Teachable Moments: Taking Preschoolers to the Zoo

Spring is on the way and with the warmer weather many parents of preschoolers will be packing away the mittens and hats and itching to do some field trips like visiting a zoo.

The experience of visiting a quality zoo is often a fun and memorable day. It can also be very educational. As with any field trip with preschoolers, don't forget to prioritize the basics.

*Don't forget to take nap times into account. Even your young child's favorite animals won't be exciting two hours passed naptime.

*Pack plenty of snacks, water and a bag lunch if needed.

*Bring at least a mini first aid kit. There's plenty of running and climbing to do at the zoo and for preschoolers especially that might mean a few scraps.

*Some zoos have more shade than others. Apply the sunscreen and use long cool clothing and hats.

*There will be plenty of precious faces between the kids and the animals so bring the camera but don't forget to charge the batteries and have plenty of room on the photo chip.

Beyond the basics, there's a little more planning that can go a long way to make a zoo trip successful. Every zoo will have a web site and many will have printable maps or at least a list of exhibits. It may just not be feasible or even reasonable to see all of the exhibits in one day.

*Keeping in mind your time frame for the visit and the speed and sustainability of preschoolers, it can really be helpful to make a list of the must see exhibits. More isn't always better. Decide what you want to most see today.

Now that you've planned and packed, what teachable moments can you shoot for when taking preschoolers to the zoo?

Building preschool vocabulary at the zoo:

The zoo abounds with vocabulary.

Along with learning the names of animals, you can also reinforce the names of the baby animals such ducklings and calves. Beyond names you can also explore other nouns like feathers, fur and scales. Of course the names of colors and patterns are obvious choices for preschool vocabulary.

Preschool math at the zoo:

Together you can count how many there are of each animal but you can also count how many legs each animal has as well. Concepts like "more" and "less" are part of preschool math skills too. Are their more zebras or more elephants?

Preschool math skills also include size. Who is the tallest? Which animal is the smallest? Which animal is the largest?

If you have a handy detailed map on hand you can also share math concepts and congratulations with your preschoolers like "you've walked over mile today."

On the way home it can be fun to try to count the number of different of animals you've seen today too.

Preschool phonics:

For preschoolers whole language activities like vocabulary building and reading symbols and signs together are important but you can include phonics in your zoo trip as well. Talk about the first letter of the names of each animal.

Preschoolers are naturally egocentric. They are most interested in "me." Help them associate the letters of the names of animals with their own names.

Here are some examples. "We're going to all clap for Evan because elephant starts with E like Evan," or "We're all going to clap for Lynn because lemur starts with L like Lynn." You may have to be creative to include everyone but you can do it. S for snake can also be S for sister.

Preschool science at the zoo:

The zoo has science all around.

Children are very interested in food and not just what they are going to eat. They'll be interested in what the animals eat well. It's not too early to expose them to words like carnivore and herbivore and simply back it up by explaining that, "this means he only eats plants" or "this means he is a meat eater." It doesn't need to be on a quiz. Simply using science vocabulary with young children will make new words less intimidating when they do hear or read them in the future.

Beyond food sources, habitat is another great science concept to explore with preschoolers. You can simply explain that habitat means, "where we live." Do these animals need ponds or trees? Do they need open fields to roam or places to hide?

Are you looking for Zoo lesson plans? Parenting writer Lisa Carey has fun Zoo Themed Lesson Plan for 2 and 3 Year Olds.

What questions do your preschoolers have?

As parents it is tempting to spout off a lot of facts to preschoolers and ask them lots of questions in order to test their observation skills and knowledge. In moderation, this is all well and good but don't forget to ask them "What questions do you have?" or "What do you wonder about when you watch the (fill the blank) monkeys?" Even though we might sometimes feel like we "live in a zoo," we don't have to have all of the answers. Let them know you'll ask a zoo employee or find some books at the library and you'll do the research together. The teachable moments can continue long after your trip to the zoo.