Cut zebra shapes from white construction paper and place one shape in a shoe box. Add a dot of black paint in the center of the zebra shape and place a marble in the box. Let one child at a time hold and tip the box back and forth so the marble becomes coated with paint and rolls over the zebra shape to create stripes. Allow the striped shapes to dry, then pass them back to the children. Give each child glue and a green or brown piece of construction paper. Set out an assortment of grass, leaves and sticks. Show the children pictures of zebras in their natural habitat, and encourage them to create a similar scenes for the paper zebras.
Pass each child a white paper plate and brown, yellow and orange crayons. Ask the children to draw a lion's face on the plate. Open books containing photos or drawings of lions and point out the features on a lion's face. Talk about the lion's mane and pass pre-cut 2-inch pieces of brown and black yarn to each child. Let the children squirt a long squiggly line of liquid glue 1 inch inside the edge of the paper plate. Show the class how to place the lengths of yarn on the glue to form a mane that extends all the way around the lion's face. Display these on a bulletin board or cut out holes for eyes on the lions and glue a craft stick to the bottom as a handle to use the lion face craft as a lion mask.
Cut letter "Z" shapes from sturdy card stock to form the body of a giraffe craft. Provide glue and strips of brown, tan and cream colored construction paper. Instruct the children to tear the paper strips into pieces to glue onto the giraffes' body. Encourage the children to overlap the pieces collage-style to create the effect of giraffe spots. Draw eyes and a nose at the top after the glued-on giraffe spots are dry. Let the children clip two clothespins to the bottom of the finished giraffe craft so it can stand.