While many preschoolers may recognize giant pandas, having been exposed to them as fluffy, cuddly toys, showing them the real thing can be a wonderful experience and an exciting activity. The U.S. National Zoo, in Washington, D.C., has a pair of giant pandas that are there under an official agreement signed in 2011 between the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the zoo. The giant pandas are the focal point of a breeding and conservation program aimed at helping to save this endangered species. If you live in the area, or are visiting, taking the preschoolers to the zoo is a fun activity to show them live giant pandas. Before the trip you can show children on a globe or map where the pandas come from, explain what they eat, and the fact that they are endangered. Other zoos in the U.S. that have giant pandas are the San Diego Zoo, Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, and the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, Tennessee.
If you cannot take preschoolers to the zoo, there is an online webcam option. Both the San Diego Zoo and the U.S. National Zoo have webcams in their panda enclosures with live streaming. Let the children watch for a while and then leave it on while preschoolers get busy with a panda-related craft activity.
Baking is a fun and tactile activity for preschoolers. Prepare enough baking dough from a simple bread recipe and make bread sticks that look like bamboo. The children can help mix in the green food coloring and then shape their portions of dough to look like bamboo. The bread sticks can be baked and eaten. During this activity, explain to the preschoolers in simple terms that giant pandas eat nothing but bamboo and how the loss of their natural habitat is a loss of their food supply which threatens their survival.
Giant panda puzzles can be found in toy stores and zoo gift shops, either online or in person. Preschoolers will enjoy the tactile, hands-on challenge of putting the panda puzzle together. As the picture starts to form and the image of the panda becomes clear, encourage the children to give their panda a name and encourage discussion about why it's important to save the pandas. You can also impart other basic information about pandas during this activity. Chat about the bamboo that pandas like to eat and how they are actually bears, related to all the other types of bears -- brown, black, grizzly and polar bears.
Print out one of the giant panda bear coloring pages that are available online. Preschoolers can color in a giant panda and learn how to write the letter P for panda. Use your finger to trace the letter P in both lower and upper case as you say the letter out loud. Let the children write the letter in crayon or pencil. You can do the same with the letter G.