Create an At-Home Safari!

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Get ready for a roaring good time as you create a fun-filled family animal expedition (complete with snacks!) with your child.

Children love animals! A trip to the zoo is bound to be a hit, but even at home, you can have lots of zoo fun. With a variety of animal activities and a spark of imagination, you and your kids can take a walk on the wild side!

At-Home Animal Expedition

Have you ever hosted a living room animal adventure? Set out pillows for boulders and plush green towels for grasslands, maybe some crates or boxes for cages. Fill the guest list with exotic beasts (your child's docile stuffed animals). Encourage your child to play "zookeeper" and name all the jobs he or she thinks a zoo worker might do, such as feed the animals, clean the pens, be a tour guide, and sell tickets. Sing a song to the tune of Mulberry Bush to reflect the tasks of a zoo worker such as: "This is the way we feed the seals ..." or "This is the way we clean the cage ..." Have young children tell what sound each animal makes, what color each animal is, how many legs the animals have, and whether each animal sports a tail.

Plan an outdoor safari! Buy a bag of small plastic animals. Before the safari begins, hide the animals all around the yard. Invite your kids to go on a safari "hunt" for all the beasts. Count how many you hid, so you know when they've all been found. As an extended activity, supply the children with three bowls: one with grass (representing the plains), one with leaves (mimicking the jungle), and one with water. Have the children place each plastic animal into the correct bowl where they think they would most likely find the animals living. This can be a great learning experience—but your kids will have fun in the process.

Play a game of animal clues. Gather your players together and pin a picture of an animal on the back of each child. Have the youngsters try to guess which animals are on their backs by having the other players give them helpful clues. For example, tell a child with a bear on his/her back:

He is big.
He is usually brown.
He is furry.
He loves to eat honey.
He lives in the woods.