Let's go out… to a zoo
Let's go on a sensory journey to a zoo. What sensory stories are you going to enjoy? What animal are you excited to see?
There are many different animals to see at the zoo.
Make your journey more sensory. Try using any of these items while watching. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything or there are things you don’t want to include. Make your sensory journey one you will enjoy.
- Say hello: Look at yourself in a mirror
- Touch: Coloured faux fur or cuddly animal toys
- Smell: Lay hay to create the smell of the enclosure
- Taste: Munch on some fruit and vegetables or try opening a banana upside down just like a monkey does!
- See: Decorated cardboard tubes to make a giraffe
- Sound: Drum to make elephant footsteps
An Elephant can be big and loud
Image source, ±«ÓătvA trip to the zoo is exciting and fun. Some animals are tiny and some weigh a tonne! You might spot a giraffe, with its head in the trees or elephants and their long trunks, watch out for their SNEEZE!
Let's get active
- Water spray to mimic the elephant spraying water.
- Grey tights to create and elephant's trunk. Can pupils swing their trunks?
- Drum to make elephant footsteps.
- Decorated cardboard tubes to make a giraffe.
- Place high branches around the room to see if pupils can reach them.
- Lay hay to create the smell of the enclosure.
Hear the roar of the lion
Image source, ±«ÓătvI can see a lion, with is fluffy, mighty mane. It looks a bit like a pussy cat, but no where near as tame. Next to them is a tiger with its stripy body, both orange and black. You may hear an enormous ROAR from them as they find something tasty to attack.
Let's get active
- Coloured faux fur
- Orange/black yarn for children to explore
- Decorated cardboard tubes, encourage children to use them to roar.
- Zoo scene in tuff tray (lions and tiger figures for sorting)
- Zoo sounds (roars)
Birds of paradise can soar about you
The bird of paradise that you’ll see come in all different sizes and shapes. They use their wings to fly around and sit in the trees with the apes. Some birds sing and some birds squawk but soon you will discover that, as the birds fly overhead, they make an explosion of colour.
Let's get active
- Containers with multicoloured feathers. These can be poured over the childen or thrown in the air. You can also create a sorting task with them.
- Bird sounds.
- Chocolate eggs in nests (allergy dependent)
- Sticks for nest building.
- Bird figures and toys for sensory tray.
Some animals live in water
Image source, ±«ÓătvLots of animals live on land but others live in water; you’ll find fish, turtles, penguins and seals and perhaps you might spot an otter. Turtles snap and fish glimmer, while seals love to lie in the sun. But penguins love the cold you see and think playing on the ice is more fun.
Let's get active
- Water trays with marine figures in it.
- Sequin material or glitter balls to mimic the sparkle of fish.
- Fishing nets and try to catch the figures in the water.
- Ice cubes, white fabric, cake sprinkles for snowflakes to give the water and artic feel.
- Water sounds.
Go see the chimpanzees
Image source, ±«ÓătvThere are lot lots of monkeys in the zoo that swing off branches and leaves. Their favourite food is banana which grows high up in the trees. You’ll hear the howls of apes and chimps with their bodies strong and furry but when a great gorilla beats his chest, they all get scared and scurry.
Let's get active
- Bananas to allow the student to become a monkey.
- Monkey puppets/toys and play the 5 Little Monkeys song.
- Furry material strips to make monkey tails.
- Play monkey orientated games like Monkey Flip
Slithering snakes
Image source, ±«ÓătvThere’s a snake out there hissing and slithering on the ground. This animal has no arms and legs but its scaly body is long and round. Up next we have a lizard with its wandering lizard eyes. It sits up high upon a branch and uses its sticky tongue to catch flies.
Let's get active
- Linked snake toys, stretchy plastic snakes all placed in a sensory tray
- Snake in a can.
- Bent straws, blow in to make hissing sounds.
- Make puppets with decorated green socks with lizard faces. Try to catch insect figure with puppet hand.
- Jungle sounds.
Animals can feel very different
Image source, ±«ÓătvSome animals are soft and fluffy and warm and others are cold, tough and sticky. You might like how some of these animals feel but others might make you feel icky. An elephant’s dry, an otter is slick and flamingos are covered in feathers. So close your eyes, put your hand in the bag and let’s see which one you like better.
Let's get active
- Sensory bag exploration
- Figure of animal to be hidden in a bag/container of various textures i.e. lion figure in soft, furry material or a bird figure in feathers. Let pupils explore the container using only touch to find the figure.
Animals can have different patterns
Image source, ±«ÓătvA zebra’s an interesting animal with its coat of black and white stripes or maybe the spots of a giraffe are the best on its neck which gives it great height. An elephant is grey from head to toe and reptiles are scaly and green. Some animal coats help them to stand out while other help keep them unseen.
Let's get active
- Variety of sensory bowls with animal figures inside i.e. black and white cut up wool for zebras, grey rice for the elephant, coloured wet rice or pastas for marine life, sequins for fish etc.
These sensory stories were all created with advice from the National Autistic Society and Autism NI.
Where next?
Discover more from around Bitesize.
Let's go out... to the ice hockey. revision-guide
Let's go on a sensory journey to see an ice hockey game.
Let's go out... to the circus. revision-guide
Let's go on a sensory journey to the circus.
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