We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo - How about you, you, you? - You can come too, too, too! - We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo! Before we went to the zoo, our days were filled with singing that song!!
The children were so excited and today was our long-awaited trip to the zoo. We have been preparing for weeks. Students have been learning about giraffes, monkeys, elephants, snakes, etc.. They have been learning about their habitats, foods, and the names of the mothers, fathers and babies (with some help from Eric Carle - "Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?") Did you know that a father kangaroo is a boomer, a mother is a flyer, and a joey is the baby? Well, our students do!! In preparing for the trip, an animal that is at the Jacksonville Zoo was our focus each day. A chart was created with lots of fun facts about each animal. As a culminating activity on each animal, the children were invited to make an animal (with construction paper and glue) and it was placed on our zoo mural outside the classroom. As a bonus, we adopted a baby giraffe (student's choice) with money children made on their own by doing chores around the house. After touring the zoo, we were invited to the Educational Center where we saw (up close) a bearded dragon, toad, snake, chinchilla, and baby alligator. Some children were even brave enough to pet these animals!! Our field trip to the zoo was perfect - the weather, the bus ride, the chaperones, the lunch, and of course, the animals!! And as we pulled away from the zoo, I heard some students singing the last lines from the zoo song... "We went to the zoo, zoo, zoo. - How about you, you, you? - You came too, too, too. - We went to the zoo, zoo, zoo!!!"