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July 14, 2014 | 16 Comments

Backyard Safari and Map Activity

map activity for preschoolThis map activity was a huge hit because it included pretend play. Preschoolers love jumping into a fun pretend play scenario and adding a big dose of imagination to a regular old activity. My daughter loves going on safari when she plays dress up so I used that love to turn a simple hunt into a map activity. Reading maps is an important skill not just for the future but it teaches directions ( as we played we practiced left and right)  and uses spatial thinking skills . This took less than 5 minutes to set up and even if you don’t have a yard you can pop the toys in a backpack and try this at the park, beach, or even inside your home.

 

Gather your materials. You will need some toy animals, toy binoculars ( or make some like these binoculars), safari dress up, a clip board, markers and paper for making the map.backyard safari supplies

I started by mapping out our yard. It took me two tries before I got a somewhat accurate map. You could probably google earth your house and get a great shot of your yard but I don’t plan that far ahead so I free handed it.map activity for kids backyard safari

Then I added and X for each animal. Some spots have two Xs because there are two animals together.safari map for kids

Invite your little explorer to get ready for the safari!backyard safari dress up

Show them the map and go over it with them by asking them if they know what it is. What each part represents etc… don’t explain it all to them, let them explain it to you and you can fill in any big blanks if they arise.safari map activity for kids

Get ready to find some animals. I only helped once when she was really getting frustrated. The little alligator was tiny and well hidden. backyard scavenger hunt for kidsEvery time she found an animal she kissed it and put it back. gross motor safari game for preschoolI explained that when you go on Safari you observe the animals but you don’t take them with you.map activity for preschool  As we went along she found them even faster as well as got into the character , she was running so fast from one to the next.gross motor map gameMake sure you take a few moments to talk about what kind of animals they are and a little bit about them. We talked about herbivores and carnivores and how they are different.  She was very proud of herself for being able to read a map. For older kids have them create their own maps of the yard and add the Xs on after.back yard safari scavenger hunt

Story Books Featuring Safari Animals

all our book lists include affiliate links.

books about being different

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae is a very sweet story about a giraffe who gets laughed at because he doesn’t know how to dance. A cricket gives him some great advice and with new found confidence that different isn’t always bad he starts to dance!  This has been a favorite in our house for years!

Elmer
Elmer by David McKee is another book with a great message. Elmer is different, he isn’t gray like all the other elephants, and he’s a little bit of a goof too! He’s not so sure he likes that though. Like all of us it takes some time for Elmer to accept who he is but in the end he sees that patchwork is just who he is!

Hilda Must Be Dancing

Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson is a lovely story about a big hippo that loves to dance, although her neighbors aren’t as keen. See Hilda is bog and when she dances she shakes and rattles everything, it’s noisy and disruptive and is making her friends very angry. They suggest that she try new hobbies, but knitting and singing won’t do it’s simply not in her heart, Hilda needs to move and groove!  I love that a solution is found that makes everyone happy, that Hilda doesn’t have to give up her passion, but that she isn’t so selfish as to simply say “too bad” to her friends either.

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Gross Motor Activities, Map, Safari, Scavenger Hunts | 16 Comments

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16 Comments

  1. Georgina @ Craftulate says

    July 14, 2014 at 5:34 am

    Love this idea! Just need to get myself a back yard! 🙂

    to Georgina @ Craftulate" aria-label='reply to this comment to Georgina @ Craftulate'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      July 15, 2014 at 11:53 pm

      Do it inside instead 🙂 Ours was technically in our front yard.

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment
  2. Almost Unschoolers says

    July 14, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    I think my 8 and 9 year olds would still find this fun 🙂

    to Almost Unschoolers" aria-label='reply to this comment to Almost Unschoolers'>reply to this comment
  3. Jolanda Garcia says

    July 15, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    Hi Allison
    What a great activity. We would love to feature your activity in our KidsSoup member site (image only with link to your site/activity.) Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions.

    Sincerely,
    Jolanda Garcia

    to Jolanda Garcia" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jolanda Garcia'>reply to this comment
  4. Nicole says

    July 10, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    planning an event for my son and his friends, I think this would be right up their alley. Thanks for posting. And I love your map BTW. I always feel like I need to draw everything just perfect, or it won’t be good enough, but it would be good for them to use a bit of imagination.

    to Nicole" aria-label='reply to this comment to Nicole'>reply to this comment
  5. Jennifer says

    July 15, 2015 at 11:33 am

    So much fun! I showed this post to my 10 year old and she planned the whole thing for my 3 year old. We just added our Power Wheels 4×4 as a safari vehicle and used an old digital camera to capture our safari finds. Thanks for the great idea!

    to Jennifer" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jennifer'>reply to this comment
    • Allison McDonald says

      July 16, 2015 at 6:06 pm

      Oh my gosh that sounds amazing – what fun!

      to Allison McDonald" aria-label='reply to this comment to Allison McDonald'>reply to this comment

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