Utilize your local zoo as a visual backdrop for some of the lessons you've been teaching your kids in class about animal habitats. Zoos provide resources such as a recreated rainforest where kids can see how snakes and other creatures live in the Amazon. Take a trip to the zoo's aquarium for an underwater glimpse of not only fish, but animals such as the walrus or seal. Visit the wolf's den to see how wolves live and raise their young. Ask your students to write down questions about the zoo animals on 3-by-5 cards to ask the tour leader and require them to carry sketchbooks where they can make notes and drawings of the animals.
Incorporate animal themes into your science and geography lessons to teach kids about the animals and the lands in which they live. For a unit on insects, create ant farms or bug collections. Make dioramas of the habitats of animals that live in Africa. Use a poster project to help students keep track of the life cycle of an animal from birth to death. Activities such as these encourage kids to think about the animal as a whole, including how it reacts to its environment and how changes in its environment affect the animal.
Use your art class, including painting, drawing, drama and other art forms to convey animal themes and teach a deeper understanding of art techniques themselves. Start by putting up paper on the walls and have students make cave paintings based upon a lesson about famous animal cave paintings. Teach your students how to make animals using papier-mache as you learn about theatrical pieces such as "The Lion King;" explain how artists like Julie Taymor depict animals using art media to create props for the theater.
Keep classroom pets such as fish, caterpillars, mice or guinea pigs. These classroom critters teach students lessons in responsibility, as well as about the animals' lives and their habits. To incorporate this into your lessons, ask someone from a local pet store to visit. Teach kids how to care for animals kept in the classroom. Create charts assigning the care of the animals to each child in class. Complete reports and projects throughout the school year about the classroom pet and its species.