032 Put Me In The Zoo

‘Spot’ the leopard teaches kids how to find their place in the world and that there is a special spot for everyone. This craft is handy when you are in a pinch since it can take as little or as much time as you need it to. Or use it to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday the first week of March.    preK & kinder 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uhkWcXVKkVlia1wfz-4KeLTaQmicOAJN/view?usp=sharing


 

Transcript

033 “Put Me In The Zoo” Dr Seuss Craft
ages 4-5

Supplies you will need:
white paper plates or for the simpler version, 
yellow paper party plates

yellow tissue paper squares or 
a roll of yellow crepe paper cut into squares

small circles cut from black construction paper for two eyes and a nose for each student

side note: I have invested in paper circle punches in a few different sizes. They are not expensive and are worth every penny. 

mouth cut from black construction paper that looks like a wide “W” with the middle taller than either side. The middle part will touch the bottom of the nose. Similar to the way you would draw a cat or dogs nose and mouth.

Lots of small circles cut from colored construction paper. 
To follow along with the story, use the colors red, blue, orange, green and purple
colored pompoms are an alternative to paper circles 

ovals or circles cut in half, from yellow construction paper for the ears

white glue watered down a little so it is easily brushed onto paper in bowls with brushes or skip this step and use stick glue.

markers for kids to write their names on their plates

wet wipes or damp towels for kids to wipe glue off of their fingers. This keeps kids at their tables instead of using the sink

and a sample of the project

This is an easy craft for four and five year olds that can take as little or as much time as you need it to. The craft is paired with a classic story for early readers called, “Put Me In The Zoo”. Spot the leopard teaches kids how to find their place in the world and proves through his crazy antics that there is a special spot for everyone. 

The book is written by Robert Lopshire which I found curious since it reads like a Dr. Seuss book. As you probably know, the great thing about teaching is that you learn as much or more than you ever teach. After a little digging I learned that Dr. Seuss or Ted Geisel and his wife Helen started a company called, ‘Beginner Books”. Their company became a division of Random House Publishing where the Geisels directed and produced a multitude of stories that not only helped children learn to read but were fun to read as well. Up until then the reading primers for young children were the Dick and Jane books. I remember those when I learned to read. A friend of Ted’s challenged him to create a fun story to teach reading using basic, beginner vocabulary words. Dr. Seuss met the challenge and created “Cat in the Hat”. That book along with so many others remain the most enjoyable way to learn to read. They’re fun for parents, too.

Plan this project for the first week of March to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday or keep it on-hand to use when you are in a pinch and need something simple and fast. Like when the project I had planned is missing a key component that I forgot to get at the store or for an early dismissal day when your art class time is cut in half.

The face of ‘Spot’ the leopard is created on a paper plate using yellow tissue paper and different colored construction paper cut ahead of time. 

Prepare the cut paper eyes, nose, mouth ears and spots and place everything but the colored circles on the trays along with thinned white glue in bowls with brushes, and the yellow tissue paper squares. You can skip the glue part and use glue sticks. They work just as well as long as the kids lay it on thick. To cut the time of this project in half, use yellow paper party plates and skip gluing the yellow tissue paper all together.

Set-up is easy: Place the plates on the tables with markers for the kids to write their names. The front or back is fine... I’ve had kids do it both ways and it looks great either way. Set the trays with the supplies on the tables after the kiddos have their names on their plates. Reserve the colored circles to hand out right before you begin reading the story.

Show students the cover of “Put Me In The Zoo” and see how many have read it before. Show them the sample you made ahead of time so they know the direction of the project. At this young age I’m not worried about the kids pressuring themselves to make their face look just like my sample. Celebrate their creativity when they put as many eyes, noses and ears, wherever they wish. 

Show the kids how to paint glue onto a small part of the plate or apply glue stick and press the yellow tissue paper down onto the wet glue. Instruct them to cover the entire plate since ‘Spot’ has a furry yellow face. I usually get them started with the eyes, nose, mouth and ears before reading the book. The ears can be tricky to glue and I will go around with my stapler to offer to attach the ears for them.

Pass out the colored circles and let them know that they can add the different colored spots along with the story.

This project is a guaranteed winner.

Make a copy of the cover of the book and display it along with the students’ work.