Preschoolers enjoy finding out where family animals live. Explain to them that in many zoos, the zookeepers create special habitats to provide the animals with the type of environments that will be natural for them. Appoint each child as a junior zookeeper with a particular species of animal to care for, such as monkeys, lions or alligators. Give the children coloring pages of trees, grassy fields, caves and swamps. Help each child decide which type of habitat the zoo needs to provide for his particular animals and instruct him to color that page.
Open with a morning discussion circle in which you talk about how to care for animals in the zoo. Talk about the feeding, cleaning and general care that needs to be provided. Then, you can construct a dramatic play activity that will allow the kids to learn more and enjoy the lesson. According to Gayle's Preschool Rainbow, you can set up a play area with such items as toy nets, play shovels, scoopers and gloves. You also need an abundance of stuffed animals so the children can provide them with care.
Roll out the play doctor kits for a lesson on medical treatment of the zoo animals. Talk about the primary responsibility a zookeeper has in caring for the health of his animals. Give the children various play instruments to check for sickness. Ask the children for their ideas on how to treat the animals such as with medicines, surgery, rest and nutrition. Get your children thinking about how they would help a wild animal that is dangerous to get close to. Also, talk about the need to quarantine sick animals for the others so the disease does not spread.
A valuable lesson to acquaint your preschoolers with is how zookeepers help educate the public about the importance of wild animals in our world. Help your stage a class program of their parents in which the "zookeepers" will teach the "public" about the different animals. Give each child a different stuffed animal. Practice with each student to learn a few facts about that animal so that she can present it during the program. For example, one child might have a wolf which she will show the parents and tell them that wolves live in packs, eat meat and all have golden color eyes.