Preschool Zoo Theme:
A Roaring Good Time!

Get ready for some wild animals with this preschool zoo theme! Children love to learn about a variety of animals and this unit will be sure to satisfy their curiosity.

Preschool Zoo Theme Activities

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My preschool classroom was set up into centers (dramatic play, science, construction, etc.) so these activities are divided by where they would be placed.

It is not necessary to set up your preschool activities in centers, however. Just do these activities wherever you have the space!

Dramatic Play Center:
“Zoo Keeper” – Have a variety of props that children can use to play zoo keeper. Suggestions are: boots, safari-type hats, vests, nets, gloves, pail, and stuffed animals. They can practice feeding and taking care of the animals.

Science Center:
“Animal Sorting” – Have bowls filled with different habitat materials (like water, sticks for forest, grass, or cotton balls for clouds/sky). You could also have pictures of habitats instead. Let the children sort plastic animals into where they think they would live, e.g. dolphin lives in water, lion lives in grass, eagle lives in sky, monkey lives in rainforest.

Math Center:
“Animal Counting" - You can use either baskets or buckets to have children place a certain number of animals into. I use strawberry baskets (little black wire baskets) because they look like cages. I place a picture on the front of a number and an animal, and the children have to place that many of that animal in the basket. Great for counting and sorting too!

Music/Listening Center:
“Animal Sounds” – Have a tape or CD of animal sounds (either bought or made by you) with headphones ready. The children listen to the tape and have to match the sound with the animal that made that sound. I have a worksheet split into 8 boxes. As the students listen to the tape, they take and glue a picture (pre-cut) of that animal and put it into the box. For example, on my tape I say, “Number 1: Roooooaaaaar! What animal makes that sound?” Then the children put the picture of the lion in box #1.

Field Trip:
To the local zoo, of course!! If you do not have a zoo close enough to visit, or if you can’t plan a trip, there are some great videos you can buy or stream to give the children a chance to see the animals moving and interacting in a zoo setting.

Preschool Zoo Theme Books

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These are some read-aloud books that will fit in perfectly with your preschool zoo theme unit:

Z is for Zookeeper – Marie and Roland Smith
Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo – Karma Wilson
If Anything Ever Goes Wrong at the Zoo – Mary Jean Hendrick
Going to the Zoo – Tom Paxton
Goodnight Zoo – Adam Gamble
My Visit to the Zoo – Aliki
‘Twas the Day Before Zoo Day - Catherine Ipcizade and Ben Hodson
Zoo-ology – Joelle Jolivet
Zoo – Gail Gibbons
Zoo Animals – Brian Wildsmith
Saving the Baghdad Zoo – Kelly Milner Halls
Welcome to the Zoo! – Alison Jay

Preschool Zoo Theme Arts & Crafts

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Children love to take home arts and crafts that remind them of all they learned during their preschool zoo theme unit.

Some of the crafts below will require you to assemble the pieces ahead of time. Use your knowledge of what your students can do on their own to guide you.

Following are some fun suggestions!

Zebra Stripes:
1. Cut black construction paper into small strips.
2. Give children a picture of a stripeless zebra (a horse would work as well).
3. Have the children glue to black strips onto the picture to make a zebra.

Paper Plate Lion:
1. Paint a paper plate orange.
2. Cut strips around the paper plate to make the lion's mane.
3. Cut yellow construction paper to match the inner circle of the paper plate.
4. Glue the yellow circle to the middle of the paper plate.
5. Use a black marker, paint, or crayon to draw a nose and mouth on lion's face.
6. Glue on googly eyes.

Monkey Mask:
1. Make monkey face on heavy cardboard stock.
2. Color the mask.
3. Cut out around the monkey head and cut holes for eyes.
4. Glue a craft stick onto one side of the mask or staple an elastic string to both sides so that child can wear it hands free.

Paper Bag Puppets:
1. Give children faces and bodies of zoo animals to color (giraffes, tigers, elephants, etc.)
2. Glue the head piece to the bottom of a small paper bag.
3. Glue the body piece to the sack section of the bag.

Preschool Zoo Theme Snacks

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Monkey Bread (from Pillsbury’s site):
Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, if desired
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large -storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
2. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
3. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Animal Cages:
Spread some frosting (or cream cheese or peanut butter) onto a graham cracker square. Place an animal cracker on top. Place black licorice strings over top to make it look like the animal is in a cage!

Zebra Sandwiches:
Take a piece of white sandwich bread and make stripes with peanut butter or Nutella spread. Use a horse-shaped cookie cutter to cut out “zebras!” 

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