Zoo Field Trip Extensions - Teaching with Faith

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We love a field trip to the zoo and usually end up taking one every other week or even every week since we have a local zoo. There is so much to do at the zoo. We love seeing all the animals, but sometimes we just need a bit more to extend our learning to count it as a school day.

Zoo Field Trip Extensions Toddlers

A little girl is holding onto a fence at the zoo looking at an ostrich.

One extension is to discuss the similarities and differences between the animals at the zoo. You can compare the different birds or different snakes or even a giraffe to an elephant! Your little one would can pick out different colors on the animals and different sizes. Ask which animal is bigger than an elephant? Or what is the smallest snake in this room? Or what animal is also black and white like a penguin?

You can also talk to toddlers about different animal names. What about a lion describes the name lion? What would you have named lions if you could?

Zoo Field Trip Extensions for Preschoolers

Preschoolers love a field trip to the zoo and it is a great place to learn all about animals. You can not only compare and contrast animals like with toddlers, but you can add in where animals live and their different habitats. Ask them what animals live in dry areas? What animals live in rain forests? Discover the different areas of your zoo and talk about why the animal enclosures are the way they are because of the animals’ natural habitats.

A little girl is standing on a ledge looking through a glass enclosure at a tiger at a zoo.

Also older children would love to discover the animals names and why they were named that by Adam. Not only should you discuss the names like suggested above with toddlers, but have your child create their own animal and then name it! This would be super interesting to see their imagination run wild.

Zoo Field Trip Extensions for Elementary Children

A little girl and a toddler boy (sitting in a stroller) are looking through a glass enclosure at a meerkat and a turtle at a zoo.

Elementary aged children also love the zoo and can benefit from a zoo field trip. You can extend the learning experience by having them research certain animals at the zoo. They can pick one animal and find out all about that animal. They can research their habitat and even the history of the animal (how they have changed over time). This could be as in depth as appropriate for their age. They could even interview a zoologist for more in-depth research.

Also a great extension to learn about animal names in detail. You can have your child look up the scientific names of all the animals. They can also use their imagination to create their own animal along with its name and even a scientific name.

Grab this great Zoo Field Trip Pack to use with your next zoo field trip. The worksheets pair with all of these activities listed in this article. There are 10 different sets to help your child find similarities and differences between animals at their current level. There are 2 sets for your child to rename animals and even a set to create their own animal! There are 4 pages of memory verse (Genesis 1:1) copy work as a bonus!

Here is a sample which includes a few similarities and differences copy worksheets (some with just the animal name and some with a sentence), a few fill in the blank similarities and differences, few renaming animals, and a create your own animals. Grab your sample below to check it out!