saying a letter 'til all of them have been colored in.  This is a quick, easy and fun way to whole group assess. 

Click on the link to view/download the Animal Alphabet Booklet and poster.  Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away. 

"The city is not a concrete jungle; it's a human zoo." -Desmond Morris

1-2-3 Come Do Some Zoo Animal Activities With Me

Are you planning a year-end field trip to the zoo?  If so, I think you'll enjoy looking over these before and after-you-go, zoo activities. 

Studying a variety of animals was always a fun theme for my Y5's and me.  I didn't have a specific zoo theme with them, because I didn't want to steal the thunder from our first grade teachers.  When I taught 1st grade that field trip was a much-looked-forward-to "ed-venture," culminating with our animal reports. 

However, I know that lots of preschoolers and kinders all over the map visit the zoo, especially at the end of the year.  After all, June is National Zoo Month, so why not!  With that in mind, I decided to whip together some "zoo stuff" that you could review with your kiddos before their trip, as well as some activities you could do with them afterwards.

I have a huge collection of animal and zoo books, so I thought I'd make an alphabetical list of all my super-duper zoo-per favorites.  It was a difficult task narrowing down my 3 boxes of these themed books, but I finally came up with 90.  

I always tried to read some non-fiction books along with all the wonderful fictional storybooks, and have included them in my list, such as the job of a zookeeper.  If you do a community helpers unit, these would be quick and easy read-alouds for that too.  Click on the link to view/download the list of 90 Favorite Zoo books.

I really enjoy making templates for programmable notes home to parents, using cute clip art, so I whipped together a "We're Goin' On A Fieldtrip" form featuring dj Inkers sweet creatures. 

Simply write in your data and you're good to go. Another item in the Zoo Fieldtrip Packet are some zoo scavenger hunts.

I sent my students on all sorts of scavenger hunts throughout the year. 

They truly enjoyed them and learned a lot along the way, so I designed two zoo scavenger hunts that involve the alphabet.

I never liked to have my students holding things in their hands when we were on a field trip, stuff got dropped and slopped or lost. 

Tears would ensue and something that was meant to be helpful became a hindrance. 

Thus I suggest sharing the scavenger hunt with children before hand, so they are aware of what they need to be on the look out for. 

Teachers can carry a copy on a clipboard with an attached pen.  When someone spies something that begins with that letter or is on the list, you can check it off, circle it, or jot it down depending on what form you choose to use.

Once back, students can circle animals that they saw that are on the alphabetical list, or they can fill in something that they saw that begins with each letter of the alphabet. 

You can make this a bit more interesting by having a competition between your students or another class that also went on the field trip, to see who got the most points.

Since we have a huge Hispanic population in our school, I tried to teach some Spanish words with each unit.  My students really enjoyed learning new words and parents were pretty impressed when they shared their new-found vocabulary at home. 

With this in mind, I included a list of Animals in English as well as Spanish. 

There's also an alphabetical order worksheet, where students trace and write the animals in alphabetical order. 

Finally, there's a "We Went To The Zoo" class book activity.  I've designed a black and white as well as full-color cover, plus a template for the inside pages. 

Students complete the prompts and draw a picture.  (I've included a sample for you to share.)

Teachers collect and collate their pages into a zoo book.  Read it as a whole group.  When you come to a particular student's page, they read it.

Click on the link to view/download the Zoo Field Trip packet. 

While working on these activities I wondered about students who don't live near a zoo, or teachers who don't have the time or the budget to take their students on a field trip, so I started researching virtual zoos online. 

After several hours of work, I came up with a list of my top eight, the San Diego Zoo was one of my favorites.

I chose them because they were kid-friendly, contained live animal cams, videos, games, activities and a plethora of photographs with interesting information, which would be helpful for any animal report your kiddos might be working on.  Click on the link to view/download the Virtual Zoo list. 

Thanks for visiting today.  As always, feel free to PIN away.  My Pin It button is at the top on the menu bar.  Be sure to stay tuned, as I'll be working on more zoo-themed activities the rest of this week.

 "Zoo: An excellent place to study the habits of human beings!" -Evan Esar