Book Suggestions:
Over in the Jungle: A
Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne
BerkesThe Great Kapok Tree by
Lynee Cherry
A Walk in the
Rainforest by Kristin Joy Pratt-
SerafiniA
Rainforest Habitat by Molly
AlonianHug by
Jez AlboroughRainforest by Helen
SharmanLittle Gorilla by Ruth
BornsteinThe Saggy Baggy Elephant by K. Jackson
The Umbrella by Jan Brett
Activities:
Rainforest Animals:
Materials: pictures of a variety of different animals (print from clip art, find them in magazines, draw them etc.), glue, a large piece of white paper
Description: After reading several books about the
rainforest and talking to your toddler about what kind of animals live there, show your toddler a variety of pictures of animals. See if your toddler can pick out the animals that live in the
rainforest. Have your little one glue all the
rainforest animals to a large piece of white paper, creating a
rainforest collage. Write the name of each animal under its picture.
Extension: You could extend this activity by drawing grass, trees, and a sky onto the piece of white paper and have your toddler glue each animal where it spends most of its time in the
rainforest. (For example: glue a macaw in the sky, a monkey in a tree, and a jaguar in the grass)
Skills Targets: teach your tot animal recognition, teach your tot to better understand animal habitats, teach your tot language development, teach your tot motor skill development
Rainforest Animal Mask:Materials: paper plates,
popsicle sticks, paint, scissors, construction paper, markers, additional craft items if desired
Description: You and your toddler can make
rainforest animal mask together. Read books about
rainforest and talk about
rainforest animals with your toddler. Decide which animal or animals you want to make. Start by painting a paper plate the color of the animal. Cut out two circles for your toddler's eyes to show through. Cut out a nose, ears, and mouth from construction paper and glue it onto the mask. You and your toddler can decide what detail you want to add. (For example, paint stripes if you make a tiger, add yarn for a mane if you make a lion etc). You could also glue a Popsicle stick to the bottom of the mask and they could hold it front of their face. Have your toddler pretend to be the animals.
Skills Targeted: teach your tot animal recognition, teach your tot motor skill development, teach your tot language development, teach your tot to enhance imagination and pretend play
Vines:
Materials: green and brown paper (the larger the paper the better this will work)
Description: Read books about the
rainforest to your toddler and talk about things that they might see in the
rainforest. Show your toddler a picture of vines. Together you and your toddler can make vines. Simply twist long pieces of green and brown paper. You can tape them to your toddler's ceilings or walls to create a
rainforest atmosphere in your toddler's room.
Skills Targeted: teach your tot motor skill development, teach your tot to better understand different habitats, teach your tot language development
Pretend to Be Rainforest Animals:
Description: You and your toddler can pretend to be a different
rainforest animals, walking crawling and slithering round your house.
Skills Targeted: teach your tot pretend play, teach your tot to enhance imagination, teach your tot motor skill development, teach your tot to understand how different animals act
Snake:
Materials: paper, markers, scissors
Description: Read books about
rainforest animals to your toddler. Talk about different snakes that live in the
rainforest. Create a snake, draw a spiral shape onto a piece of paper. Have your little one decorate it (they could draw or paint stripes, triangles, circles etc). Cut along the spiral. You could even punch a hole in the head of the snake and hang it from the ceiling.
Skills Targeted: teach your tot to better understand the habitats of rainforest animals, teach your tot motor skill development, teach your tot language development

Sort Flowers:
Materials: Cut or print flower shapes in a variety of colors (be sure to have at least three of each color)
Description: Read a book about
rainforest flowers to your toddler. Talk with your toddler about all the beautiful flowers that grow in the
rainforest. Lay out a variety of different colored flowers in front of your toddler. See if your toddler can recognize some or all of the colors. Help your toddler sort all the flowers by color. Count each group of flowers. Talk about what group has the most/least.
Skills Targeted: teach your tot color recognition, teach your tot sorting by color, teach your tot to count, teach your tot to understand most and least, teach your tot to compare and contrast, teach your tot language development, teach your tot to understand different habitats
Trees:
Materials: paper, brown construction paper, sponge, green paint
Description: Read books to your toddler about the
rainforest. (The Great Kapok Tree is a good one!) Talk to your toddler about how many trees live and grow in the
rainforest. Your toddler can create their own
rainforest tree. Cut a long rectangle from brown construction paper for the trunk. Show it to your toddler and see if they can tell you what shape and color it is. Have your little one glue it to a piece of paper. Your little one can create the green leaves by dipping a sponge into green paint and dabbing it all over the top of the trunk. (You can make several
rainforest trees to give more of a
rainforest look!)
Skills Targeted: teach your tot language development, teach your tot to understand different habitats, teach your tot to recognize shapes and colors, teach your tot motor skill development
Rainforest Bugs:
Materials: Styrofoam ball or pom poms, paint, googly eyes, pipe cleaners or any other crafts objects, glue
Description: Read books to your toddler about the
rainforest. Talk to your toddler about how many different kinds of bugs live in the
rainforest. They are all different shapes sizes and colors. Your toddler can create their own
rainforest bug. Simply have them paint a Styrofoam ball (they can paint it any color and add their own designs to it) or use pompoms for the body. When the paint is dry have them glue on googly eyes and use pipe cleaners or other crafts items for the antennas and legs. Have your little one give their
rainforest bug a name!
Skills Targeted: teach your tot creativity and imagination, teach your tot motor skill development, teach your tot language development, teach your tot to better understand different habitats of bugs
Songs and Fingerplays:In the Rainforest:
Sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb
In the
rainforest, I see a tiger,
I see a tiger
I see a tiger
In the
rainforest, I see a tiger
Creeping along the forest floor.
In the
rainforest, I see a macaw
I see a macaw
I see a macaw
In the
rainforest, I see a macaw
Flying in the sky.
In the
rainforest, I see a monkey
I see a monkey
I see a monkey
In the
rainforest, I see a monkey
Swinging from the trees.
In the
rainforest, I see a hippo
I see a hippo
I see a hippo
In the
rainforest, I see a hippo
Soaking in the water
You can continue this song singing about other animals and plants that you can find in the
rainforest.
Rainforest, Rainforest
Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells
Rain-for-est
Rain-for-est
Deep in the
rainforestTigers creep
Flowers grow
Monkey's swing to and fro.
Rain-for-est
Rain-for-est
Where hippos and crocodiles live.
Panthers do live there too.
And so do cockatoos!
Online Fun:Coloring:
visit
http://www.coloring.ws/ to print free color pages
Print a variety of different
rainforest animals by clicking
here.
Videos:
visit www.sesamestreet.org to watch videos about
rainforest and more.
Hidden Jungle AnimalsMonkeys climb a tree to get bananasGrover and the Elephant