Project Cover-up
Fur? Feathers? Scales? Who should be wearing what? Each animal wears special "clothing". Students will compare different coverings on animals and learn how they help them survive.
LS1-1, LS1-2, LS4-8

Getting Around
Some animals swim, some fly and some run. Find out how different animals "do the locomotion" and then try to act out different animal movements.
LS1-1, LS1-4

Homes Around the World
You can find animals everywhere, from steamy jungles to bone-dry deserts. Sort animals by habitat and explain why each animal lives where it does.
LS1-2, LS1-4, LS2-6

Up All Night
Being awake during the day is great for us, but the world changes when the sun goes down. Recognize the five senses and the special nocturnal characteristics that help these animals survive.
LS1-1, LS1-4, LS4-8

Designed for preschool students, our Wild Adventures program includes a short lesson, a craft activity and a special visit to a Zoo exhibit.  Lots of animal themes to choose from!  Classes are held in our preschool-friendly ZooLab. 

Wild Habitats
From freezing tundra to arid deserts, animals have managed to make their homes everywhere. Explore various habitats and the animals that call them home. Students will demonstrate examples of the adaptations living things use to survive in their habitats.
LS1-2, LS1-4 LS3-7, LS4-8

Rainforest Adaptations
Every habitat offers challenges to wildlife that must be overcome, and the rainforest is no different. Students will act out the layers of the rainforest and identify the animals that live in them. We will also discuss different adaptations that help these unique creatures survive in the habitat.
LS1-1, LS1-2, LS1-4, LS2-6, LS3-7

Creatures of the Nights
Just as we are going to sleep at night, a whole new world of animals is waking up. Explore the five senses and the special nocturnal characteristics that help these animals survive.
LS1-1, LS1-4, LS2-6, LS4-8

V is for Vertebrate
What makes a mammal a mammal and a bird a bird? Learn how scientists classify animals and how to distinguish between different classes of vertebrates.
LS1-1, LS1-4, LS4-8

Insects
Learn the structures that make an insect unique and meet some animals that will help students compare and classify them as insects.
LS1-1, LS1-3

Rainforest – Web of Life
Students will act out a food web from the Amazon rainforest and demonstrate how species depend on one another and respond to changes in their environment.
LS1-1, LS1-2, LS1-4, LS2-6, LS2-7, LS3-8

Diversity of Life
Scientist have already discovered over 1.5 million different species on our planet, and each of those species has its own very special role – or niche – to fill. Given examples of food webs, students will recognize the importance of diversity and predict how an ecosystem will be affected when it loses a species.
LS1-1, LS1-2, LS2-5, LS2-6, LS3-7

Who is Living in Your Backyard?
Animals are a very important part of a habitat…even our own. What kinds of animals live in your habitat? Students will interpret different clues from local wildlife and learn how to observe the animals around them.
LS1-4, LS2-6

Learn about major biomes from your own backyard to around the world.  Using NASA data and interactive maps, students will utilize the climate to discover world biomes, animals that live within them and adaption that they need to survive.
L-S1-1, LS1-2, LS2-5, LS2-6 and LS2-7

Winning by a Neck
Why do giraffes have such long necks? Many theories exist, but all reference back to the term, "natural selection"; also know as, survival of the fittest. Certain valuable characteristics are passed on through generations to help a species survive. Students will conduct an experiment using their heights to determine which "giraffe" will survive and learn what they may have needed to adapt.
LS1-3, LS3-9

Nick Names and Nomenclature
Do you know the difference between a puma and a panther? Actually, most of us use common English names like puma, panther or cougar to describe the mountain lion, but they are really the same animal! Even though common names do seem the simplest at first, they can be quite confusing. Students will try to distinguish which scientific name goes with which animal while focusing on the importance of Latin.
LS3-8

Symbiotic Symphony
In nature, it's not just eat or be eaten; animals depend on one another for survival.  Whether these relationships are mutually beneficial or not, these dependencies are an important part of every ecosystem.  Students will discover how symbiotic relationships work by playing the Interdependence Shuffle.
LS1-1, LS1-2, LS2-5, LS2-7, LS4-10

Species Survival Plan
Why do we have zoos? They provide more than a fun place to see animals, and are often referred to as "modern day arks" because of their work with endangered species. While studying endangered species and habitats, GORILLA.MATCH.COM will help students become familiar with the species-survival plan program (SSP). The SSP works to preserve genetic biodiversity in zoos and aquariums. Here at the zoo we have 20 SSP animals, including gibbons.
LS203, LS3-6, LS3-7