Our Zoo School Adventures!

What an INCREDIBLE week of learning! We had demonstrations, up-close animal encounters, behind the scenes tours, and so much more! Come see our adventures!

TUESDAY

We arrived at our zoo classroom and kicked off our week with daily animal observations. Students broke into in small groups to sketch, label and observe the lynx, gibbon, meerkats, lemurs and seals!

We learned about why the zoo trains animals to learn behaviours. We observed Hula the harbor seal and saw some of her trained skills. Her keepers even trained Hula to have her teeth brushed and receive eye drops!

After lunch, mystery animal artifacts got our brains thinking! There was lots of wondering, discussing, observing and sketching. We saw a wallaby fur, an owl wing, a replica of an elephant tooth, a beaver tail, a python snake pelt, and shoes made of sea turtle. 

Before heading home, we squeezed in a visit with Zuri, the sand boa! Her senses and adaptations are fascinating, and we adored meeting this non-venomous little constrictor!

WEDNESDAY

Off the bus and straight to feeding the river otters, Bow and Steve! We learned why we don't interact with or feed animals in the wild, as humans are river otters #1 predator. 

We visited the commissary. This kitchen feeds all the animals at the zoo! We learned about carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, insectivores, and frugivores. We were excited to see the foods the zoo uses to feed the animals, peek at the animals' menus, and examine the meat cart and insect room!

We met a beautiful royal ball python named Sid, a beautiful reptile who is 4 feet long! 

And finished our day with our small group animal observations!

We made MANY miles today all over the zoo and made lasting memories!

THURSDAY

We learned a new word today, "conservation", which means learning about animals and their needs and then finding ways to care for them. We talked about how our choices can help animals flourish or how they can be hurtful. We looked at several animal artifacts and had to decide if having the artifact HELPS or HINDERS animals. 

We saw a conch shell, coral, tagua nuts (ivory alternative), a seal painting, and paper made of elephant poop. 

Elephant poop was an animal artifact we can have that does not hinder the animal, and we were elated to get our hands on it!

We were thrilled to observe lemur training:

We crossed paths with Lucy, the Asian elephant. Being 48 years old, Lucy is fully retired and is not out on exhibit for public viewing. She does go for walks to exercise and we were lucky enough to catch her special stroll!

We took a peek at a sleepy little bearded dragon, Pumpkin, and made comparisons to yesterday's python, Sid!

Groups swapped animals to observe, sketch, and describe today! 

It was a beautiful, sunny day of learning!

FRIDAY

Our last day was fabulous!

We got busy journaling, writing little comics about our observation animals:

We met two animals with incredible senses and adaptations, Kevin the Western hognose snake and Chutter the burrowing owl. 

We learned about enrichments. Enrichments stimulate the animals' senses,  challenge them to problem solve, and add to their quality of life. Then we enjoyed watching rabbits in the Urban Farm received their enrichment:

Zoo School was truly amazing, and we came home absolutely exhausted every day! Yes, all of the walking was tiring and we also got a tonne of fresh air, but a huge part of WHY we were so tuckered was because of HOW we learned. We explored, wondered, compared, observed, problem solved, predicted, and learned so very much. 

As we prepare to return to our classroom, we are so thankful for the opportunity we had to learn at Zoo School. Thank you to all of the adult helpers to supported our week, the incredible zoo staff, and our students, who rose to the challenge each and every day!