EYFS
On Monday Early Years joined key Stage 1 on an excursion to the Zoo. The children arrived at school full of excitement and enthusiasm for the day. Adding to the excitement was the trip on the bus.
We saw many different animals at the Zoo, as usual the primates are the animals they remember the most. They were particularly fascinated by the gorillas.
We enjoyed a picnic that was lovingly packed for us by the kitchen staff. The children enjoyed the time to relax and have a little play.
A wonderful day was had by all and the children went home feeling tired but full of excitement.
We completed our zoo experience by reading the story ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell.
A little boy wants a pet, but the zoo keeps sending him animals that just won’t make good pets. An elephant is too heavy, a giraffe is too tall, and a snake is too scary! Until, at last, they send the perfect pet.
Dear Zoo is another much loved classic picture book that never gets old. Children love predicting what animal the zoo could have sent next, then lifting the flaps and labelling the animal they see. 
The repetitive nature of this story makes it great for targeting a range of speech and language skills, such as conjunctions (“but it was too…”, “so I sent it back”) and adjectives (e.g. tall, big, jumpy, scary, grumpy). It’s also an ideal choice for simple sequencing (e.g. first the zoo sent an elephant, and then a giraffe...).
 We expanded on this by adding the animal noises, imitating the animals’ movements, or describing what they look like. The possibilities for developing children’s language skills using this book are endless! 
Zoo visits enable children to learn about animals, foster cognitive development and promote empathy and compassion. Observing and discussing animals create an interest in conservation and the realization that animals too have feelings and emotions.
By Ms Ward

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