Animals Also Have Hobbies
Story Description

From cats and chickens, to dogs and frogs, foxes and little things that fit in small boxes, animals have hobbies just like people do. But animals have strange and funny hobbies. Keep your eyes sharp and your attention focused, because you might catch an animal doing its favourite thing!
Before Reading - Vocabulary and Phonics

Hopping ​hop-ing ​The frog is known to be hopping mad.
Missing ​miss-ing ​Be careful, you may be missing a pair of socks. ​
Unsuspecting ​un-suss-peck-ting ​The unsuspecting culprit is usually a mouse.
Mischievous ​miss-chee-vuss ​The dog is known to be naughty and mischievous.
Animals also have hobbies. We don't see it, of course, because they only engage in their hobbies when people are not around. Once the animals are left alone, they get up to all kinds of mischief, fun and games.
This cat enjoys stealing expensive women's hats. The owner will be very surprised when she sees her cat wearing her hat at the horse racing, not to mention using her money to bet on a horse! Paws for a photo!
This tiger loves going for a swim when he's not being filmed by news cameras or people going on a safari. He takes a long bath where he searches for items to eat, such as a fish, a flower, a butterfly, an empty cake wrapper, and a herb. He likes to think he is bathing and dining!

This crocodile is always active and hunting her prey. When no other animals are around, she sits and lazes by the pond, waiting with her fishing rod to catch an unsuspecting trout swimming in the shallow waters. She quickly gobbles up the fish before the other crocodiles return, and pretends she is still hungry. How mischievous, like Davy Croc-ett!
This grasshopper enjoys reading in its spare time. Nobody would know, of course, because people always see grasshoppers leaping far from one place to the next, always moving and never keeping still. But if you sneak up on one, like this grasshopper, you will see it reading about astrophysics and nuclear equations. That really bugs the other insects! 
This bee is usually flying around colourful flowers and taking pollen to its hive. But when nobody is watching, it likes resting on the edges of teacups, playing a game called 'tea surfing', where it tries to walk on the water's surface without falling in. If you're lucky, maybe you will see this bee's odd beehaviour. Don't fall in the cup, it's a stinger! 
Snakes are not frequent guests at a birthday party, but they are known to enjoy a slice of cake, and sometimes the whole cake, eating it all in one wide bite. When nobody is looking on your birthday, pay attention to the cake, and a giant, long anaconda may sneak through your garden and try to steal a slice. Thuthpiciouth! 
Have you ever seen an empty boat at a lake? The next time you do, watch carefully for a goat to turn up. They secretly love rowing boats from the shore to the middle and getting stuck in them. Goats are poor swimmers, so they wait for the water's flow to take them back to the shore. If you see one doing this, call the fire brigade in to help. That may cost them a few bucks. Silly billy! 
Fish are usually found inside a pot, boiling away and turning into your dinner, but fish secretly wonder what the other side of the pot lid is like. Fish enjoy sneaking out while they are being cooked, just to settle on the lid. When you see soup being prepared, watch the lid carefully, because a fish might just jump out and squeak at you! 
Foxes wear socks-es. That's a real rhyme. Foxes run away when anyone comes near them, but at night time, they are less afraid. They might sneak into your house and dive into your sock drawer, stealing a couple of pairs. In the morning, always check your drawer for missing socks. You can always blame two missing pairs on a sneaky, sly fox. 
Do you think mice enjoy living inside a hole in the wall? Of course not! They dream of owning their own house made of cheese. They steal cheese to make their houses in gardens. When you walk through your garden, always check the edges of the grass and the plants for a mouse building a house. Now you know who stole the cheese to build a soft cottage! 
Chickens don't just cluck, run around and poop eggs. They are the most artistically talented of the farmyard bird variety. If you can't find your newspaper, or you are missing toilet roll, you know a chicken somewhere has nabbed it from you; furthermore, you might see strange sketches showing up on walls in your house! Those are made by roosters! What a wake up call! 
Dogs and frogs, frogs and dogs. Unlikely friends, but certain buddies! Yes, when you are away from home, your dog and a local frog like to play basketball in your garden. Frogs are hopping mad, and dogs are rough players, and they like to fight together. If you come home early, you might catch your dog and a frog shooting points through the hoops! It's barking mad! 
After Reading

What insect enjoys trying to surf on the edge of a teacup?
Which animal likes wearing women's hats and going to horse races?
What are the dog and the frog known to do together?
Who is likely to be stealing your socks at night?
Describe what mice like to do.
Describe what fish like to do.
Talk about an animal you like and explain what its hobby is.

