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Homeschool Offerings

Two young girls playing in nature.

Let the Zoo help support your teaching efforts through programming, resources and events. We design our programs to help families explore, discover and observe the natural world. Pre-registration is required. See below for session details and information on registration. 

*Please note: A Roger Williams Park Zoo or Reciprocal Membership is required for all non-Zoo School participants including parents, guardians, and siblings. Without a membership, non-zoo school participants, entering the zoo for drop-off, will be required to pay admission.


2024-2025 Zoo School Details:

Join Roger Williams Park Zoo for a series of monthly, hour-long classes, designed for homeschool students. These drop-off classes start in October and run through May. Pre-registration is required.

Program Cost (8 week session): $128

Cancellation Policy:

  • Refunds, minus a $15.00 processing fee per child, will be given up to 2 weeks before the start of your program.  No refunds will be made after this date. There is a one-time registration fee for all class dates. We will not prorate for missed classes.
  • A minimum number of registrants is required to run a class. Families will be notified 48 hours in advance of the first scheduled class and be issued a full refund if a class needs to be cancelled due to low enrollment.

Reminder: A RWPZoo membership is required for all non-Zoo School participants including parents, guardians, and siblings. Without a membership, non-zoo school participants, entering the zoo for drop-off, will be required to pay admission.

Dates: Classes will be held the first Friday of the month from October- May, (10/4, 11/1, 12/6, 1/3, 2/7, 3/7, 4/4, 5/2)

4-5 year olds: Animal Exploration A great introduction to Zoo School! Participants will explore a specific animal each month through stories, crafts, games, centers and encounters with animal ambassadors.

6-8 year olds: Monkeying Around: How do animals play? – Do lizards play leapfrog? Do snakes play scrabble? Do kangaroos play kickball? Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean they don’t play, explore, and experience the world around them. Here at the zoo, we think animal play is very important, and provide our animals with lots of different enrichment to make their worlds exciting! Come learn about how different animals play, how we encourage animals to use their natural talents, and the different kinds of enrichment we provide our animal friends! 

9-12 year olds: Monkeying Around: How do animals play? – Do lizards play leapfrog? Do snakes play scrabble? Do kangaroos play kickball? Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean they don’t play, explore, and experience the world around them. Here at the zoo, we think animal play is very important, and provide our animals with lots of different enrichment to make their worlds exciting! Come learn about how different animals play, how we encourage animals to use their natural talents, and the different kinds of enrichment we provide our animal friends! 

13-16 year olds: Exploring the animal mind – Have you ever wondered what an animal is thinking, or why they behave the way they do? In this class we will investigate the fascinating science of animal behavior and how it impacts conservation and how we keep animals in human care, as well as explore science backed theories about animal consciousness.


2024-2025 Zoo School Mini Sessions

Fantastic Felines! From house cats to tigers and all the felines in between, this session focuses on cats of all sizes. These amazing hunters are found all over the world and in a variety of habitats, each with their own set of vocalizations, adaptations, and hunting styles. 

Incredible Invertebrates! Come explore the amazing world of invertebrates, animals who don’t have a backbone! In this series we will focus on insects, arachnids, and worms. See how these small animals make a big impact on our world! 

Radiant Reptiles! – Snakes, turtles, and lizards, oh my! This session is all about our scaley friends, the reptiles! This diverse group of animals has been on the planet for over 300 million years and has come up with some wild ways of surviving.  

Playful Primates – Do you know the difference between a monkey and an ape? Come and explore the world of our closest relatives. This session focuses on primates of all kinds, from the lemurs of Madagascar to the Capuchins of the Amazon rainforest. 

Questions or to Request a Program? Contact Meg Archer at Marcher@rwpzoo.org or call (401) 785-3510 ext. 361.

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