If I Ran The Zoo

Can you believe that it’s almost March?! March is one of our favorite months because we get to pull out all of our favorite Dr. Seuss activities to celebrate his birthday and Read Across America! This year, we’re taking it book by book and hope you’ll be able to find something that your kiddos will enjoy…

If I Ran The Zoo

Having their own amazing imagination, your kinders will certainly appreciate young Gerald McGrew's delightful zoo animals, collected from "countries no one can spell", "that you don't see everyday"! If you're thinking of incorporating this Seuss title into your lesson plans - whether you read it yourself or have Marvin Miller read it to your kiddos - we found some fun activities to go along with the story!

Animal Flip-Book. This activity takes imagining unique animals to a new level! Invite each of your students to draw an animal - head, body, and tail - then create a flip-book like Sandra Wilson and her kiddos did. With the interchangeable parts, think of all the different variations that can be made!

Animal Mix-Up. Similar to the flip book, use this free printable from Amber over at A Teaching Mommy to provide your kinders with some wacky matching fun!

"I spot a(n)..." Animal Craftivity. If your kiddos need a starter, you might consider this activity submitted by Linda to Mrs. Drake's Room. Using a single hole punch and colorful construction paper, provide your kiddos with some colorful "spots" to glue onto a sheet of paper and turn it into an animal!

Zoo Animal Lacing. Perfect for developing fine motor skills, glue pictures of zoo animals onto card stock rectangles, using a single hole punch to add holes to the top and bottom of the rectangle. Provided with chenille stems or a piece of yarn, students can then create a zoo habitat/cage for the animals - as Sharla of My Little Gems and her kiddos did. Of course, you could also simply create animal lacing cards like these from The Arrowood Zoo.

Hope these lessons help with your planning! Happy learning!