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PETS THEME
Don't forget to visit our extensive cats & dogs themes!

CRAFTS:

Cat Hand Print 
Use a wallpaper sample book to let the children cut out a rug for their cat to sit on. Then put their hand print upright on the "rug" (fingers together, thumb outstretched a little becomes the tail). Use the top of a liquid detergent cap to make a circle at the top of the hand print (to become the cat's head). They Re really cute - add facial features, whiskers, etc.You can also have the children name their kitten.

Fish And Fish Bowl
Cut off 2 inches from a paper plate. This is the fish bowl. Children can either draw or cut out colored fish from construction paper. Fish can be glued to paper plate. Attach string and hang from the ceiling.

Paper Puppies
Make puppies from brown lunch bags. Let the child draw the face on the bag and glue on ears.

Pet Painting
Cut out different animal shapes for easel art or sponge painting. 

GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

Animal Guess Game
Cut pictures of animals (2 of each animal) out of magazines or coloring books. Pin one picture on each child's back. All the children should move around the room behaving like the picture of the animal on their back. The object is for the children to locate their matching animal.

Animal Hospital 
The children can brainstorm ways to make the area look like an animal hospital. Let them make a sign and decorate the area themselves. You can use cotton swabs, empty milk bone boxes, cloth bandages, Band-Aids, rubber gloves, long white lab coats, stethoscope, scale, clipboards, paper, pencils, baskets with pillows and blankets for overnight guests, dog food dish, water dish, stuffed animals from home, telephone, thermometer, plastic (toy) shots 

Pets In Classroom
Walking sticks! They are absolutely wonderful. They require free maintenance - water and blackberry branches. Pet stores sell them. Put them out before the kids arrive and let them discover them on their own. Then at circle, take one out and let them hold it. They are fun, it you touch it, it will wave its leg like it is waving at you. Just put them in a container with blackberry branches (they will eat the leaves) and spray them with a water bottle (keep the leaves moist but not drenched you don't want puddles on the bottom of the container - they will drown).

Pet Day
Plan a Pet Day with your children. Invite them to bring in their pets or photos of their pets for others to see. Give each child a chance to talk about his or her pet and to tell how he or she helps care for it.

Pets and Owners (Movement Activity) 
Have half your children pretend to be pet owners and let the other half pretend to be their pets. Have the owners do pretend activities such as feeding, walking, petting, and playing with their "pets." Then let the children reverse roles.

Pet Language Idea 
Using stuffed animals as props, talk with your children about the proper way to hold, pet, and play with pets.

Sort Animal Crackers
Animal crackers can provide excellent sorting and matching experiences for children. And the best part is once you have finished the task, everyone gets to eat the assignment.
 

SONGS:

Love Your Pets Song 
(Sung to: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")
Love, love
Love your pets,
Love them
Every day.
Give them food
And water, too,
Then let them
Run and play.
My Puppy 
My puppy has a doghouse,
just outside my door.
He licks me when I pet him,
and wags his tail for more.
He's always there beside me,
no matter what I do.
My puppy is my special friend,
and a family member, too.

(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?
How much is that doggie in the window? (Bark! Bark!)
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window? (Bark! Bark!)
I do hope that doggie's for sale
I must take a trip to California
And leave my poor sweetheart alone
If he has a dog he won't be lonesome
And he doggie will have a good home
How much is that doggie in the window? (Bark! Bark!)
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window? (Bark! Bark!)
I do hope that doggie's for sale
I read in the papers there are robbers
With flashlights that shine in the dark
My love needs a doggie to protect him
And scare them away with one bark
I don't want a bunny or a kitty,
I don't want a parrot that talks,
I don't want a bowl of little fishies,
He can't take a goldfish for walks.
How much is that doggie in the window? (Bark! Bark!)
The one with the waggly tail
How much is that doggie in the window? (Bark! Bark!)
I do hope that doggie's for sale

My Pets 
I have 5 pets that I'd like you to meet
They all live with me on Mulberry Street (Hold up 1 hand)
This is my chicken, the smallest of all
He comes a-running whenever I call (Point to little finger)
This is my duckling. He says, Quack, Quack, Quack
As he shakes the water from off his back. (next finger)
Here is my rabbit. He runs from his pen.
Then I must put him back in it again (middle finger)
This is my kitten. Her coat's black and white.
She loves to sleep on a pillow at night. (index finger)
Here is my puppy who has lots of FUN!!!!(thumb)
He chases the others and makes them run. (move thumb slowly and fingers rapidly.)

My Puppy 
I like to pat my puppy
(make puppy with one fist, pat)
He has such nice soft fur
(pat puppy)
And if I don't pull his tail
(pull tail)
He won't say "GrrrR!"
(make angry face)

Our Pet Rhyme
Our pet has
A special place.
We keep it clean
And neat.
We feed our pet
Every day.
It sure likes
To eat!

Soft Kitty 
(Make a fist of left hand for kitty, and pet the kitty.)
Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur
Lazy kitty, pretty kitty
purr, purr, purr

Three Little Kittens 
Three little kittens lost their mittens
And they began to cry: Meow, meow, meow
What? Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens
Then you shall have no pie: Meow, meow, meow
Three little kittens found their mittens
And they began to cry: Meow, meow, meow
What? Found your mittens, you good little kittens
Now you shall have some pie: Meow, meow, meow

The Cat of Many Colors 
Cut a cat shape out of white, purple, red, orange, blue, green, yellow, and black construction paper. Cut out a shape for each of your children (or if children are old enough have them do it) and attach each shape to a craft stick to make a stick puppet. Give a stick puppet to each child.
Before you read the poem ask the children to listen carefully for the color of their cat puppet. When they hear the color, have them wave their puppet in the air.
Once there was a cat all white
Who wished that he were black as night.
He was as thirsty as could be,
And in the cupboard, what did he see?
Grape juice right before his eyes!
He drank it. Then, to his surprise,
He turned from white to something new:
Deep dark purple was his hue.
He peered into his little cup,
Saw tomato juice, and lapped it up.
He soon became the brightest red.
He thought,"Maybe I should go to bed;"
But he wasn't tired, and so
He looked for somewhere else to go.
He spied an orange on the floor,
And pounced in it, and played some more.
As he played this little game,
Orange was what he became.
He played with some blueberries, too,
So suddenly the cat turned blue.
A sour lime sat on the ground.
The kitty licked it, and he found
That he felt strange and not so keen,
For he had turned the color green.
Now he was a sad little fellow,
So he ate a banana and turned bright yellow.
Just then he saw a tasty treat,
Another food he had to eat.
A long black piece of licorice
Gave the little cat his wish.
He ate it all, and soon he was
Black from his head down to his paws!
Why did this happen? You guessed right,
If you blamed it all on Halloween night.

This Kitty
(Start by holding up all 5 fingers. At each line take one away. On the last line have the final finger run through a hole made by the left hand.)
This kitty said, "I smell a mouse,"
This kitty said, "Let's hunt through the house."
This kitty said, "Let's go creepy creep."
This kitty said, "Is the mouse asleep?"
This kitty said, "Meow, meow, I saw him go through This hole just now."
 

STORIES:

Have any good stories? Let us know!
 

FOOD SUGGESTIONS:

Pet Snack Idea 
Use cookie cutters to cut toast into bone shapes for "doggy snacks" and fish shapes for "kitty snacks." 
 

TIPS/NOTES:

Humane Society
Find out where your local Humane Society is located. Call to find out about educational services; some have tours and classes for children that your group might be able to join in; some have reproducible educational materials on caring for pets and animal safety.