School’s out and summer is in full swing! We’re constantly looking for fun things to do. Not every activity through the summer has to be educational, but even when you’re having fun there’s always something you can learn about! Keep it light and easy they won’t even know they are learning and picking up information while playing!
A great and common place to visit during the summer months is the zoo. It’s a treasure trove of educational opportunities and makes an ideal spot to blend in some enrichment. Some of the following activities are perfect for while you are at the zoo, and others can be done before or after your trip to extend the fun.
Safari Scavenger Hunt: Find photos of common zoo animals on the internet, right click to download and save 10-12 on a couple pages, print and take with you to the zoo along with a marker for your child to check off each animal as you find it.
Alphabet Hunt: For little ones in Pre-K or Kindergarten that need to learn or reinforce letter recognition and sounds this is perfect. Write the letters A-Z on index cards, and as you find an animal or any other object that begins with your letter you can remove it from the pile. The game is over when all cards have been found!
Play with toys: In my house we have a wild addiction to Safari Toobs {little plastic sleeves of all kinds of plastic animals, people, and places- like this Zoo Babies one}. Before or after we go to the zoo we like to pull out the ones that we might see and talk about them. Where do the come from? What do they like to eat? It is a great way to reinforce what they learn while at the zoo.
Read Before and After: Just like the little animal figures are used as a teaching tool before and after your visit, books can take it even a step further. If your child has a favorite zoo animal, select a book on that animal and read all about it! Depending on your child’s age, you can even show them how to look it up online and find out even more information. {The View at the Zoo, Zoo, and My Visit to the Zoo are all good books!}
Use Your Imagination: Set up a zoo in the living room with their stuffed animals. You can even create enclosures and cages, and if your child knows how to write you can encourage them to make labels for each animal to sneak in some handwriting practice!
Whether you’re going to your local zoo or just playing zookeeper at home, there are so many ways to learn through play!
Don’t miss the first post in the series- Learning Through Play: Backyard Explorers Activity Ideas!
Valerie Remy-Milora says
My girls all love the zoo! It’s a favorite destination for outings with my hubby. Those are all great suggestions for adding to the learning experience! We have tons of those Toobs!! They are fabulous!!
Ashley - Embracing Homemaking says
Such great ideas!! I always try to play the “can you think of an animal that starts with the letter A, B…” as we walk around. I’ll definitely have to try your other ideas too!