Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

Sponsored by: National Grid

Written by Dan Walsh
STEM Educator

Supplies ideas:

Brown paper bag, pencil, scissors, envelopes, spare buttons, glue, binoculars (instructions here)    

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

Length:

Half an hour

Academic Subjects:  

Art & Science
This lesson supports the following standards:

Directions for Jane Goodall’s Safari:  

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

Now that the weather is getting nicer it’s time to break out the safari vests and binoculars and go on a backyard safari! A perfect scientist to talk about with this subject is Jane Goodall. Goodall is a zoologist that studies social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. Goodall has studied chimpanzees for over sixty years! Now is your chance to be inspired by Jane Goodall by going on your own wild safari at home!   

Safari Vest Directions:  

1.)  For this craft you will need; a brown paper bag, pencil, scissors, envelopes, spare buttons, and glue.

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

2.)  Lay the brown paper bag on the table. Measure your child and use the pattern as a guide. 

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

3.)  On the back side of the paper bag, draw the rest of the head hole. Make sure it is in line with the front side head hole. 

4.)  Cutting along the black lines you will cut out the head and arm holes.   

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

5.)  Place two envelopes on the sides of the vest to measure them. If you are using white envelopes you can color them before cutting them down to fit on your vest.  

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

6.)  If you have spare buttons you can use glue dots, or glue to stick them onto your envelopes. If you don’t have buttons you can draw the buttons on the envelope!  

7.)  Glue the envelopes down on both sides of the vest. 

8.)  Add more details! I added another strap and a button at the top.  

9.) Make your binoculars (instructions here)

10.)  Go for a safari around the house or even in the backyard! A family member can hide stuffed animals around the house and the child can go on a safari finding the animals!   

Sanity Savers: Zoo Safari at Home

Fun facts about Jane Goodall:

When studying chimpanzee’s Jane Goodall learned that chimps used tools. It was believed that only humans used tools until this discovery. Jane also learned that chimps have different personalities. Some chimps are quiet, generous, and some can even be bullies! Chimps also express emotions such as happiness and sadness.  

Vocabulary:

Zoologist– a scientist who studies animals and their interaction with their ecosystem.
Primatologist– a scientist who studies primates. Primates range from apes, gorillas, orangutans, and many more!  
Habitat– The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Check out our other Sanity Savers posts here!   

Field trips are back! Please be aware that it will be busier than usual.