Zoo Day

Zoo (Who Said Moo?) Day!
A Storytime for Preschool age and up

(Laptime version, click here)

Elephants, Hippos, Monkeys and More! Oh dear! Elephants, Hippos, Monkeys and More! Oh dear!

Yeah! The Zoo!

I LOVE the Zoo! Zebras, Peacocks, Penguins, Bears, Monkeys, Oh what else? What is your favorite?
~ask for kids to toss in some suggestions

Oh We're On The Way
Sing to 'On the Way to Grandpa's Farm' tune
Thanks Sheila N. for getting me started on this one!

~Bump up and down to the beat
Oh we're on the way, we're on the way
On the way to Hogle Zoo

Oh we're on the way, we're on the way
On the way to Hogle Zoo!
Down at the zoo
We'll see some big giant elephants
Down at the zoo
We'll see some big giant elephants
The elephants will go a lot like this:
~trumpet like an elephantThe elephants will go a lot like this:~trumpet like an elephant
Oh we're on the way, we're on the way
On the way to Hogle Zoo...

repeat with more made up verses:
The lions will go a lot like this:
~Rrraaaarrrrrr

The Monkeys will go a lot like this:
~eee eee eee eee

The whales will go a lot like this:
~Whale sounds

never mind that there isn't a whale at Hogle Zoo, we are suspending belief here for a few minutes it is STORY telling after all ;)


Listen.
Can you hear it?

It's the sound of the jungle!
It's animal music!


Jungle Sounds
Let's Play Music

Divide into 4 groups. This side, you are all the Elephants, next to you are the Lions. This other half, let's split you into the last 2 groups, Monkeys and Cicadas. Now here are your parts:

Elephants
- boom
Lions
- puh, puh
Monkeys
- eee, eee, eee, eee, eee,
Cicadas
- chi chi chi chi, chi chi chi chi


You've got the rhythm! Now go with it!

Aaa Eeee, Eeeea EeeeeEeeeaa Ma Ma, Ma Weh...


In the Jungle/
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
In the Jungle the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight.
In the jungle, the quiet jungle
The lion sleeps tonight.

A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh
A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh
A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A weema-weh
A-weema-weh A-weema weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh

Near the village, the peaceful village
The lion sleeps tonight
Near the village, the quiet village
The lion sleeps tonight

A-weema-weh A-weema-weh....


Hmf, didn't I say HOGLE ZOO?
Did I say Disneyland? No? I thought not ;)
Back to our regular programming:

Now, at the HOGLE Zoo, I think there is a brand new elephant habitat! Let's go visit the elephants.


Elephant
Chant this or sing to the tune of  Here we go 'round the Mulberry Bush

An elephant goes like this and that
~swing arms like an elephant trunk

He's terribly big, and he's terribly fat
~round arms into 'big' and bigger

He walks on his fingers, and he walks on his toes
~ point to fingers and toes

And goodness gracious, what a NOSE!
~point to your nose then do the ASL sign for elephant


Your Nose by Sandra Boynton
(Blue Moo book CD)


Speaking of how perfect each and everyone of you are...


Monkey Face by Frank Asch
..unfortunately the book is out of print - see my somewhat altered Flannel story version


oooh, I hear thunder, is it going to rain??


Rain Song by Lezlie Evans


A Great Big Elephant
sing to the 'itsy bitsy spider' tune

A great big elephant~bend over walking and swinging arm for the elephant's trunk

Went out to play
Down came the rain
~flutter fingers down for rain

and then he couldn't stay
But up came the sun
~arms up, circle overhead for 'sun'

And dried up all the rain
And the great big elephant

Went out to play again
~bend over walking and swinging arm for the elephant's trunk


Did you see that big elephant?
It was squirting water out of it's nose!
Talk about making it rain!


One Elephant
By Sharon Lois and Bram
~this is a fun one to do a walking elephant chain - hold hands, pick up additional players as you count up
One elephant went out to play
On a spider's web one day
She had such enormous fun
That she called on another elephant to come

Two elephants went out to play
On a spider's web one day

Three elephants

Four elephants

Five elephants


Oh, look, it's a Hippo! Or is it a Rhino?


Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? by Shel Silverstein


Hippo! No Rhino! by Jeff Newman


A Hippopotamus

A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus
Got up, got up, got up on a bus
And all the people on the bus said;
"Oh, you're squishing me"

A cow, a cow, got up on the bus
A cow, a cow, got up on the bus
And all the people on the bus said;
"Mooooooove over."

A snake, a snake, got up on the bus
A snake, a snake got up on the bus
And all the people on the bus said;
"Ssssssssit down"

A sheep, a sheep, got up on the bus
A sheep, a sheep, got up on the bus
And all the people on the bus said;
"Baaaaack up"


Enough with the elephants already. And HOW, may I ask, did we get a cow?
In any case, it's the monkeys I want to see now:

Shall be zookeepers and feed all the monkeys?

What do you think monkeys eat?
Hmmmm...

Bananas? Are you sure?

You really do think so?
But I thought bananas for were for kids!
No?



Bananas of the World Unite!
Amy's version / alternate ending

Bananas of the world unite!
~clap at 'unite'

Form banana, form form banana
Form banana, form form banana
~clasp hands together above your head

Peel banana, peel peel banana
Peel banana, peel peel banana~arms peel down from above your head

Shake banana, shake shake banana
Shake banana, shake shake banana~shake yourself
Go bananas, go go bananas
Go bananas, go go bananas
~go Crazy!!! Think like a 60's go go dancer, arms up and down, oh yeah baby!

Now, all my bananas...

SPLIT!
~at midline, hands go from together, fast to out to sides - think an umpire signaling 'safe' - unless you can do the splits, if you can, do the splits - wow, kudos to you!


Where did all our bananas go?

Those monkeys are sure putting up a racket, they sound pretty hungry.

(kids, I want you to pretend you are monkeys - eeh, eeh, eeh -scratch under arms, hop around)

Wow, really really hungry!

(thanks you all, you did that great!)

Hmm, we need some help or these monkeys will never get fed, come help me load some bananas...


Day O'
Banana Boat Loader's Song
Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home

Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home
I work all night from a quarter to one
Stack'n bananas 'till the mornin' come

Come Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wanna go home

Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home

One han' two han' three han' bunch
Four han' five han' six han' bunch
Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home

A lovely bunch o' ripe bananas
Hide the deadly black tarantula

So check them, check them, check them with caution
My back is breaking from pure exhaust'n

Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home

Six han' seven han' eight han' bunch
Nine han' ten han' eleven han' bunch
Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home

Day-O, me say day-O
Daylight come and me wanna go home!


Whew, what a lot of work, getting those bananas!

(kids, time to act like you are monkeys again!)

Okay okay, monkeys, hold yer shorts, we're a-comin' with yer bananas!

Oh boy, these are some demandin' monkeys.
You would think they didn't have any manners at all.
(wink)


Five Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys swinging in the tree
~fingers swing back and forth like monkeys in tree

Teasing Mr. Alligator,
Can't catch me, no, you can't catch me
~thumbs to sides of your head, waggle fingers in a 'nana na na na'

Then along came Mr. Alligator
~bring a hand from behind your back, sneaky, slithery, silently...

As quiet as quiet can be
And... SNAPPED
~'nab' one of your monkey fingers with the sneaky alligator

that monkey right out of that tree!

Four little monkeys swinging in a tree...

Three little

Two little

One little

No more monkeys
(Mr. Alligator has a FULL tummy!)

Now you see what happens to bad teasing little monkeys. Aha!
I know none of you would ever be so foolish though.

Whew, getting all those bananas, thinking of all that eating, it sure has made me hungry. Shall we sit down to eat? Come on everybody, it's eatin' time!


Sitting Down to Eat by Bill Harley
(check out the CD)


Did you get enough to eat?
Everything kind of blew up before I got a chance to take a single bite.

Hmm, where should we go now? Did I see an aquarium?

Back there, on the other side of the elephants, on the way to the food court? Why don't we start walking over there, check out the fish and then grab a bite to eat afterwards, sound good? Great!

Slippery Fish

Slippery fish, slippery fish
- Slide palms backwards and forwards - slipping

Swimming through the water,
Slippery fish, slippery fish
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO! I've been eaten by an...

Octopus, Octopus,
- arms out and slowly waving up and down like an octopus

Swimming in the water,
Oh, Octopus, Octopus...
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO! I've been eaten by a...

Great big shark, great big shark
-arms open and shut from the elbow to the hands, fingers interlock when they meet for sharp teeth.

Swimming in the water
Great big shark, great big shark
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO! I've been eaten by a ...

Humongous whale, humongous whale
-arms open and shut in a huge 'whale-mouth' motion

Swimming in the water,
Humongous whale, humongous whale
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
-hands to face, dismay, surprise, shock

Oh, NO!!! Oh ..
-look around, look...who ate it...

YOU ate it!
-look of utter surpise on your face as you gesture to a child


Oh, they were animal crackers! I get it! Phew!
For a minute there I thought that you were just too hungry to wait!


Animal Crackers
sing to the tune of 99 bottles

Oh once I ate lion
And then a tall giraffe

But when I ate the elephant
He really made me laugh!

Now you might think I'm fooling
But I will tell you true

That they were animal crackers
And you can eat them too!


I'm so Hungry

I'm so hungry
I'm so hungry

Yes I am
Yes I am

I could eat a lion
Without even tryin'

Yum Yum Yum

(now continue, have kids suggest an animal and make up a rhyme to fit,
ie: horse, oh of course! giraffe, don't make me laugh! )

Time to say goodbye and good night, don't let the bed bugs bite!

__________________________

Need to convert this Storytime to a Laptime?
Use the fingerplays and songs, then add one of these books:

Banana! Ed Vere
OPL Link


Mommy, Carry Me Please! by Jane Cabrera
Animals sure have a lot of ways to carry their babies!
I know I wish I were a Kangaroo momma at times!

Are you getting tired? Is it naptime?

Quiet! by Paul BrightFrom Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin
_____________________________

Need more? Try some more of my storytime favorites:


Edward the Emu by Sheena KnowlesEdwina the Emu by Sheena Knowles
Eeek!Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy RathmannGiraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

Can You Teach a Hippo to Dance by Sandra Boynton
(Blue Moo book and CD)


Pssst! by Adam RexWild About Books by Judy SierraHippo-NOT-amus by Tony Payne


I Want to Be Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton
(Blue Moo book and CD)
_________________________________

OLDER ELEMENTARY & TEEN


Wolves by Emily Gravett


Rabbit Tango by Sandra Boynton
(Blue Moo book and CD)