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You are here: Home / Discover and Explore / Invitation to Create: Edible Zoo Small World

Invitation to Create: Edible Zoo Small World

By Shaunna Evans 36 Comments · This content may contain affiliate links.

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Whether your’e going to the zoo or learning about zoos and wild animals from home, there is so much to discover and explore! We recently finished our zoo theme for this year, but I’m always collecting new ideas and planning for future themes. I can’t wait to see what new resources and ideas everyone has to share this week.

One activity I couldn’t wait to try during our zoo theme was this edible zoo from Blog Me Mom. Not only is the finished product awesome, I love how the whole process was led by the child with a little help from mom. It inspired me to set up this fun invitation to create.

Edible Zoo Small World and Sensory Play

Get a full week of zoo theme activities and printable lesson plans for 

Home Preschool or your Preschool Classroom.

While the kids gathered some of our zoo animals, I set up large pans to hold the kids’ zoo creations.

Around the pans I set up different edible items they could use to design their own zoos:

  • marshmallows 
  • puffed rice cereal
  • chocolate cereal
  • blue and green gelatin
  • broccoli florets

Invitation to Create a Zoo

They couldn’t wait to get started. We didn’t talk too much about how they would design their zoos, but they quickly began to discuss which foods would be snow, which would be grass, etc. And, to my surprise, nobody dumped all of the foods in the center of their pans in a giant mess! Although that would have been fine, too.

Once they were happy with they layout of their edible zoos, they were eager to move the animals in.

Preschool Zoo Activities

They spent quite a while playing with the animals, giving them baths, and helping them make new friends with the other animals.

Zoo Animal Activities

And, of course, there was a little taste testing a long the way…

Zoo theme activities

… and A LOT of eating when playtime was over!

Make Your Own Edible Zoo

Simple set up, easy clean up, and lots of fun! I hope you’ll give the idea a try sometime soon.

After so many requests from my kids to try this again, we created an edible fish sensory bin that’s perfect for summer sensory play or an ocean theme.

Get a Full Week of Zoo Theme Learning and Play

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.

This zoo theme pack includes editable lesson plans and hands-on activities for a week full of math, reading, & science learning activities about zoos and zoo animals.

Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:

This set includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:

1) Feed the Monkey Counting Game
2) Lion Ten Frame Counting Mats
3) Zoo Animal Measurement, Sorting, and Patterning Pieces
4) Zoo Beginning Sound Sort
5) At the Zoo Emergent Reader (2 variations)
6) Zoo Animal Upper and Lowercase Animal Matching Puzzles
7) Zoo Animal Matching Puzzles
8) Zoo Animal Counting Cards
9) Zoo Roll and Graph Counting Game
10) Zoo Animal Word Building Mats

Get Your Lesson Plans

Home Preschool Zoo Theme Lesson Plans

Preschool Classroom Zoo Theme Lesson Plans

 

Edible Zoo Play for Kids

 

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Filed Under: Discover and Explore, Invitations to Create, Kindergarten, Letter Z, Preschool, Zoo Tagged With: preschool zoo, zoo activities, zoo sensory play, zoo small world, zoo theme

Previous Post: « Fun Museums for Kids
Next Post: Top 10 Ways to Teach the ABCs »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jode@mummymusingsandmayhem

    June 20, 2013 at 2:39 am

    oh i love this…i did something similar with my sensory twin who has trouble with a lot of food textures…it made it fun to touch and play with! Glorious photos to tell your story, wishing i was there to have that fun too!!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 21, 2013 at 10:32 pm

      What a fun way to help explore different food textures outside of actually eating them. We had fun playing, too!

      Reply
  2. Sam @ Thrive 360 Living

    June 19, 2013 at 3:52 pm

    Absolutely love this idea Shaunna! Looks like it was lots of fun for the kiddos. Pinning!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 21, 2013 at 10:39 pm

      Thanks, Sam! We did have fun 🙂

      Reply
  3. Brenda Johnston

    June 14, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    LOVE this idea! My kids will love doing this over the summer! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 15, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      Thank you! Enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sugar Aunts

    June 13, 2013 at 9:39 pm

    We are featuring your post on a HUGE list of Rainy Day Summer Play activities! We will be sharing with all of our followers on our social media sites (including group boards and communities!!) Thanks for sharing with us at Share It Saturday!
    Colleen at http://www.sugaraunts.com

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 15, 2013 at 8:33 pm

      I saw your HUGE list! It’s awesome. Thanks for including some of our activities.

      Reply
  5. Ticia

    June 13, 2013 at 10:51 am

    That is super cute! Now I want to make one.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 15, 2013 at 8:25 pm

      Cute and tasty, too 🙂

      Reply
  6. Domesticated Breakdown

    June 11, 2013 at 11:41 pm

    Found you on teach me Tuesday, this is such a great idea 🙂 We will be trying it this week

    Domesticated Breakdown

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 13, 2013 at 6:27 am

      So glad you stopped by! I hope you have fun with the activity 🙂

      Reply
  7. Carla

    June 11, 2013 at 11:33 am

    I love, love, LOVE this!! I can totally see my kids building little zoo habitats…and eating them later, lol! I am so glad you shared this at Teach Me Tuesday at Preschool Powol Packets!!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 13, 2013 at 6:25 am

      Thank you! I hope you guys give it a try sometime!

      Reply
  8. racheous

    June 9, 2013 at 5:55 pm

    Love this idea! My fussy eaters may even be more inclined to nibble!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 10, 2013 at 8:46 pm

      They just might! You might even substitute the marshmallow “snow” for bits of cauliflower and see how that goes over. 😉

      Reply
  9. Valerie

    June 7, 2013 at 12:30 pm

    Well the mini edible zoo sounds very yummy and sensorial. A great educational and gustative experience. I would think my toddler would have love to be at your table that day! : My preschooler is a bit more shy with textures but would have enjoyed seeing everyone dig in for sure! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 10, 2013 at 8:42 pm

      Big Buddy isn’t pictured in this post, but sometimes he is a bit resistant to different textures. I wasn’t sure what he would think of this activity. At first he started using spoons to transfer the materials, but by the end he was digging in and playing, too. Maybe your preschooler would surprise you!

      Reply
  10. Melinda@LookWhatMomFound...andDadtoo

    June 7, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    so cute, hope you come share this on our linky this week 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 10, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      thanks!

      Reply
  11. Katie @ Gift of Curiosity

    June 6, 2013 at 11:20 pm

    Love your edible zoo play! My kids would have a blast with this, I’m sure! They’ve been asking me to take them to the zoo so we may just have to make a visit soon. Visiting from For the Kids Friday. 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 10, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      Thank you! I hope you guys get to visit the zoo soon….we always find something new and interesting when we go.

      Reply
  12. Darcy @ Tales From the Nursery

    June 6, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    This looks like a lot of fun! My daughter would really enjoy this.

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 10, 2013 at 8:38 pm

      It was fun! I hope you and your daughter give it a try.

      Reply
  13. Stephanie

    June 6, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    I love this! And that you set it up as an invitation…I am gradually moving that way as my twins get a little older and more able to build their own little worlds for play. So good for symbolic play, imagination and creativity, and most importantly…FUN!!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 10, 2013 at 8:37 pm

      Thanks! We’ve gradually shifted toward more invitations to play, and the kids and I love it!

      Reply
  14. Eric VanRaepenbusch

    June 5, 2013 at 9:15 pm

    I love the “invitation to play” idea. I need to more activities like this. However, I am pretty sure that my boys would have dumped everything in the center and made a huge mess!

    I love the zoo theme too! I spent two summers working in the education department of our local zoo. Two of the best summers of my life. I loved every minute of work!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 6, 2013 at 10:27 am

      We are really enjoying doing more “invitations to play” lately. I also thought the kids would just dump, but I was surprised at how they were very thoughtful in coming up with their creations. It may have been because we read a few books and talked about the different parts of a zoo for a couple days before this activity.

      That does sound like an awesome summer job!

      Reply
  15. Mary Catherine

    June 5, 2013 at 9:01 pm

    I just cannot express how much I adore this! I am pinning it and will definitely incorporate it into a preschool zoo theme. I might even *have* to try it out this summer with my son! 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 6, 2013 at 10:25 am

      Definitely worth doing a “test run” this summer…perfect for a rainy summer afternoon if you have one. 😉

      Reply
  16. Samantha [PinkBears.ca]

    June 5, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    Brilliant! I love this! I need to save this for when my girls are just a bit older…

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 6, 2013 at 10:25 am

      Thanks! I hope you try it out some time.

      Reply
  17. Veens @ Our Ordinary Life

    June 5, 2013 at 10:57 am

    So fun! I can almost see Aarya loving this too 🙂

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 6, 2013 at 10:22 am

      I bet he would!

      Reply
  18. Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest

    June 5, 2013 at 7:58 am

    Oh my goodness, how fun is this?!!!

    Reply
    • Shaunna

      June 6, 2013 at 10:15 am

      VERY!! They sat and sat and sat playing and eating as long as I would let them. 🙂

      Reply

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