Shelves in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop
While the Naturally Wild Swap Shop is primarily for kids, I was allowed to trade so I could share the process. I did misunderstand one of the rules, though – up to three items means three items, not three types of items. So I traded in one Norway Spruce pine cone, one cicada, and the whole collection of shark teeth (they counted as one item).
Step three is bring in your items and discuss them with the naturalist. The first time you come, the naturalist will get your trader info: your name, your birthday, and your zip code. She’ll also ask if you are a zoo member. Zoo members get in free, so if you plan to trade a lot, you might think about becoming a member!
Based on this step, you move on to step four: earning points!
Points are based on three things. First is the item itself; what it is, what the condition is, how common it is. The second is for your knowledge; what you know, what you learned that is interesting. The third is effort; how much time did you research, how did you find it.
With all of those criteria, here are the results for my three items:
Pinecones are common and easy to get. My cone was in excellent condition, so I got 5 points just for the cone. Because I knew what it was, looked it up in a book, and had a lot of info, I also got 5 points for my effort and knowledge. You don’t always get double, but in this case I did. So 10 points for the Norway Spruce cone.
My cicada was also in excellent condition – all the “bits” were there, including both wings, all the legs, two eyes, etc. Cicadas in good shape are worth 10 points. The naturalist was very impressed with my information, especially since I used a dichotomous key and could tell her the species name. I also pointed out the two things (the “cloudy Z” and the white dot) that told me what it was. For all of that effort and knowledge, I got 15 more points! So my cicada got me 25 points.
My shark teeth, which were tiny (all of them could fit on a quarter) but were in great condition, are not a common item. I also had a bunch of them – if I had only had one, it wouldn’t have been worth many points. Even though I didn’t know much about them, the condition and size of the collection scored me another 100 points!
Remember, my items were in good shape and I learned a lot about them. If you bring in something similar, you may get the same points, but you might get less. You may even get more! (I hear that kids can get bonus points for being polite, waiting their turn, and asking questions.)
Venus Comb Shell
My total points came to 135. Now comes the best step: trade your points! You can bank your points, and save them up for something big. I happen to like the Venus Comb shell, which is 700 points. Or, if you want, you can trade in your points the same day! I decided to go for the strawberry top shell, for 100 points. If I get to trade again, I’ll save all the rest up for that comb shell.
Now that you know how it’s done, plan to trade at the Naturally Wild Swap Shop the next time you come to the zoo! Even if you don’t trade, at least check it out – with rocks, skulls, shells, bugs, and plants, there is always something cool to see and learn. Even if you leave empty handed, you won’t leave without gaining something!
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