Children love to read and learn about animals of all sizes, shapes, habitats, and species. As parents, learners, and teachers, we understand why kids are fascinated with small creatures: Animals connect us to the natural world, asking us to pause, consider, and reconsider how we interact with our world. There are so many different things to wonder about:
- Why do animals sport so many different colors and coverings?
- Why does each species have such unique talents?
- Why are adaptations so precise?
- Why can animals be so simple or so complex?
- Why are baby animals, no matter the species, so appealing?
You just cannot help being swept up by the positive energy of the Animal Planet Generation. As a result, we recognize that children are simply intrigued with the diversity of animals that roam the planet; teachers are always on the lookout for unique animal resources.
My third- and fourth-grade students love the ZooBorn books. You can read a helpful review by Franki Sibberson at her blog, A Year of Reading. We were really excited when we discovered the ZooBorn website and we now look forward to our daily check of ZooBorns’ related website. You can visit the site at: http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/
Each day, one zoo or aquarium from around the world posts a birth announcement or baby update regarding one of their interesting animals. The informative articles are combined with excellent photos, links, and video clips; the articles also create meaningful geography opportunities for children as they locate the featured zoo or aquarium on a map. This animal resource is a great addition to any morning meeting, reading workshop, writing workshop, or home reading resource for elementary students of all ages. My students often use the sorting tool at the website that allows the reader to search the site by animal names, or zoo and aquarium names. Many kids consult this site before they travel to a city, making plans to visit the local zoo or aquarium.
If you want to incorporate animal words into your word study or vocabulary work with children, visit: http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/baby-animal-names.html
I do have one bit of advice about this website: Be ready to smile. Be ready to hear squeals and giggles when using this resource with your kids. No matter how many times you visit the site, you will never tire of the joy and wonder delivered by the baby animals waiting to greet you each day. Happy Reading!
