We can learn our alphabet with the animals. We can expand our vocabulary day tripping to the zoo. Before you know it, we've created a zoophabet poem. Rhyming optional.
Writer's note: this was a collaborative piece written by the Radical Radish campers of 2015 ~ Odinn, Sydney, Ann Elise, & Grace. And our camp counselors had a chance to play and write, too.
Alligators creeping and swimming through a swamp
Bongos laying down under the sun
Chimpanzees swinging on the vines
Dart frogs poisonous slime works like a gun
Elephants running, breaking and stomping on the plains of Africa
Flamingo stands on one foot sleeping with its head in its wings
Gray seals baking on the shores of North America
Harbor seals training with a rope like tether
Island snake-neck turtles with their long curling necks paddle through the murky waters
Jaguar of the Amazon pounces and crushes his prey
Koalas climb and crawl and eat all day
Lions roar, climb and crawl in the deep dark grass
Meerkats climb and jump into their home den
Newts slink slowly on the moss and camouflage when it sees a predator
Q - Sorry. We couldn't find an animal whose name began with Q
Opossum with their furry bodies sneak through the tall grass
Piranhas catch and feast on creatures in the dark gleaming river
River otters swim and catch fish in the warm shallow water
Snow leopards bound through the mountains of Asia
Tapirs eat all day, sleep all night and wake up at the morning light
Vipers slither through the mossy branches with the sun shining on its scales
Wallabies bounce with their big fee through the Australian outback
X – if you can find an animal at the zoo and its name begins with X, let us know
Yellow backed Duiker strolling in the tall, green grass
Zebras with their unique stripes run across the African savannah