Review of Zoocational and Giraffe Art Activity

My little ones were so excited to meet some new friends recently. Cuddle Barn was nice enough to send me some of their Zoocational animals.  Cuddle Barn is a top designer and manufacturer of animated plush toys. The Zoocational line includes eight cuddly creatures that will teach your child about animals. The animals include a chimpanzee, panda, elephant, lion, manatee, zebra, tiger, and a giraffe.
We received Tusker the Elephant, Twiggy the Giraffe and Coco the Chimpanzee. Just seeing these cute creatures was enough to pique my kids' interest. 

Imagine their surprise when they pressed the animals' feet and discovered that these stuffed toys talk! The reaction was pure delight. 

 

The animals are made in such a way that their mouths open and close, and it actually looks like they are talking. I love that each of the Zoocational animals recites facts about themselves when you squeeze their foot.  Each animal can "speak" animal facts such as "I can live up to 50 years" and "I am born six feet tall..."

Besides teaching kids about animals, the Zoocational toys make great playmates.  As you can see, they don't mind being swaddled and put to sleep like a baby. In my house of girls, this is a risk for any toy.

The girls have been playing with these animals non-stop since we got them. We have even been on the internet watching videos of giraffes and learning more about them. The kids were so inspired by their new Zoocational toys that we made our own giraffe faces. 


Supplies you will need:

• Paper (I had giraffe print paper, but construction paper would work great too)
• Glue
• Marker
• Googly Eyes

Cut different giraffe shapes from the paper and give them to your child to construct their giraffe. We looked at our Zoocational giraffe and tried to make sure we put the parts in the right places.

B draws a nose and mouth to put on her giraffe.

 Now it's time to glue.

"A" glues on the nose and mouth.

The kids were proud of their finished giraffes.

Yes, "A" made a sad giraffe.

I love how the Zoocational toys jump started our learning about animals. They also serve as a great springboard to various activities like our giraffe face art.

Zoocational plush toys sell for $22.99 and can be purchased at Cuddle Barn. 
Disclosure:  I was sent these products for review.  All opinions expressed are my own. I received no monetary compensation for this review.