Sloth at the Zoom

Written by Helaine Becker, Illustrated by Orbie

One day, a sloth accidentally gets delivered to the Zoom! She was supposed to be dropped off at the Zzzzzoo, a much more laid-back, slow-paced place. She had been looking forward to long, languorous naps while the sun gently warmed her belly. But at the Zoom, the zebras gallop so fast they leave their stripes in puddles. The monkeys climb so fast they forget to stop at the treetops. And the parrots fly so fast their tails draw rainbows across the sky.

When the sloth tries to make friends, nobody has any time — until the sloth meets a creature who’s a little more her speed, and everyone stops to notice. This is a surprising, delightful, and funny picture book about slowing down to enjoy the little things and making time for what matters.

Discussion Question:

Would you rather move fast like a cheetah, a parrot or a monkey or ..... slow like a sloth or snail?

Mindful Breathing

Sloth saw the importance of slowing down to be a part of the world around her. Sometimes it's hard to slow down as much as sloth, but if we take time everyday to reflect, relax and clear our minds, our brains and bodies will grow stronger. Play the relaxing sounds and practice belly breathing. Next, choose a shape breath to try, then create your own.

Belly Breathing:

Sit with your legs crossed or lay flat on the floor.

If you're sitting, sit as tall as you can. Can I see everyone sitting up tall?

If you're laying down, are you flat and long?

Now, put your hands on your belly.

Let's slowly breathe in.

Let's slowly breathe out.

Feel your belly go out and in or up and down.

Slowly breathe in again.

Slowly breathe out again.

Feel your belly go out and in or up and down.

If you're comfortable, let's try breathing with our eyes closed.

Close your eyes.

Slowly breathe in.

Feel your belly go out or up.

Slowly breathe out.

Feel your belly go in or down.

Breathe big belly breaths now on your own and listen to the music.

Feel your tummy go in and out, up and and down, with each breath.

Slowly open your eyes and sit up or relax.

Get Creative!

Can you create a breath to represent each animal in the story?

Make A Climbing Structure

Use straws, string, dixie cups, cardboard, toothpicks, glue and tape to make a climbing structure for the zoo animals. Take a look at the page in the book when Sloth called to the monkeys for inspiration. What do you see? How could you make that?

Extension: Tape together washers to represent the monkeys and sloth, then balance them on your structure. Is your structure stable? How many monkeys can your structure support safely?

Make A Balancing Structure

Students can play Jenga OR play with the game "A Barrel of Monkeys".

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