Using stuffed animals in teaching

The most practical example of using stuffed animals to educate kids is in teaching about the zoo. Zoos are places where animals are kept under confined conditions while performing some studies. Endangered species of animals are also protected in zoos. In explaining every aspect of the zoo animals, the teacher should make kids try to identify certain features of the animals using thestuffed animals. This craft work can be implemented through any of the following ways;

Firstly, children love eating and therefore the teacher can use this to his/her advantage. By making and eating the stuffed animals children find the process of learning interesting hence lightening the work of the teacher. The animals are made out of edible food staffs like bread, butter and pea nuts for different parts of the animal. The teacher has to carefully plan for every part and what kind of food staff to be used then direct the children on the way forward. Hygiene must be taken care of otherwise children might end up eating germs infested foods. When carefully planned this makes the whole learning process fun and children get to appreciate the lesson taught.

Matching of characteristics and activities is another effective way of teaching children about animals. For example a teacher can use pictures of animals which he/she can ask the children to match with stuffed animals available in the classroom. The teacher can also ask children to match animals with their young ones using different sizes of the stuffed animals. Animal puzzles are equally appropriate in demonstration where the teacher can cut pictures of animals into halves then after mixing them ask the children to sort them out.

The last but not the least method of teaching children about animals is by employing the use of games. All the teacher needs to do is carry a collection of a variety of stuffed animals to the learning place whether classroom or field. Games occur in different forms including; sound games, movement, etc. In the sound games the teacher just selects stuffed animals from the group and asks the children to make the sound made by that animal. This way the children get to learn more easily since it is interactive. In movement games the teacher takes each of the toys and demonstrates how the real animal moves. From there he/she can organize the children to participate in a kind of a game like running competition where the running resembles that of the animal in question.