Pets

CIRCLE TIME
Ask children to bring items to the daycare which relate to pets. They may bring toys, books, stuffed animals, or pictures. Gather all the objects in the center of the circle. Choose an object and have children say what they know about the animal in question. You may also have them speak about their favourite type of pet and explain why they like this animal most. Ask children if they have pets of their own. What do pets eat? Invite a child to bring his cat to the daycare for a day. Remember to verify that there are no allergic children prior to doing so.

NEW! A treasure hunt to discover the theme

(Open educa-decorate-Pets) Print and laminate. Set the illustrations on items throughout your daycare. Have children search for them and collect them. As a group, name the illustrated items. Encourage children to guess which theme you will be exploring.

NEW! Poni discovers and presents-Pets

(Open Poni discovers and presents-Pets) Print the different cards. Laminate and cut them. With your Poni puppet, or another puppet children are familiar with, present the pets to your group. Invite each child to bring a toy, a book, or a stuffed animal representing a pet to daycare. Add pictures and figurines representing different types of pets. Set all the items in the center of your circle time area. Randomly pick one object. Hold it up and encourage children to tell you everything they know about the corresponding pet.

Other Discussion Suggestions:

Ask children to name characteristics pertaining to different types of pets. Are there different names for males, females, and babies? Why do pets have moustaches, claws, tails, paws, and fur? With the help of books, have children observe different breeds of dogs, fish, birds, and rodents. Discuss the types of food different pets eat. Ask children how pets play. Ask them where pets nap and bathe. Discuss the veterinarian's role. Talk about pet shops and the fact that we can purchase much more than pets in pet shops (litter, collars, toys, etc.).

AREA SETUP
Organize a veterinarian clinic in one corner of the daycare. Add stuffed animals, various sizes of boxes (to lay animals in), small cages if you have them, surgical instruments, latex gloves, a stethoscope, towels, a scale, a veterinarian's kit, tongue depressors, bandages, blankets, rubber gloves, cotton balls, surgical masks, uniforms, a white shirt, a thermometer, a mirror, a small light, an eyedropper, empty medicine bottles, pillows, a notepad, pencils, glasses, cotton swabs, a flashlight, syringes (without needles), and animal posters.

NEW! Thematic poster-Pets

(Open thematic poster-Pets) Print, laminate, and display on a wall to announce the theme.

NEW! Educa-theme-Pets

(Open educa-theme-Pets) Print and laminate the elements representing the theme. Use them to present the theme to your group while decorating your daycare.

NEW! Educa-decorate-Pets
(Open educa-decorate-Pets) Print, cut out, and laminate. Use the illustrations to decorate the walls of your daycare and set the mood for the theme.

NEW! Stickers-Pets

(Open stickers-Pets) Print on adhesive paper and use the illustrations to create a collection of original stickers for your group. 

My floor-Pets

(Open educa-decorate-Pets) Print. Have children color the animals. Cut them out and press them on your daycare floor, securing them in place with adhesive paper. The pets can delimit various areas within your daycare, used to draw a path that connects two areas frequently visited by the children in your group or simply decorate your daycare for the duration of the theme.

Transform one area within your daycare to represent a veterinary clinic. Add stuffed animals, boxes (different sizes) to represent beds or cages, toy surgical instruments, latex gloves, a stethoscope, towels, a scale, a doctor’s kit, tongue depressors, bandages, blankets, cotton balls, surgical masks, uniforms, white shirts, thermometers, a mirror, a small light, eyedroppers, empty medicine bottles, pillows, notebooks, glasses, cotton swabs, a flashlight, needle-free syringes, posters, etc.

A playhouse kennel

If you have a small playhouse, transform it to represent a kennel or doghouse for the duration of the theme. Cut an irregular shape out of brown cardboard and write “Woof” on it. Glue this piece of cardboard over your playhouse door. Set a large stuffed dog inside your playhouse. Add a water bowl and a bowl for dog food. Don’t forget to add a few dog toys (that can safely be manipulated by children). Some children will enjoy pretending they are dogs whiile others will have fun caring for their “pet”.

PICTURE GAME

The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with the group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game - Pets) Print, laminate, and store in a "Ziploc" bag or in your thematic bins.

ACTIVITY SHEET
Activity sheets are suggested for each theme. Print and follow instructions. (Open activity sheet - Pets)

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS
Have fun with these great workshop ideas provided by Caroline Allard.

Construction or building blocks:

• Dog biscuits or rawhide bones for dogs can replace blocks
• Giant bricks to build a kennel
• Snakes and reptiles, they are pets too!
• Any pet figurines (cats, dogs, birds, mice...)

Arts & Crafts:

• Different pet coloring pages
• Dry cat or dog food to make collages
• Bird seed for collages
• Empty toilet paper rolls can be used to create cardboard pets. Use models or your imagination
• Feathers can be used for painting

ROLE PLAY

At the veterinarian's:

• Stuffed animals to represent different kinds of pets
• Doctor's kit and/or veterinarian's kit
• Cages
• Collars and leashes
• Cat/dog beds
• Posters of pets
• White smock or shirt and gloves
• Crayons and papers
• Empty medicine bottles

Manipulation:

• Pet memory game using educatall pictures
• Association game where children associate baby pets to their mothers or fathers to learn the correct names
• Puzzles related to the theme
• Fur, feathers...for observing and manipulating
• Association game using animal sounds and animal pictures
• Association game using animals with fur and animals with feathers

Reading and Relaxation:

• Books about pets
• Photo albums of children with their pets...just ask for parents' collaboration.
• A few stuffed animals

Sensory bins:

• Turn your water table into a pet grooming salon complete with stuffed animals which can get wet, soap, sponges, and towels.
• Bin filled with wood shavings. Hide small mice or other animals in the bin. Children will enjoy finding them and then hiding them once again.
• Container filled with water, aquarium pebbles, and plastic fish
• Container filled with feathers...perfect for tickling each other

Science and cooking:

• A small container filled with agglomerating cat litter and an eyedropper to show children what happens
• Dog biscuit recipe (see educatall's creative recipe section)
• A sense of smell experiment to explain how dogs have a highly developed sense of smell

WORD FLASHCARDS

The flashcards may be used during circle time to spark a conversation or in your reading and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards - Pets) Dog, cat, mouse, veterinarian, budgie, litter box, kennel, pet shop, fish, aquarium, bone, cage

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

NEW! Cutting exercise-Pets

(Open cutting exercise-Pets) Print several copies and cut out the various strips containing paw prints. Give each child a strip of paper and safety scissors. Children take turns rolling a die, counting the dots, and cutting the corresponding number of paw prints. For example, if a child rolls a 3, he can either cut a section containing 3 paw prints or cut 3 individual paw prints. The first child who has cut all his paw prints wins.  

NEW! Modeling dough activity placemats-Pets

(Open modeling dough activity placemats-Pets) Print and laminate. Let children pick a placemat and provide modeling dough. Encourage them to use the dough to fill or reproduce the shapes that are on their placemat.

NEW! String activities-Pets

(Open string activities-Pets) Print for each child. Children trace the outlines with white glue before covering them with colorful string.

NEW! Pet hunt

(Open miniature pets) Print, cut out, and laminate. Set the tiny pets on items throughout your daycare. If you wish, you could also organize this pet hunt in your yard. Children search for the tiny pets and set them in a net (or shovel) to bring them back to you.

NEW! Hidden mice

(Open multicolored mice) Print. Hide hundreds of tiny mice among your daycare toys. Every time a child finds one, he must shout, “I found a mouse!” before handing it to you.  

Pet-themed obstacle course
Create an original obstacle course and set pictures of different types of pets throughout. Children will have to act out different instructions that you give them when they reach each obstacle. This activity can easily be done outside if you wish.  

NEW! Moustaches, paws, and fins

(Open moustaches paws and fins) Print, laminate, and cut out the various pet bodies and heads. Using a hole-punch, punch holes where indicated. Provide colorful pipe cleaners (different lengths) that children can insert in the holes and bend to represent the missing moustaches, paws, and fins.  

Musical Animal
Play music and encourage children to dance. When the music stops, show children a picture of a pet. They must imitate the illustrated pet. When the music starts again, children resume dancing. When it stops again, present them with another animal to imitate. Use the pet picture game provided in the educatall club for this activity.

Pretend you're veterinarians

Provide children with toilet paper rolls and stuffed animals. They can wrap the paper around the toys' heads, arms, or legs to represent bandages.

My silly cat
Select a child to be the cat. Sit in a circle around the cat with the rest of the group. The cat goes to each child and meows. The children pet the cat and look him in the eye. The cat tries to make them laugh. When he succeeds, the two children change places.

My imaginary pet
Invite children to invent an imaginary pet. They can create their pet out of modeling dough and decorate it as they wish. When they are done, they can present their pets to their friends during circle time. Some things they could mention are the name they gave their pet, what their pet eats, where their pet sleeps, etc...

Imitating a cat
Set up an obstacle course using balls of yarn. Children sit side by side. One at a time, children find a way to get to the end of the obstacle course while crawling like cats. At the end, they can drink milk you left in small bowls under a table, just like kittens.

Naughty cat
Place newspaper on the floor. Children play with the paper. They can crumple it into balls and throw it at each other.

Cats chase mice
(Open mice) Print, cut out, and hide the mice throughout the daycare. Children must search for them.

Cat or dog?
Lay cat paw prints on the floor. Children jump or walk on them to the sound of music.

We're kittens
Give each child a ball of yarn. Tie the ends at different locations in the daycare (on chairs, on furniture, etc.). Children become kittens and push their ball of yarn in every direction!

Pebbles
Place aquarium pebbles in a container. Add figurines and small plastic fish. Allow children to play in the container using small nets.

Wiggly fish
Children make somersaults on a mat followed by an original position.

My aquarium
Hang several large pieces of white cardboard on the wall at children's level. Throughout the week, invite them to draw, paint, and glue fish in their giant aquarium.

Pet tracks
Cut out the various animal tracks (Open pet tracks). Place them on the floor to create a path. Children follow identical tracks to discover who they belong to. Leave the pets corresponding to the tracks at the end of each path.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Pet keeper
One child plays the role of the pet keeper and the other children are all kittens. The pet keeper tries to catch a kitten. When he succeeds, he tickles the kitten who then becomes the pet keeper.

Doggy hole
Children dig in the sand or snow to hide an object. Children then attempt to find their friends' objects.

Pet walk
Take a walk with children and search for cats and dogs. If possible, visit your local pet shop, kennel, or veterinarian's clinic.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

NEW! Pets or not

(Open pets or not) Print a sheet for each child. If they wish, children can color the pets. They must cut them out and glue them in the correct frame by determining whether or not they are pets.   

NEW! Educ-association-Pets

(Open educ-association-Pets) Print for each child. Children associate each pet to its resting spot by associating the shapes. They cut out the shapes and glue them in place.

NEW! Game-Four pets

(Open game-Four pets) Print, glue the cards on opaque cardboard, and cut them out. Arrange all the cards upside down on the floor or table (so you can’t see the illustrations). Children take turns rolling a die. Every time a child rolls a “1”, he can turn a card. If he doesn’t already have this pet in front of him, he keeps it and places it in front of him for everyone to see. The first child who has collected all four pets wins.

NEW! I am inventing my pet

(Open I am inventing my pet) Print, laminate, and cut each pet along the dotted lines. Give all the pieces to the children in your group and encourage them to create original pets using the bodies and heads. They don’t have to use the pieces that go together.

NEW! Counting cards-Pets

(Open counting cards-Pets) Print and laminate. Prepare a series of clothespins on which you can paint or write numbers 1 to 9 using a marker. Children must count the items on each card and press the clothespin with the corresponding number on the correct answer.

NEW! Educ-trace-Pets

(Open educ-trace-Pets) Print for each child. Children must trace the dotted lines using a crayon of the corresponding color before coloring the item at the end of the line using the same color.

NEW! Color by number-Pets

(Open color by number-Pets) Print for each child. Children must color the picture per the legend.

NEW! Educ-math-Pets
(Open educ-math-Pets) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must count the objects in each rectangle and circle the corresponding number. 

NEW! Feed the dog

(Open feed the dog) Give each child a dog bowl. Set a large bowl containing miniature bone-shaped dog treats in the center of the table. Children take turns rolling a die, counting the dots, and adding the corresponding number of dog treats in their bowl. The first child who fills his bowl wins.

NEW! Dog bone alphabet

(Open dog bone alphabet) Print, laminate, and cut out the bones. Give each child a bone along with a dry-erase marker. Fill a large dog bowl with Fun Foam or magnetic letters. Children take turns picking a letter out of the bowl and naming it. Each time, all the children who have the corresponding letter on their dog bone trace it with their marker. Continue until a child has traced all of his letters.  

NEW! A collar for each dog

(Open a collar for each dog) Print, laminate, and cut out the dogs and the medals. With a hole-punch, punch a hole at the top of each medal and in the center of each collar. Insert one end of a pipe cleaner that you have cut in half in each medal and twist it in place. Children must associate each medal to the correct dog by inserting the other end of the cut pipe cleaner in the hole in the matching collar.

NEW! Colorful leashes

(Open colorful leashes) Print, laminate, and cut out the little dogs. Set a bowl containing several large colorful paperclips on the table. Be sure to use the same colors as the dogs. Each child chooses a dog and names its color. Next, they must find a paperclip of the corresponding color and slide it on the dog’s collar. They continue to connect additional paperclips to create a dog leash.   

What's missing?
(Open Association game - Pets) Print and laminate. Display the pictures on the table. The object of the game is to associate the missing parts to the pets.

Sequential story
(Open sequential story - pets) Print the story. Laminate and cut out the pictures. Have children place them in the correct order.

Pet dominoes
(Open dominoes - pets) Print, glue onto cardboard, and laminate. This game is for 2 to 4 players. Each child picks five cards. Place the remaining cards in a pile on the table. Place the first card. The first player tries to associate an identical pet to the first card. The second player tries to do the same and so on. If a player cannot associate one of his cards to the cards on the table, he must pick an additional card from the pile. If this card cannot be played either, it's the next player's turn. The game ends when a player has played all his cards.

Hunt and seek
(Open hunt and seek - pets) Print and laminate. Children pick cards and search for the elements in the scene.

Who lives where?
Provide children with a variety of animals. Sort them by habitat. Children form one pile for polar animals, one for zoo animals, one for farm animals, and one for pets. Explain that animals do not all live in the same environment. (Open game - habitats)

Animal sounds
Provide children with a small radio and an animal sounds game. You can purchase a game or make one yourself simply by recording animal sounds (a cat purring, a dog barking, etc.). This is perfect for your music corner.

SOCIAL AND MORAL ACTIVITIES

Have children cut out pictures of their favourite pet and hang them on a bulletin board.

NEW! Tap, tap-Pets

For this activity, you must buy 2 pairs of children’s mittens. On the top of each right-hand mitten, glue a picture of a cat. On the top of each left-hand mitten, glue a picture of a dog. Two children sit facing each other and slide the mittens on their hands. The other children stand between the two players. (Open game-tap tap-Pets) Print the cards and glue them on opaque cardboard. Laminate the cards. To play, quickly turn a card over and set it on the table, between the two players. If it is a “cat” card, the first child who sets his “cat mitten” on it gets to collect the card. If it is a “dog” card, the first child who sets his “dog mitten” on it collects it. If you turn over a “shape card”, the first child who names the shape collects it. Here, the other children can participate and collect cards. After a certain number of cards, give two other children the chance to play. Once all the cards have been played, count the cards collected by each child to determine a winner.  

NEW! Guess his name…

Invite children to bring pictures of their pets to daycare and use them to create a special oversized scrapbook page. Add pictures of the pets of people you know. Ask children to whisper their pet’s name in your ear and write them on pretty pieces of paper. Sit with your group and pick a name. Read it and ask children to guess which pet the name belongs to. Have fun inventing original names for each animal and use this activity to encourage conversation.

NEW! My pets

Invite children to cut out picutres of pets that they would like to have and glue them on a large banner.

NEW! Musical pets
Play music and encourage children to dance. When the music stops, show children a picture of a pet. Have them act out actions that the type of animal shown may do. For example, if you show them a picture of a cat, they could pretend to lick their “paw”, stretch, or meow. When the music starts again, they resume dancing. The next time the music stops, there is another pet to represent. For this activity, you can use the theme’s picture game.

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

Soft like kittens
Fill a box with soft and rough objects. Have children manipulate them. They can name the ones which are soft like kittens.

Cats see in the dark
Experiment in the dark with the group. Have them tell you what they can and cannot see.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

Cat creations
Place two different sizes of crackers in the center of the table along with cream cheese, raisins, and shredded carrots. Children make cats.

Dogs' noses
Discuss how dogs have a highly developed sense of smell. Prepare odorant fruit such as oranges, bananas, pears, etc. for the group's snack. Blindfold them and have them guess which fruit they are eating.

ARTS & CRAFTS

NEW! Glasses-Pets

(Open glasses-Pets) Print the model for each child. Invite them to cut out and decorate their glasses. Provide tiny adhesive glitter that they can press on the frames. Children will love wearing their pet-themed glasses when they are out and about in the neighborhood.

NEW! Models-Pets

(Open models-Pets) Print the various models and use them for various activities and projects throughout the theme.  

Cat masks
(Open masks - Cat) Print and place in the center of the arts & crafts table. Give each child a paper plate in which you have cut out two holes for the eyes. Using glue and scissors, children add the nose, the eyes, the mouth, and the moustache. Add a string to tie it behind children's head.

Cat and Dog medal
(Open medals - animals) Print and cut out. Children colour and decorate their medal. Add a ribbon. Children can place it around their stuffed animal's neck.

My tiny mouse
(Open model - mouse) Trace the outline of the mouse onto cardboard. Cut it out, it will be the model used by the children. Children must trace two outlines each, color them, and cut them out. Have them glue them onto a clothespin (the pinching part must be near the nose). Glue a piece of yarn onto the mouse to represent the tail.

My little cat
(Open craft - cat) Print one for each child. Color the pieces and glue them onto an empty toilet paper roll.

My little dog
(Open craft - dog) Print one for each child. Color the pieces and glue them onto an empty toilet paper roll.

Mystery pet
Each child invents a pet with the material provided: modeling dough, feathers, buttons, pipe cleaners, sparkles, cardboard scraps, tissue paper...

COLORING PAGES 

NEW! Coloring pages-Pets

(Open coloring pages theme-Pets) Print for each child.

NEW! Identical coloring-Pets

Print a copy of a coloring page for each child and one for yourself. On your model, color only certain parts of the picture. Present your model to your group and invite children to reproduce it. They must color the same parts using the same colors to create a picture that is identical to yours.  

SONGS & RHYMES

Where, Oh where has my little dog gone?

Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short and his tail cut long
Oh where, oh where can he be?

From the pet shop
By: Patricia Morrison

Sung to: This little piggy

This little cat said meow, meow
This little dog said woof, woof
This little budgie sang a song
This little hamster ran around
This little goldfish made bubbles
They were so cute, I took them all home!

Have fun!

The Educatall team