PETS
PET ART
SHAPE PETS
Cut colored construction paper into various geometric shapes; such as, circles, triangles, squares and rectangles.
Let your children glue the shapes onto pieces of plain paper in the form of a real favorite pet or an imaginary one.
Have children use crayons or markers to add details, if they wish.
When the pictures are done, help your children to write the name of their pet on the bottom or top of the papers.
 
FURRY PETS
You will need an assortment of fake fur scrapes or other fuzzy materials for this project.
Set out the material scraps with some scissors.
Have your children cut and place fur pieces on a piece of paper to resemble a favorite pet.
Set out some glue and have your children glue the scraps on the paper and then add some wiggle eyes for their pet.

Again, you may want to help them add a pet name to the top or bottom of their pictures.
 
PLAY DOUGH PETS
Set out some homemade or commercial play dough for your children. Any color is fine, but you may want to set out brown, white and black dough for pets.
Show your children how to roll their dough into balls, then poke and pull them into shapes that resemble favorite pets.

Have children display their pet shapes on small pieces of paper on a display table labeled “Our Pets”.
 
PET PLACEMATS
Set out some 12” x 18” sheets of heavy construction paper.
Invite your children to use crayons or markers to draw pictures of their own pets, or pets they would like to have.
When the pictures are finished, laminate the pictures or cover them with clear Contact paper.
Let your children use thier placmats at school for a week.  Then have them take them home to use.
 
PET GAMES
 
WHAT PET AM I?
Talk with your group about popular pets, such as dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, fish, and turtles.
Discuss movements and sounds made by the various pets.
Then let your children take turns pretending to be a pet and acting out how this pet moves and “speaks”.
Have the other children try to guess what type of pet, the child is mimicking.
If necessary, before each child’s turn, whisper a type of pet and a few of its actions into the child’s ear.
Continue the game until everyone has had a turn.
 
DOG TRICKS
At circle time, have your children pretend that they are dogs.
Choose a child to be the dog trainer and have the child stand in the middle of the circle.
Let the trainer demonstrate a dog trick, then have all the “dogs” repeat the trick.
For example, the trainer could roll over, beg, run, fetch, climb stairs, lie on back or jump over a small hurdle.
 
BONE HUNT
Using heavy white paper, cut out several bone shapes.
Hide the shapes around your room or yard.

Have your “dogs” hunt for hidden bones.
Who found the most bones?
Repeat the game if interest lasts.
 
PET/HOME MATCH-UP
Draw or cut out of magazines, pictures of favorite pets and also ones of their homes and place the pictures onto index cards.
Mix up the cards and let your children take turns matching up pet cards with pet home cards.
PET LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES
PET NAMES
Have your children sit in a circle.
Go around the circle and have each child tell about his/her favorite pet.
Be sure the child tells the pets name.
If a child does not have a pet, tell him/her to make up a pet.
 
PET CHARACTERISTICS
Ask each child to say one word that best describes his or her pet.
Have child explain why this word describes the pet.
Example: “Bouncy” is my word. My dog is always bouncing up and down.
Other words children might choose: Hungry, happy, black, little, large, friendly, etc.
 
PET RHYMES

            Soft kitty, soft kitty,
            Soft ball of fur.
            Pretty kitty, pretty kitty,
            Purr, purr, purr!
                        Adapted Traditional

(Have your children help you make up other rhymes about other pets, such as)
            Black doggy, black doggy
            Black ball of fun.
            Big doggy, big doggy,
            Run, run, run!
                        Adapted Traditional

PET SCIENCE
HOME PET GRAPH
Do a simple graph with your children.
On a large sheet of paper, draw pictures of popular pets down one side.
Then ask your children how many have one or more dogs.
Next to the picture of the dog, make that many lines or marks.
Continue asking about the other pets and making marks.
Hold up the paper and have your children tell you which pet, has the most marks and is the most popular pet.
 
PET HOMES
Look for books at the library about pet stories.
Have your children look through the books to find out what type of homes different pets have.
Each day this week, discuss a different pet and what a typical home for it would be.
 
WHAT DO PETS EAT
When you are discussing pet homes, also discuss what each pet eats.
Have your children tell you what their pets like to eat the most.
 
CARING FOR PETS
Discuss what is necessary to do to care for each pet.
Find out if your children participate in caring for their pets at home.
 
CLASSROOM PET
Consider bringing a pet into your classroom.
Find out the rules and regulations on allowing pets in your room.
Consider, letting your children and their families taking your classroom pet home on the weekends.
Classroom pets can be a great source for math, science and language spin-offs.
PET SNACKS
ANIMAL COOKIES
Roll out sugar cookie dough and let your children use animal cookie cutters to cut out shapes of popular pets, such as dogs, cats, birds, and fish.
After baking the cookies, invite the children to decorate them with frosting and sprinkles.
 
ADDITIONAL PET SNACKS
Let your children snack on foods their pets like, too.
Dog bone cookies, cut from dog bone cookie cutters. (Dogs)
Lettuce salad (turtles, hamsters)
Milk and tuna fish (cats)
Sunflower seeds (birds)
PET MUSIC

PET PARADE SONG
Tune:  “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again”

The children are marching into town, hooray, hooray.
The children are marching in a great big pet parade.
Some have turtles, some have cats,
Some have dogs with doggie hats.
Oh, we’re oh, so glad that the children could come today.

The children are marching into town, hooray, hooray.
Some carry cages as they come our way.
Filled with hamsters, rabbits and birds
Wonderful pets, I’m sure you’ve heard.
Oh we’re oh, so glad that the children could come today.
                                                            © Jean Warren

 
OLD MAC DONALD
Tune:  “Old MacDonald Had A Farm”

Old MacDonald had a farm, EIEIO.
And on this farm he had a pet, EIEIO.
With a meow, meow, here, and a meow, meow there,
Here a meow, there a meow,
Old MacDonald had a pet, EIEIO.
                                    Adapted Traditional
Can you guess what kind of pet Old MacDonald had?
Continue with other pets that Old MacDonald may have had.










 

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