In The Rainforest Reprinted from The Wild Times Teacher Connection v1n1, Fall 1995. It is a wonderful cross-curricular tie to the article on black lion tamarins. If you are fortunate to be near a zoo with a primate collection, this activity will provide a wonderful way to help your students synthesize their experience of observing the monkeys in the zoo.
Children are naturally curious about the behaviors and lives of animals.
They are especially attracted to monkeys, their antics, and energy. Children have a great capacity for empathy and sense of connection to the animal life around them if given the opportunity. At the School For Children, young children, ages 4-7, participate in a creative movement unit on the habits of monkeys and their struggles to survive in a world where their dwelling places are shrinking. The three or four lesson unit begins with storytelling about a group of monkeys living together in a rainforest. Children see pictures of several species of monkeys and learn the social meaning of different facial expressions and gestures.