© 2003 Merry L. Morris

What to Say to Your Infant, Toddler, and Preschool Child While Visiting the Zoo - Exhibit One

Philadelphia Zoo
  • I see one cheetah on top of the big rock. The cheetah is a cat. Our kitty is a cat, too. See, the cheetah is washing himself, just like our kitty does. The cheetah is washing himself with his tongue just like our kitty does. All cats wash themselves with their tongues.
  • The cheetah is a cat just like our kitty. But the cheetah is bigger than our kitty. He is too big to sit on my lap like our kitty does.
  • The cheetah is a cat. A lion is a cat, too. Do you remember the lion? The cheetah is smaller than a lion. A cheetah is bigger than our kitty, and smaller than a lion.
  • Look at the cheetah's fur. The cheetah's fur looks soft. We can't be sure because we can't touch the cheetah. But the cheetah's fur looks soft like our kitty's fur.
  • The cheetah's fur is yellow with black spots. He has a lot of black spots. One, two, three, four, ... Oh, there are so many spots! I can't count them all while he is moving. The cheetah has spots on his face, spots on his tail, spots on his back. He has spots all over his body!
  • Let's read the sign. The sign says ... The sign tells us that cheetahs eat other animals. The sign tells us cheetahs eat ...
Exhibit Two
Exhibit Three
Exhibit Four
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