Hello all,

Zoo Week has come and gone and boy, was it great!  Read on below to learn all about the fun that was had and learning that took place!

The students arrived at school on Monday with a lot of enthusiasm and one thing on their mind – the Zoo field trip on Friday!   “Are we going to the zoo TODAY?” was the question that was heard all week long.  The teachers reminded the students about their “Days of the Week” song.  With four days until Friday, the students were a bit disappointed – but not for long!  Little did the students know that Zoo Week would turn out to be, by far, the most exciting and busiest week of camp yet!

On Monday, the students crafted their first Zoo animal of the week – a parrot!  In order to do so, the students started by decorating a regular paper lunch bag which would later become the body of the bird.

After the bag had been colored, the students began adding the facial features of the parrot including the eyes and the beak.

Next, the students selected beautiful feathers to add to their parrot’s head and body.

Here is how this student’s parrot turned out.

Here are a few others!  Aren’t they great?

In the afternoon on Monday, the students learned their Zoo-themed song.   Similar to the Community Song from last week, the Zoo Song also is sung to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”.  Here are the lyrics below.

The Snake at the Zoo goes

Hiss, Hiss, Hiss

Hiss, Hiss, Hiss,

Hiss, Hiss, Hiss,

The snake at the zoo goes

Hiss, Hiss, Hiss

All Day Long!

The song was a huge hit but the students quickly learned that it only had one verse!  The students had a blast adding additional animals and animal sounds to the song.

Tuesday was CrAzY hAt DaY at PPA!  Here are some of the highlights!

This student incorporated last week’s Community theme into his CrAzY hAt!

Since it was zoo week, the students created another animal-inspired craft on Tuesday!  This time it was a giraffe and the students made it in the most unusual way! Can you tell what the students used to make the body of their giraffe?

If you said, “a hand” then you are correct!

After their hand was painted and stamped onto their paper, the students added a long neck and head, a colorful landscape along with spots on their giraffe!  To do so, they used their fingertips!

On Wednesday the students spent their morning painting at the art easel.  They really made some amazing artwork!

Wednesday was also the day that a Surprise Guest visited the students!  Their excitement mounted as they shouted out people/things they thought were the Surprise Guest!  Here is the list with their guesses.

The teachers informed them that one student had guessed correctly!  The Surprise Guest was on the list.  Who do you think it was?

If you said, “Spiderman” then you are correct!

The students warmly welcomed Spiderman to Park Prep.  Spiderman invited all of the students to join him in a special Spiderman-themed dance party!

The students and Spiderman boogied the afternoon away to hits such as “The Chicken Dance”, “The Hokey Pokey”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”, “The Limbo” and Spiderman’s personal favorite – “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”.  Check out this Spideriffic dance move Spiderman did at one point during the dance party!

Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing

The dance party wrapped up but the fun certainly did not!  Spiderman asked the students if they liked balloon animals?  Of course, the students all shouted out for joy!  Who knew Spiderman knew how to make balloon animals?

Since it was Zoo Week, Spiderman told the students that they would need to GUESS what animals he was making if they wanted a balloon animal of their own!

One by one, the students guessed and received their balloon animal!  Needless to say, they LOVED them!

Before long, Spiderman needed to return to his home in New York City- after all, he does help keep it safe!  The students said thank you and goodbye to Spiderman before they themselves headed home for the day.

On Thursday, the students trekked down Central Avenue to the local landmark, Goehrig’s Bakery!  Over 75 years old, Goehrig’s Bakery has been providing sweet treats to patrons of Jersey City, Hudson County and beyond!

The students eyes widened as they entered the bakery and saw all of the delicious delicacies the bakery had to offer!

The woman, Deborah, pictured below helped the students learn all about what a day is like working in a bakery!  She explained that all day long, the staff works with the baker to prepare amazing treats including (but not limited to) pastries, cakes, cupcakes, tarts, pies, bread, and danishes.

Speaking of baker, this is Baker John!

The students especially loved seeing the shelves of treats just for kids!

After some debate, the students decided the that the red leaf cookies were the perfect choice to purchase!  Watch below as one of the students turns into a customer and places the order for the entire camp!

Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing

As you can see from the video, Goehrig’s Bakery is so great they get new orders while filling orders!  Deborah took the phone caller’s order and returned to assisting the students!

After the order was filled, Deborah wrapped up the package with some specialty ribbon.  The teachers said, “Okay, that’s it.  Let’s take our cookies and go now”.  Thankfully the students were there to remind them that one more thing needed to happen before the cookies could be enjoyed.  The cookies needed to be paid for!  Another student handed the PPA credit card over to Deborah to pay for the cookies.

Deborah then handed Miss Jocelyn a receipt which Miss Jocelyn signed her name on to show that she authorized (or allowed) the Bakery to take some money of hers to pay for the cookies she took from the bakery.  Take a look at the eager (and hungry) look on the students faces as they saw the box with the cookies inside!

After each student had eaten their lunch, the teachers passed out their red leaf cookie for them to enjoy – which they clearly did!

On Friday, the students battled the heat and headed to the Turtle Back Zoo!  The students hoped aboard the air-conditioned school bus and greeted their favorite driver, Bus Driver Mike!

When the bus arrived at the zoo, the students unloaded and began their visit with a trip to the potties (just to be safe).  Since Friday was a scorcher, the students kept cool by seeking out all of the air-conditioned and shaded exhibits the zoo had to offer.  Frequent water breaks, spray bottles with fans,  as well as all of the sprinklers around the zoo helped everyone stay nice and cool all day long!

After a quick bathroom/water break, the students began exploring the various exhibits – both new and old!  Here are some photographs from around the zoo.

By far, the most exciting new addition to the zoo is the aquarium!  They students enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful and colorful sea life.

After exploring the zoo for a while, it was time for lunch!  At the end of lunch, the students enjoyed a cool ice-pop treat, compliments of Dr. Greenwald. Yum!

As always, the zoo trip wrapped up with a ride on the Turtle Back Zoo Train!  Watch the video below to see the students enjoying their ride!

Photo Sharing – Video Sharing – Photo Printing

What a great day at the zoo!  Thank you to all of the PPA parents who accompanied the students on the field trip!  We hope you had as much fun as we did!

Well, that is all for Zoo Week!  What a fun-filled, action-packed week it was!  As always, thank you for reading and see you next week for more fun in the (hopefully not-still-a-heatwave) sun!

Reminders:

Event Next Week:

Monday – Craft Day!

Tuesday – Outdoor Games and Play / Craft Day

Wednesday – Outdoor Games and Play!

Thursday – Newark Museum and Planetarium Bus Trip

(parents welcome to attend)

Friday – PPA Family Picnic at the Park! 12:00 p.m.

All students and their families are welcome to join us for a Pizza Party Pizza Party Lunch!

Click here to view all of the photos from Spiderman’s Visit to PPA!

Click here to view all of the photos from PPA’s Visit to the Turtle Back Zoo!