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Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Zoo animals: a preschool theme week

Checked Oct 30, 2026 · Summer · May, June, July

One week on zoo animals for twos to fours: a five-line circle time, 4 books (2 free to read on Peabody), one craft with 4 materials, “Pop Goes the Weasel” with its words, a snack from the Kitchen and the letter Z.

Plan this weekPrint the two sheets

Circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “Which zoo animal would you like to see, and how does it move?”
  4. Sing: Pop Goes the Weasel.
  5. Read: I See a Boy (level 3).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Books

  • I See a Boy (level 3, free on peabody.kids): Seeing animals one by one, for the twos.
  • The Red Bus (level 1, free on peabody.kids): A bus full of animals going somewhere.
  • At the Zoo (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud pattern book: monkeys and more at the zoo.
  • Lion and Mouse (read aloud, level 4): A read-aloud: the big lion and the small mouse who helps him.

Craft: Zebra stripes

You need (4): white paper zebra shape (grown-up cuts), black crayon or paint, a paper strip mane, glue stick.

  1. Draw stripes across the zebra.
  2. Glue on the mane.
  3. Count the stripes together.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Song: Pop Goes the Weasel

The words

All around the cobbler's bench The monkey chased the weasel; The monkey thought 'twas all in fun. Pop! goes the weasel.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Snack

Frozen Banana Pops from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Swap: Yogurt → oat yogurt.

Letter pack

ZzZ is for zoo. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace Z and z once, then find Z in the room and in the book.

Outside: Zoo parade

Call an animal; everyone moves like it: an elephant stomps, a monkey swings its arms, a snake slithers.

All themesMay themesJune themesJuly themesThe theme plannerPreschool and daycare

The books are Peabody's own open library, free with no sign-in. The song is public domain. The snack links to the Peabody Kitchen. Nothing here asks for a child's name.