BOOK OF THE DAY: Z is for Zoo Keeper

D could be for duck or donkey, but it's more interesting to learn about how disinfectant is used in the zoo! Q could be for the typical old "quail" but in this story, Q is for quarantine: "Q is for Quarantine. When animals are new, here they are kept before entering the zoo."  This rhyming text gives young and older readers a great experience. Younger children may enjoy the illustrations, letters, and simple text, while older readers will enjoy the detailed facts on the side of each page.

Zoo Activities for Preschoolers and Kindergartners:

• Sing, We're Going to the Zoo. Here is a video and the lyrics!
• Act out animal movements like those in the Animal Action in the Greg and Steve Kids in Motion CD.
• For Arts and Crafts ideas, visit Everything Preschool
• Provide props to turn your Block Area or Dramatic Play Area into a zoo: stuffed animals, cages, boxes, first aid supplies like bandages, surgical masks, and a toy doctor kit, rubber gloves, buckets, zoo maps, note pads/pencils, animal pictures/books, etc.
• Make a graph where children can graph their favorite zoo animal.
• Make a class animal alphabet book, letting children choose which letter (or letters) they want to illustrate. You can scan the pictures and make an online book for children (and parents to see!)
• Make a Zoo Song Book.
• Search online for zoo web cams for your children to see. The National Zoo has several animal cams!
• At the end of the unit of course, take a trip to your local zoo! Before hand, check the zoo's website to see if they have educational activities to do before or during your visit.  
• If you can't take a trip to the zoo, see if your local zoo has an outreach program that will come to you! Children can see animals up close and talk to the zoo keeper!

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