By this time in the school year, the children have learned the names of pets and farm animals. Let's move on to the more exotic animals found in animals parks and zoos. Have the children bring in a stuffed or plastic animal. The animal should represent one that might be found in a zoo. We'll be using these animals for a couple of weeks so best not to bring that special sleep buddy! Talk to the children during circle time about zoos. Have they ever been to a zoo? Why do they think we have zoos? What do they think the animals do when we are not there? Lois Elbert's book Color Zoo is a wonderful way to begin your conversation. This is also a good time to talk about what is real and what is pretend. We couldn't have a real tiger in our classroom! Check out this week's free lesson plan for ideas on how to create your own zoo in your classroom. Be sure to take lots of pictures!