{"id":12849,"date":"2026-06-05T19:10:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/?p=12849"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:10:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:10:39","slug":"dash-goes-to-the-zoo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.makewonder.com\/blog\/dash-goes-to-the-zoo\/","title":{"rendered":"Dash Goes to the Zoo"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In this Free Resource Friday blog post, we take you and your students on an adventure at the zoo where code makes every creature come alive!<\/p>

With Dash by their side, your students will explore animal science, language arts, and block-based programming all in one wild adventure.<\/p>

From researching animal behaviors for a Robot Petting Zoo to charting an A-to-Z safari that Dash can navigate, these free Make Wonder lessons turn your classroom floor into a cross-curricular playground.<\/p>

The post comes complete with ready-to-print PDFs, craft ideas, and a dash of STEM magic.<\/p>

Ready to unleash some wonder? Sign up for the free tier of Make Wonder, grab the lesson plans, and let Dash lead the way through your very own alphabet zoo.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Did you know that the free version of the Make Wonder platform features a cross-curricular lesson library with dozens of lessons that span grades K-8? These lessons tackle topics across the curriculum while also bolstering coding skills.<\/p>

In this lesson, Robot Petting Zoo, students resarch animal behaviors and then program Dash to imitate those behaviors. Below are two sample downloadable PDF’s included in the lesson plan.\u00a0<\/p>

You’ll need to be logged into Make Wonder to load the lesson plan, but the free tier is free, so sign up today!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tView Full Lesson Plan Online<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Lesson PDF<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Research Sample<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Worksheet<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In this lesson, students will program Dash the Zookeeper to take visitors through the ABC Animal Zoo in alphabetical order. (Note: Since this lesson is aimed at very young students whose attention spans are short, it\u2019s recommended that you complete this project over a series of days, as indicated in the full plan.)<\/p>

In the lesson, students will fill in an Alphabet Grid<\/strong> using their Alphabet Zoo Trail Planners<\/strong>. Each group has a different part of the alphabet. After the class tapes all of the Alphabet Grids<\/strong> together, you\u2019ll have an Alphabet Zoo Trail for Dash to follow through our zoo.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tView Full Lesson Plan<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In groups, students will create animals to match each letter in the alphabet. They will use craft materials to create the animal and\/or they will describe features of the animal within the square.<\/p>

They could also dress up Dash to resemble one of their chosen animals!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Trail Planner<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A post shared by Brittney Harris (@elementary_in_idaho)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n