Baby Animals
Oh, baby, baby, so young and so tame,
Oh, baby, baby, so what is your name?
Baby cow is a calf,
Baby deer is a fawn,
Baby goat is a kid eating grass on the lawn.
Baby bear is a cub,
Baby hen is a chick,
Baby swan is a cygnet so graceful and quick.
Baby goose is a gosling,
Baby seal is a pup,
Baby cat is a kitten drinking milk from a cup.
Baby sheep is a lamb,
Baby turkey’s a poult,
baby horse is a foal, or a filly, or a colt.
Oh, baby, baby, so young and so tame,
Oh, baby, baby, be proud of your name!
-Meish Goldfish
: Make a poster of baby animal names. Have children paste photos and drawings of the animals beside each name. Older children may want to investigate why some of the animals have the baby names they have. For example, in Gail Gibbon’s book Whales, she discusses the reason why a baby whale is called a calf. (Because whales evolved from an animal like a cow).
The class could explore animal group names such as a pod of whales, by using Ruth Heller’s book A Cache of Jewels and other Collective Nouns (Putnam, 1989) Baby Animals by Margaret Wise brown, illustrated by Susan Jeffers (Random house, 1989) is a wonderful resource to have on hand.
What the Animals Said
It’s still dark, Said the lark.
What’s that? Said the cat.
I want to sleep, Said the sheep.
A bad habit, Said the Rabbit.
Of course, Said the Horse.
Let’s have a spree, Said the bee.
But where? Said the hare.
In the barrow, said the sparrow.
I’m too big, said the pig.
In the house, said the mouse.
But the dog said — Bow-wow,
It’s too late now!
-Old German Nursery Rhyme
Activity: Children might enjoy playing the roles of the different animals and calling out their lines. Simple puppets can be made from small paper bags as the various animals. Encourage imaginative play by using different voices for animals.
Animals from A to Z
A is Ape, B is Bee,
Cis Clownfish in the sea!
D is Deer. E is Eel,
F is Fox who wants a meal.
G is Goose, H is Hog,
I’s an inchworm on a log.
Jay is J, Koala’s K,
L’s a Lion, far away.
M is Mule, N is Newt,
O’s an Ostrich, tall and cute.
P is Pig, Q is Quail,
R’s a Rat with curly tail.
Snake is S, Turkey’s T,
U’s the Umbrella bird flying free.
V is Viper, Worm is W,
Bird’s “X” are hatching. Does that joke trouble you?
Yak is Y, Zebra’s Z,
Alphabet animals for you and me!
-Meish Goldfish
Booklinks
Miss Bindrgaren Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Ashley Wolff (Dutton, 1996)
Amazon Alphabet by Tanis Jordan, illustrate by Marin Jordan (Kingfisher, 1996)
Jenn's Place 