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Arabi the AardvarkArabi (uh-RAHB-ee) the Aardvark is a strange-looking animal.

He has ears like a donkey, a snout like a pig, and a long, stickytongue. Create your own strange-looking animal using the front

page of your newspaper. First,circle 10 “A”s in a story. Then

make the body by drawing lines toconnect the “A”s. Use crayons toadd eyes, ears, a nose, and other

features. Can you think of aname for your

animal thatbegins withan “A”?

While onsafari, read:Inspector Aardvark

and the Perfect Cakeby Kathy Caple

Aardvark’s Picnicby Jon Higman

Babu the BaboonBabu (BAH-boo) is one of several different kinds of

baboons that live in Africa. Like the others, he is verysmart. Show Babu how smart you are by circling theletter “B” eight times in your newspaper. Then cut outthe largest “B” you can find and paste it below the treewhere Babu sleeps.

While on safari, read:Bitter Bananas by Isaac Olaleye

Zoo City by Stephen Lewis

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Of all the animals in Africa — and theworld — Changa (CHAHN-gah) the Cheetahis one of the fastest. Find out how fast youare at finding some letters on the frontpage of your newspa-per. While yourteachertimes you,circle asmany “Cs”as possi-ble in aminute.Whenyour minute isup, count the “Cs”and write the num-ber on the tip of Changa’s tail.

While on safari, read:Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditionsby Margaret Musgrove, illustrated

by Leo and Dianne Dillon

Changa the Cheetah

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Dia theDromedary

Dia (DEE-ah) theDromedary is a camel, buthe only has one hump. Heuses it to store food for thelong trips he takes acrossthe African desert. Let’spack some extra food forDia’s next trip. Cut outnewspaper pictures ofthings to eat. Paste some ofthem onto Dia’s picnic basket.Do any of them start with theletter “D”?

While on safari, read:Beasties by Louise Binder Scott

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Elima the ElephantElephants, such as Elima

(ay-LEEM-ah), are the largestanimals on land. Only thegiraffe is taller, and noother animal has earsand teeth (tusks) as bigas Elima’s and herfriends’.

While onsafari, read:

The Great Big Elephantand the Very Small

Elephantby Barbara Seuling

The Elephant’s Ballby Evelyne Johnson

Some letters in the newspaperare larger than the others.

Cut out four large “E”sand four small “E”s.Paste the large ones on

the left side of thepage and the small

ones on the right.

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Farah (FAIR-rah) and her flamin-go friends are beautiful birds withfeathers of red or pink. They also havelong legs that look like stilts.

The word “Flamingo” begins with an“FL” blend, two letters that create onesound. Find some words in your newspaper thatbegin with “FL” or other blends. Circle them witha red or pink crayon.

While on safari, read:Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

The Dictionary of Birds in Colorby Bruce Campbell

Farah theFlamingo

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While on safari, read:Your Pet Giraffe by Bobbie Hamsa

Helga High-Up by Marjorie Sharmat

Gezira theGiraffe

Gezira (juh-ZEER-uh) the

Giraffe lives inAfrica’s grass-

lands. Like herfriends, sheuses her long

neck to reachleaves and fruit

up high in trees.Find some “long” words in

your newspaper — words withmore than seven letters. Cut out

the longest word you can find andpaste it below.

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While on safari, read:Hiccup by Mercer Mayer

Oops by Mercer Mayer

Hari the HippoHari (HAH-ree) the Hippopotamus is another big animal.

He also has a big name. Count the letters in the word hip-popotamus to see for yourself! Now cut out letters from yournewspaper that spell H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-U-S. Paste themonto Hari’s body. Can you find any more newspaper wordswith 12 or more letters? Circle them with a red crayon.

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Imani the ImpalaImpalas like Imani (ee-MAHN-ee) are African antelopes, ani-

mals that look like deer. They are fast runners and can jumphigh. Look through your newspaper’s sports section for pictures of

people running and jumping. Then cut out words from the sportspages that begin with each of the letters in the word I-M-P-A-L-A.

Paste the words under-neath Imani.

While on safari, read: Imogene’s Antlers by David Smith

The Midnight Farm by Reeve Lindbergh

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Jojo the Jackal Jojo (JOH-joh) the Jackal is actually a dog

— a wild dog. He is called a “scavenger”because he roams the land hunting for food.Go on your own scavenger hunt through yournewspaper. Find and circle eight “J”s, three“A”s, one “C,” six “K”s, a capital “A,” and five“L”s. For fun, look through your newspaper’scomics for a dog — wild or not!

While on safari, read:Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book

by Muriel Feelings, illustrated by Tom Feelings

I Spy: An Alphabet in Artby Lucy Micklethwait

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Kali the KuduKali (KAH-lee) is a kudu, another kind of

antelope that lives in the grassy parts ofAfrica. She eats the grass, as well as

sprouts. Add some “color” to Kali’sdiet. Find some different-colored foodsin your newspaper’s food section. Cutthem out and paste them beside thekudu. Write the letter each foodbegins with underneath its picture.

While on safari, read:The Talking Eggs

by Robert San Souci

Alphabeasts by Dick King-Smith,illustrated by Quentin Blake

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Luki the LionCalled the “king of beasts,” lions like Luki (LOO-

kee) are among the most famous of all animals.Their loud roars and great strength make themleaders of the animal kingdom. Look through yournewspaper for pictures of our leaders — the presi-dent, the governor, and the mayor. Then cut outnewspaper letters to spell the word L-E-A-D-E-R.Paste them aroundLuki’s crown.

While on safari, read:Leo the Late Bloomer

by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Jose Aruego

Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty

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Mona theMonkey

Mona (MOH-nah) and hermonkey friends are lively, playful

animals. Help entertain Mona by findingnewspaper pictures of people playingsports. Cut out the pictures and make acollage on a separate sheet of paper. Thencut out newspaper words that begin withthe letter “M” and paste them onto Mona’sball.

While onsafari, read:

Caps for Saleby EsphyrSlobodkina

Curious Georgeby H.A. Rey

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While onsafari, read:

Crocodile Beatby G. Jorgensen

Crocodile’s Taleby Jose Aruegowith A. Aruego

Nia of the Nile (Crocodile, that is!)

Nia (NEE-ah) is a Nile crocodile, an animal thatlives near a famous African river called the Nile. Niaspends most of her time sunning herself on the river-banks. Look at your newspaper’s weather map for thesymbols for sunshine. Cut them out and paste themabove Nia. Now, look for some weather words in yournewspaper. Share an example with the class.

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Obi the OstrichObi (OH-bee) the Ostrich is a bird, but like all ostriches he does

not fly. Instead, his good eyesight and great speed help himescape danger. To help keep Obi safe, give him his yearly eyecheckup (just like the one at your doctor’s office). On a separatesheet of paper, make a chart using big and small letters cut out

of your newspaper. Put the big let-ters on the top and the

small letters onthe bottom. Give

the eye check-up to yourfriends, too.

While on safari, read:New Friends, True Friends,

Stuck-Like-Glue Friendsby Virginia Kroll

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Paki the PorcupineLike most animals, Paki (PAH-kee) the Porcupine has built-in pro-

tection. He has long, pointed quills that are sharp when you touchthem. Look through your newspaper for pictures of other things thatare sharp. Look also for pictures ofthings that feel soft, hard,rough, and smooth.Talk about theletters eachitem beginswith.

While on safari, read:Porcupine’s Pajama Party

by Terry Harshman

The Porcupine by Anne Marie Dalmais

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Qwara the QuailQwara (KWAHR-ah) the quail is a small

bird found mostly in the northern part ofAfrica. She enjoys sitting quietly. Butwhen she’s in danger, Qwara lets out aloud squawk and flies away. Lookthrough your newspaper’s comicsfor characters that are quiet andcharacters that are loud. Then qui-etly underline newspaper wordsthat have the letter “Q” in them.Bonus: What letter is “Q” alwaysfollowed by (in English)?

While on safari,read:

Q is for Duck by Mary Eltingand Michael Folsom

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Rudi the RhinocerosLooking at Rudi (ROO-dee),

you might think you’re seeingdouble. But you’re not! He’s atype of rhinoceros that hastwo horns on his nose(instead of one). Lookthrough your newspaper forexamples of things thatcome in twos, such asshoes. Then try to makeRudi see double. Cut outnewspaper letters to spellthe name R-U-D-I — twice!Paste them in front of hispicture.

While onsafari, read:

Rupert the Rhinocerosby Carl Memling

Rainbow Rhinoby Peter Sis

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Suri the ServalSuri (SOOR-ee) the Serval has a

head like a cat you might have for apet. But his spotted body sets himapart. Count the spots on Suri andwrite the number on the line. Then

look for some “S” words in yournewspaper. Paste them in the

space below.

While on safari, read:Catastrophe Cat at the Zoo by Dennis Panek

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Terence the TortoiseTerence (TEHR-uhns) is a tortoise, a type of turtle that

lives only on land. To protect himself, Terence hides insidehis own special “house” — a hard, dome-shaped shell.Give Terence’s “house” a new look. Find newspaper pic-tures of things you might find inside a house. Make acollage on Terence’s shell. Beside each item, write theletter it begins with.

While on safari,read:

The Tortoise and the Treeby Janina Domanska

A House is a House forMe by Mary Ann

Hoberman

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Usutu the GnuUsutu (oo-SOO-too) the Gnu

(nu) is an animal with a funnyname — two of them, in fact. Thisvery fast animal is also called awildebeest. Look through yournewspaper’s comics for characterswith funny names. Then create your owncomic character by pasting the head ofone comic-strip character onto the bodyof another. Paste your creature along-side Usutu. Be sure to give it afunny name!

While on safari, read:If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss

The Alphabet Taleby Jan Garten,

illustrated by Muriel Batherman

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Vezo (VEH-zoh) the Vultureis a large bird that lives in theopen country. He has excellenteyesight and can spot his preyfrom far away. Help Vezo spot the“V”s in your newspaper. Circle as manyof them as you can find. Then cut out fiveof the “V”s and paste them below.

Vezo the Vulture

While on safari, read:Why the Sky is Far Away: A Nigerian Folktale

retold by Mary-Joan Gerson

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothingby Judith Barrett, illustrated by Ron Barrett

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A warthog like Walda(WAHL-dah) is a largeAfrican pig named for the“warts” on her head. Shelives in the forest,where she caneasily hidefrom danger.Pretend somewords arehiding inyour news-paper. Findsix wordsthat beginwith the letter“W.” Cut them outand “hide” them inthe thicket withWalda.

While onsafari, read: How Animals Hide

by Robert M. McClung

Anansi and the TalkingMelon by Eric A. Kimmel

Walda the Warthog

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Xetsa theIbex

Xetsa (heht-SAH) the Ibex is awild goat that lives in Africa. Likecows, goats give milk. Find anadvertisement for milk in thenewspaper and paste it below.How many glasses of milk do youdrink a day? Find and circle thatmany “X”s (or more!) in thenewspaper.

While on safari, read:How Animals Care for Their Babies

by Roger Hirschland

Alphabet Animals by Charles Sullivan

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Yahya theHyenaYahya (YAH-yah) is an animalfamous for its howl— a weird soundthat resembles ahuman laugh.Give Yahya theHyena something toreally howl about. Cutout five funny charac-ters from the news-paper comic stripsand paste thembelow. For eachcharacter, makeup a funnyname that beginswith “Y.”

While on safari,read:

Animal Clownsby Jane R. McGoldrick

Useful Objects Chinye:A West African Folk Tale

by Obi Onyefulu

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Zili the ZebraZebras like Zili (ZEE-lee) are

striped animals that have theshape of a horse. Many items in

your newspaper are shaped likeother things — a circle, a square, a

rectangle, and a diamond. Findexamples of these shapes, then cut

them out and make a collage. Canyou find a picture of something

striped? Cut itout and paste it

next to Zili. Thenhelp Zili replace his

missing stripes by drawingsome new ones.

While on safari, read:Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert

Greddy Zebra by Mwenye Hadithi

INSERT YOUR NEWSPAPER’S NAME HERE

Dear Teachers:The newspaper offers you a unique opportunity to motivate your students.

Language development, reading, math, and current events are just a few of theareas that can be taught by using the newspaper.

The activities in this section were written for the very young primary student.As always, they can be adapted to fit individual and classroom needs. Childrenof all ages will enjoy coloring the lively black and white illustrations on eachpage.

To make your Newspaper in Education experience an enjoyable one, consid-er these suggestions:

• Give children plenty of space when using the newspaper. They can sit attables or on the floor.

• Separate sections of the newspaper. Give children only the sections theywill be using. Consider stapling the folded edge of each section for easierhandling.

• Some activities will call for glue, scissors, a pencil, and crayons. If you planto use the section over a period of days, you might want to have the childrenuse tape for cut-and-paste activities to prevent pages from sticking together.

Written by Terri Darr McLeanDesigned and illustrated by Camille Weber

Concept developed by Sylvia Smith

© 1995-2006 KRP, Inc.All rights reserved.

Resources:Newspaper Alphabet Animal Safari by Sylvia Smith and Carrie Allen

World Book EncyclopediaAfrican Names by Julia Stewart

Each animal in Alphabet Safari II has an African name. According to the book, AfricanNames by Julia Stewart, there are many African traditions that influence the naming of

children. Many are named for the time or day they were born, such as daytime or marketday. Others are named for major events occurring at the time of birth. Regardless, the

African names are rich in tradition and have many wonderful meanings.