If you are planning an upcoming trip to the zoo you’ll want to bring along this zoo scavenger hunt printable. Whether you are taking a class on a field trip or your family to the zoo for the day, these free printables are the perfect addition to your trip.
Going to the zoo is a great outdoor activity for kids and adults alike. There is nothing like spending a warm summer day outside seeing and learning about animals. Zoo trips are one of my family’s favorite summer time activity.
This year, to make our zoo trips extra fun, I created a zoo scavenger hunt printable and am sharing it with you.There are two different versions of the zoo scavenger hunt that you can choose from.
The first zoo scavenger hunt printable lists different animals to find at the zoo and has a fact sheet to go with it. The second zoo scavenger hunt printable is an alphabet hunt and is a bit more challenging. With the alphabet hunt you try to find something at the zoo that starts with each letter from A to Z.
These scavenger hunts are an excellent way for kids (and adults) to learn while also enjoying their day spent at the zoo.
This post is all about a zoo scavenger hunt printable.
Free Zoo Scavenger Hunt Printable
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What I love the most about these scavenger hunts is that it is a great way for kids to see how fun learning can be. Not only are they playing a game and seeing new animals but they are learning and challenging their brains in the process.
Whether you choose the alphabet hunt or the standard scavenger hunt with the fact sheet you and your kids are sure to make your zoo trip a great learning experience and a memorable one at that.
Supplies Needed For The Zoo Scavenger Hunt Printable
- Printer
- 8.5 x 11 Printer Paper
- Dry Erase Pocket Sleeves or Laminator/Laminating Sheets
- Vis-a-vis Markers or Dry Erase Markers
- Dry Eraser (or paper towel)
- Clipboard (optional)
Directions
The first thing you will need to do is decide which zoo scavenger hunt printable you want to use. Then, print and make enough copies for everyone in your family or kids in your class.
While this step is optional, I highly recommend doing something to preserve these printables. Especially if you are a teacher or if your family takes a lot of trips to the zoo.
Printer ink is so expensive so not having to reprint in the future is a huge benefit. The two options I recommend for preserving the printables are to either laminate them or use dry erase pocket sleeves.
1. Laminating
Laminating is a great option if you are a teacher and have access to a laminator. If you don’t have access to a laminator there are fairly cheap ones on Amazon like this Amazon Basics Laminator. This is the laminator I bought and have used for a few years now. I love it and actually use it way more than I ever imagined I would.
In addition to the laminator you will also need laminator sheets like these. Then, all you do is place the printable into a laminating sheet and run it through the laminator. Make sure to pick up some Viz-a-viz markers so you can write on the laminated printable and easily erase when you’re finished.
Amazon Basics Laminator
2. Dry Erase Pocket Sleeves
Another option to preserve the printables are these dry erase pocket sleeves. No laminator or laminating sheets needed, just slide the printable right into the pocket and use a dry erase marker to write on it.
You can buy these in bulk on Amazon which is great if you’re a teacher and need one for each student. If you only need a few you can find them in the Dollar Spot section at Target usually in the summer months leading up to a new school year.
Once you have arrived at the zoo hand everyone a scavenger hunt and something to write with. It can be helpful to use clipboards so that you have something hard to write against.
Finally, start your hunt and let the fun begin. As you explore the zoo and visit each of the exhibits see if you can find all the animals on the scavenger hunt. If you are doing the alphabet hunt, then try to find animals or items that start with each letter.
Zoo Scavenger Hunt
Here is the free zoo scavenger hunt printable. As well as the names of each animal, I made sure to include a picture of the animal too. This way, if you are like me and have young kids they are able to participate even though they cannot read yet.
As you walk around the zoo have everyone keep their eyes out for the animals on the sheet. Then, as you spot the animals have everyone check off their box.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE PRINTABLE
Zoo Animal Facts
As you move through the zoo and find the animals on your scavenger hunt it can be a great opportunity to also learn a fact about each animal. This is why I created an animal fact sheet to go along with it. On this printable there is a fact for each of the 25 animals on the scavenger hunt.
As you check off an animal on your scavenger hunt then read aloud the fact so everyone can learn something new about that animal.
Once your zoo trip is over, you can discuss as a family or class which animal or animal fact you thought was the coolest.
Here is a list of the animal facts you can bring to the zoo. If you would like a copy of this list you can also download and print that off below.
Animal Fact List
- Alligators go through 3,000 teeth in their lifetime.
- Bison have really good hearing and smell but can’t see very well.
- Brown bears can eat 90 pounds of food in one day.
- Otters have to clean themselves often with their teeth and paws in order for their coat to stay waterproof.
- An elephant’s tusks never stop growing.
- Owls do not have true eyeballs. Their eyes are completely immobile.
- A group of hippos is called a bloat.
- A howler monkey can be heard up to 3 miles away.
- Female lions do the hunting whereas males protect the pride.
- Zebras are social animals and live in large herds.
- Snakes smell with their tongue.
- Red pandas spend most of their life in trees and are known for their acrobatic skills.
- Gorillas have unique nose prints like humans have unique fingerprints.
- Turtles have been around since the time of dinosaurs
- Wolf pups are born blind and deaf.
- A baby fox is called a kit.
- Bats are important to the planet because they are pollinators just like butterflies and bees.
- No two tigers have the same stripe pattern.
- Some lizards can detach their tails in order to escape a predator.
- The bones of many birds weigh less than their feathers.
- The Goliath frog is the biggest frog in the world. It can weigh more than 7 pounds.
- Giraffes get water from the leaves they eat so they only need to drink once every few days.
- Ox peckers often perch themselves on a Rhino’s back.
- Male emperor penguins are responsible for keeping the eggs warm. They will go 2 months without food while they do so.
- A baby flamingo is born white.
Zoo Animal Fact Printable
Here is the free printable two page zoo animal fact sheet to go along with your zoo scavenger hunt printable.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE PRINTABLE
Alphabet Zoo Scavenger Hunt
Here is my personal favorite, the zoo alphabet scavenger hunt. This one is a little bit more difficult and requires kids to know their alphabet sounds. Because of this, you might have to work together as a family or class to come up with zoo items or animals that start with each letter.
Some of the trickier letters will be U, V, X, Y, and Z. Because some of the letters are more difficult you may have to get creative. Some creative examples would be water bucket for W, venomous snake for V or zoo map for Z.
A few animals to keep an eye out for that start with these letters are vampire bats, vultures, wolf, yellow canary, yak, and zebra.
If you are not able to find something that starts with each letter then encourage your kids to find something that at least has the letter in it. For example, the letter X you could write fox because it has an X in the name.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE PRINTABLE
I hope you enjoy these zoo scavenger hunts with your kids. Let me know which one you chose to do and how your next trip to the zoo goes. I would love to hear all about it!
This Post Was All About A Zoo Scavenger Hunt Printable.
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