Carnival of the Animals activities and a lesson plan for kids

The Carnival of the Animals is a set of 14 short pieces by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, written in 1886. Each one paints an animal in sound: a lion, an elephant, a swan, and even some fossils. Most last one or two minutes, which makes the set ideal for young listeners. This page gives a plan for three short sessions and a dozen activities.

What you need

• A recording. The whole set lasts about 25 minutes.
• Space to move
• Paper and crayons
• A bingo card from the listening bingo maker, if you like

The 14 parts

Number	Title	Instruments to listen for	Sounds like
1	Introduction and Royal March of the Lion	Pianos and strings	A proud march, with roars low on the pianos
2	Hens and Roosters	Pianos, violins, and clarinet	Pecking and crowing
3	Wild Donkeys	Two pianos	Racing up and down
4	Tortoises	Strings and piano	A famous fast dance, played as slow as can be
5	The Elephant	Double bass and piano	A heavy waltz
6	Kangaroos	Two pianos	Hops that speed up and slow down
7	Aquarium	Flute, strings, pianos, and a bell-like instrument	Shimmering water
8	Characters with Long Ears	Violins	Braying: “hee-haw”
9	The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods	Clarinet and pianos	Two notes, again and again
10	Aviary	Flute	Birds darting about
11	Pianists	Pianos	Beginners practicing scales
12	Fossils	Xylophone	Clacking bones
13	The Swan	Cello and pianos	A long, gliding tune
14	Finale	Everyone	A romp in which many of the animals return

For more on each part, read The Carnival of the Animals listening guide.

A plan for three sessions

Each session lasts 20 to 30 minutes.

Session 1: guess the animal

1. Do not say the titles. Play “The Elephant,” “Aviary,” “Kangaroos,” and “The Swan,” one at a time.
2. After each one, the children guess the animal and say what in the music gave them the idea.
3. Tell them the titles. Play each one again, and move like the animal.

Session 2: listen for the instruments

1. Play “The Elephant” and “The Swan.” Both use a low string instrument. Ask how the same family can sound so heavy in one and so smooth in the other.
2. Play “Fossils.” Ask what the bones are played on.
3. Play “Aquarium.” Ask what makes it sound like water.
4. The children draw one of the four.

Session 3: the whole carnival

1. Hand out a list of the 14 titles, or a bingo card.
2. Play the whole set. The children tick each animal as it goes by.
3. In the Finale, they call out each animal they hear come back.
4. Each child picks an animal that is not in the piece and says which instrument should play it.

More activities

Animal moves. Play a part, and move like the animal: stomp for the elephant, hop for the kangaroos, glide for the swan, and crawl for the tortoises.

High or low? Sort the animals by sound. The birds are high, and the elephant is low. Ask why a composer would choose that.

Fast or slow? Line up “Wild Donkeys,” “Kangaroos,” “The Swan,” and “Tortoises” from fastest to slowest.

The tortoise joke. Play the Can-Can, the fast dance by Offenbach. Then play “Tortoises.” It is the same tune, slowed right down. Ask the children to dance both.

Hidden tunes. “Fossils” has old tunes buried in it, like bones in the ground. One of them is “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Raise a hand when you hear it.

Who are the pianists? Saint-Saëns put piano students in his zoo. Ask the children why. Then ask what animal they sound like when they practice.

Draw the parade. Tape sheets of paper in a long row. Draw each animal in order as its music plays.

Write the 15th animal. Choose an animal. Decide on its instrument, its speed, and whether it is loud or soft. Hum or play its tune.

Animal charades. One child picks a part in secret and moves to it with no sound. The others guess, and then the music is played to check.

Questions to ask

• Which animal was the easiest to guess? Why?
• Which instrument would you choose for a snake? For a bee?
• Why do you think the composer made the tortoises dance?
• Which part would you like to hear again?

For different ages

Age	Focus
3 to 5	Animal moves, with four or five of the parts
6 to 8	The full plan above
9 to 12	Add the hidden tunes, the tortoise joke, and writing a new animal

A secret piece

Saint-Saëns wrote the Carnival as a joke for his friends. He did not want it played in public while he was alive, apart from “The Swan.” He feared it would harm his name as a serious composer. It was published after his death, and it became his most popular work. Read Saint-Saëns for kids.

What to hear next

• Peter and the Wolf activities
• Classical music that tells a story
• The cello for kids, for the instrument that plays the swan

Print and play

Make a card with the listening bingo maker. Draw an animal on a listening journal page. Print the instrument families listening chart.

For more ideas, see music activities for kids.