Inspired By You !

1. Gather your materials. You will need a piece or two of paper, glue, scissors, some animal stickers and your choice of crayons, markers or colored pencils.
2. Cut 2-3 cages paper out of the lighter paper, you don’t have to do this step if you child can draw the cages themselves, but if not this is a good way to lengthen the activity for children who may benefit from that.
3. Have your child draw cages, depending on their age they can do a basic one or something more sophisticated with signs and walk ways. If you are using the cut out cages have them color them here.
4. Add your zoo animals! Have your child identify which animals they are choosing and what sounds they make or of they are older ask them what would happen if a monkey and lion shared a cage!
5. Color the zoo background
6. Glue the cages on !
7. Now you have your very own zoo .

” 1, 2, 3 To The ZOO” by Eric Carle is fun counting book perfect for toddlers. Actually as I type this my toddler is reading it. There are no words, just pictures and numbers and that makes it perfect for toddlers who are just learning both numbers and animals because parents can read it slowly counting , naming the animals and making the animal sounds, or more quickly just counting!

” Good Night Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann is a silly story about a zookeeper and his charges that follow him home to bed. Luckily his wife is on her toes and gets those silly animals back to the zoo ! This book is good for the 1-3 crowd , after that most kids I know have lost interest in the limited text. I love to use this book as a bedtime story.

” Inside a Zoo in the City” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli is a rebus read along , so children who can’t read words yet can help read this with pictures put right into the text! The story is repetitive and builds with one animal and page at a time. Preschoolers love these books and the repetitive nature of it makes it interactive and fun!