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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. There is so much to do at the zoo. I love seeing all the animals and that got me thinking about the fact that we teach our kids about Creation from Genesis, but the zoo is the perfect place to see how our amazing God created such a vast array of animals. This would be a great field trip to add to the Teaching the Bible: Unit 1 (Early Genesis) as in that unit we learn about Creation, Adam and Eve and Noah (as well as Abraham and Issac, and Jacob and Esau).
Zoo Field Trips for Toddlers
One way to help young children learn more about God’s amazing creation 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?
Another great way for children to learn about God’s creation at the zoo is to talk about the different names Adam gave the animals. Why did he name the elephant an elephant instead of big eared monster! Or why did he name a cheetah, a cheetah instead of fast runner? Your child can also come up with their own names just like Adam did.
The goal if your child to know that God created all the animals not just for fun, but for a reason. They were made to honor and glorify HIM! Even we were made to glorify God. What does that mean? Each animal was given a purpose or a reason to be on this earth. When that animal does its purpose God is praised. What is our purpose? To tell others about Him. Even little ones can understand that we have a reason to be here so that others will know more about God!
Zoo Field Trips 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.
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.
The goal if your child to know that God created all the animals not just for fun, but for a reason. They all have a purpose on this earth and when they fulfill this purpose they are praising God. Ask your child how can we praise God? We can praise Him with our live and fulfilling our purpose to grow closer to God and tell others about God.
Zoo Field Trips for Elementary Children
Elementary aged children also love the zoo and can benefit from a zoo field trip. You can extend their learning of God’s creation 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 connect zoo field trips to God’s creation is with animal names. 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.
The goal for all of this is for your child to make the connection between God’s creation and his glory. All creatures big and small were created for God’s glory.
Grab these 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!
