Archive for the ‘Classes/Programs’ Category

Oct
16

Story Safari at the Houston Zoo!

Posted by in Animal Fun Facts,Classes/Programs,Education Office,Fun on grounds,Public Programs,Uncategorized

Have you met Bennett and Viviana? They are the Houston Zoo’s Story Safari storytellers! Everyday in the Children’s Zoo Butterfly Stage at 10:30AM and 11:00AM, Bennett and Viviana bring to life wonderful and exciting stories for children of all ages. To learn more about them and the rest of the Houston Zoo’s Education staff click here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“There’s a wolf in the woods and everyone says, “She’s big, she’s bad, she’s old, and she’s HAIRY! Best leave her alone, she is mean and scary. But we wanted to know, so we crept a little bit closer…” 

Want to know what happens next? Come find out with us! We’ll be reading “What’s the Time, Grandma Wolf?” by Ken Brown each day during Zoo Boo – October 14th – 31st. Hope to see you there!

 

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Oct
11

Home School Events-Exhibit Expeditions!

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Fun on grounds

Watch out… home schoolers are taking over the Zoo! On September 22nd  we hosted the first Exhibit Expeditions! This fun-filled day was packed with exciting tours to some of the Zoo’s most popular spots and animal meet and greets at the end of every tour! Everyone who attended had a blast exploring the Zoo and learning about the animals around them.

 

About to head out on a Zoo tour!

Don’t worry…the fun isn’t over yet, the next invasion of home schoolers will be on November 10th for Station Exploration! This day will be filled with interactive activities right at the animal’s exhibits! Station Exploration will take place from 10:00am-1:15pm. Price information as well as registration can be found at www.houstonzoo.org/homeschool.

We can’t wait to see everyone learning right along with the animals!

 

Liberty, our bald eagle, was one of the animal visitors for the special event

 

-Written by Amy Barnhill, Education Specialist

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Sep
29

Girl Scout Badge Day!

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Events

Learning about snakes!

Does your Girl Scout need to earn badges? Are you looking for a fun and interactive way to achieve that? Look no further, The Houston Zoo’s Education department is hosting our second Girl Scout Badge Day on October 1st!

We are offering programs from Daisies to Cadettes and everything in between. Your Girl Scout has the chance to earn 2 different badges in 1 day! Now that’s deal if you ask me! 

Each class consists of hands-on activities, crafts to take home, and animal observations out on grounds to meet Badge requirements!

Touring the Zoo!

There will be raffle prize tickets for sale as well as Houston Zoo Scout Day patches! Parents will have access to the Zoo while their Girl Scout is in class and will have an opportunity to join them for Zoo tours.

For more information on registration, schedule of the day, or Badges being offered click here

Sep
06

Target Title I Scholarship Now Available!

Posted by in Classes/Programs

Are you a Title I school in the Houston area? Are you looking for a fun and unique learning experience for your students? Well, look no further!  Thanks to a generous donation from Target, the Houston Zoo is offering free on grounds education classes!

The Target Title I Scholarship is available for any Title I school in the Houston area. The Scholarship includes a class in the Houston Zoo’s Brown Education Center, admission to the Zoo for the participating students, and if needed transportation.

Each education class provides a fun, interactive learning experience that includes biofacts such as animal skins, skulls, and mounts. Also, the students will get a chance to meet an Education Animal Ambassador!

So, don’t wait! Get your application in soon, scholarship funds go fast!

 

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Jul
31

Leading and Loving Tours

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Featured

The staff got to feed meerkats on our tour training; on Sunday I led a group on the same tour!

I got to lead my first tours this week.  They’re proving to be more than enjoyable for the guests; they are fun for me, too!

Our tours now include a 30 minute front of scenes tour before we head behind the scenes.  This part is my responsibility.  The cool part of this (for me, at least) is that our tours are small groups.  With a maximum number of 6 for most tours, this allows for a more personal experience.  It can be a bit more conversation and a bit less lesson than some of our other classes.  It’s especially fun when people have a lot of questions, since this means I can tailor their tour based on their interests.

As part of our training, the Education Staff got to experience all the exciting parts of a tour as one of our guests would.  That way, we would know what to expect.  It also means that the temptation to participate is less.  My job once we’re behind the scenes is to play escort.  I shut doors, make sure that everyone knows and follows the rules, and anything else the keeper needs from me.  I don’t get to do the fun stuff, but that’s okay.  I’ve done it once before.

On Sunday, I led a Meerkat tour (and feeding!) for a group of six.  On Thursday it was Rhinos behind the scenes for two.  (It was a surprise birthday present for the woman on the tour; she was so excited!)  Everyone was pleased and seemed to have a great time.  I can’t wait to see where I’m headed next!

Do YOU want to experience one of our tours?  You can find out more about them at our website: www.houstonzoo.org/tours.  We’ve also got a handy calendar, so you can see which amazing animal areas are offered on each day of the week!

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Jun
22

Collegiate Conservation Program sponsored by ExxonMobil

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office

This spring our Director of Education and Director of Conservation wrote a grant for a brand new collegiate level internship program at the Houston Zoo. ExxonMobil generously donated the money needed to fund this comprehensive conservation-education program. It is an 8-week long internship granted to 10 deserving college students.

On May 16th we began our first of eight weeks. I am lucky enough to coordinate this program with Elizabeth Fries (who you may have read about here) under the supervision of our Director, Chance. We furiously started working to put together 8 weeks of meaningful educational and conservation opportunities for the interns.

Looking for an osprey at Armand Bayou

Each week has a different theme. Our first week concentrated on the coastal prairie. We spent our time at the Texas City Prairie Preserve planting native prairie grasses, visiting the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge removing fences, and learning about field research techniques.

Week 2 was centered on community education. The interns took part in on-grounds interpretation, Zooper Challenges, Conservation Stations and even attended an amphibian workshop! They also worked at the Katy Prairie and with the Hermann Park Conservancy.

Week 3 was spent in the Big Thicket National Preserve. We stayed for 3 days and 2 nights in their field research station doing a variety of work. We constructed a bridge, cleared Chinese tallow (an invasive tree), and completed several mussel surveys.

Constructing a bridge at the Big Thicket

Last week we spent the majority of our time with the Galveston Bay Foundation. We harvested marsh plants for their Marsh Mania event and staged the plants at various sites. We then went back and planted the cord grass during a Saturday Marsh Mania. If you haven’t yet helped out at one of these events you definitely should. The staff is outgoing and friendly and the work is fun and well worth it!

All 10 interns with our friends at Galveston Bay and NRG

 This week we are learning about some of our international conservation projects including the Painted Dog in Zimbabwe and various projects in Borneo. The interns are learning how to use a camera trap and identify species in time-lapse photos from around the world.

The next 3 weeks will be very busy as we wrap up the internship. Our interns will work on a variety of different projects from sea turtles to amphibians as well as complete a conservation project proposal by the end of their time here. They will pick a regional conservation need and address it with a solution in a lunch-and-learn presentation with Zoo staff and ExxonMobil representatives. This will be the culmination of their time spent here at the Zoo and throughout the Houston area.

Hard at work on their project proposal

As our Education Department partners with our Conservation Department in programs like these we can only hope that the participants will take what they’ve learned and become conservation heroes in their own right.

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Jun
20

“What’s the word for what a predator eats?” “DINNER!”

Posted by in Camp,Classes/Programs

…this is just one of many memorable quotes from our Camp Zoofari kids.

This happened when a student in a 6-7 year old camp was patiently waiting during an animal handling class. The instructor showed the class a chinchilla; a rodent from South America. When the teacher discussed that this animal would hide from predators, she asked “what would be another word for what a predator eats?” (she was hoping to hear the word “prey”) and the child promptly yelled out “DINNER!”. Well…we couldn’t disagree. When the teacher prompted another response, someone yelled out “LUNCH!”. We really couldn’t have been upset when the campers were just being honest!

Campers visiting the Komodo Dragon exhibit

Although this exchange stands out in my memory, there are plenty of other irresistable camper quotes that occur throughout the summer. Another famous one comes from a girl who approached our Director during lunch. She asked for a glass of water because she was “choking on hotness!”. In other words, she had eaten hot Cheetohs and needed a drink desperately!

A participant in Keeper Camp visiting the aquarium

As full-time camp staff we get the pleasure of hearing these stories from June through August, and replayed throughout the year during lunch breaks when we just need a memorable laugh.

If you have a child between the ages of 4-12 and you’re wondering what you can do for the summer-look into our Camp Zoofari program. We are in the midst of week 2 and camp will continue through August 12th. Who knows, maybe your child could be the next to make it into the Camp Zoofari memorable quotes hall of fame!

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Jun
15

Tours Are A Go!

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Featured,Fun on grounds

Chance feeding one of the lions at the training window!

The Zoo has always offered a variety of behind the scenes tours, but recently someone noticed that the process of registering, scheduling, and coordinating the keepers could use a bit of organization.

Fortunately, the Education department has some experience with that.

As part of the reorganization process, we got to go on “mock” tours of all the areas we now offer.  Let me tell you, there are some awesome experiences available!  Through the training process, I got to see the inside of the orangutan building, feed a lion at the training window, go inside the Zoo’s 10-below freezer, pass pieces of fruit to the cassowary, meet one of our new rhinos up close, and many more cool things!  

To make it all a little easier for everyone involved, our tours are now set to certain days and times.  For example, if you want to take a tour of the Commissary (and that super-cold freezer), you can do it on Tuesday or Thursday at 9:30am.  We’ve also made them more consistent: every tour starts with a 30-minute front of scenes tour led by one of the Education Specialists, and that person accompanies the group on the behind the scenes portion as well.

DeAndra feeds the bongo during our tour training!

As different areas offer different experiences, there are now categories of tours.  Sneak Peeks give you a look inside a back area of the Zoo, Premiere tours include an up-close animal experience, and the Star Treatment tours include an encounter with one of our coolest animals.  We’ve also added a Red Carpet Experience: The African Forest Safari Package.  This four-hour tour is the one I am the most excited about; it includes an hour front of scenes guided tour, lunch at Twiga Terrace, and behind the scenes tours of all four of the new animal buildings of The African Forest.  I hope someone books that tour, because I can’t wait to lead it!

Interested in booking a tour or finding out if your favorite animal area is available?  www.houstonzoo.org/tours

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Jun
03

Introducing… Martha Petre!!

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office,Teacher Resources

Martha gets inspected by our big male giraffe, Kiva

One of our fearless bloggers, you can always learn more about Martha from her blog bio and frequent posts.  Now you have a chance to find out even more about her!

Name: Martha Petre

Department and Title: Education – Education Programs Specialist

Job Description: I write curriculum as well as teach all of our programs. My area of responsibility includes all things teachers-educator days, overnights, career days and professional development!

Hometown: Chautauqua, NY

Favorite animal and why? Sea turtles! I was lucky enough to study leatherback turtles in west Africa during an interim session of college and ever since then I’ve been hooked on all things sea turtles!

Favorite class to teach at HZI: I love our ZooMobile and Adventure Class programs. They are structured the same however our ZooMobile program goes off grounds while our Adventure Classes are held in our classrooms here.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? I started here in September of 2009.

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo: Before coming to the Houston Zoo I worked at a preschool in Austin, TX. I graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, PA with a major in International Affairs and a minor in Spanish. Although my formal education may not line up with the job I have now I volunteered and interned with wildlife organizations throughout college and always knew I had to work with animals in some capacity!

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? Everything! I am fortunate enough to have an ever-changing job where I’m never doing the same thing on a daily basis. I also have a fabulous group of people to work with-not only are they passionate about what they do, they are funny, easy to be around and dedicated workers!

What animals do you have at home? Unfortunately I am not allowed to have pets where I live, but if I move I’ve already picked out what type of dog I would like and what I’d name him!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I am the youngest of 4 and the only girl. Since I am much younger than my brothers (and not as strong), I had only one thing I felt I could hold above their heads-I am the only child in the family that could become president of the United States. This certainly is not a career goal of mine but my brothers were all born in Taiwan, making them ineligible.

Martha and DeAndra (another Education Specialist) with Tupelo-our baby Asian Elephant

We’re getting near the end!  Only 2 more Specialists to go before you’ve met our entire staff!

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Mar
31

A Zimbabwean Visitor Turned Friend

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office,Public Programs,Safari School,Zoomobile

Dought and the Education Department in our usual form

The Education Department was fortunate enough to have Dought Nkomo from the Painted Dog Conservation Project in Zimbabwe visit with us for a week. When we knew he would be spending time with us after working with the Facilities Department it was time to pack his schedule FULL of fun, educational Houston Zoo experiences.

Dought came over to our department from March 18th-March 24th. Over the course of the week he experienced many of our programs. The first day we took him around the Zoo to show him how some of our on-grounds tour programs work (Wild Wheels, Senior Safari, etc.) he even got to go on one of our Wild Wheels programs!

Dought and Elizabeth holding Makobe-a leopard tortoise after Wild Wheels

That same day he received a one-on-one training in Interpretation Skills from our Senior Education Specialist. As we do with anything we celebrate, we decided to have a potluck lunch to welcome Dought on his first day. Unfortunately he was feeling a little under the weather from all of the travel and new food so we kept it simple-corn casserole, mac and cheese, rice-the basics.

Dought then got to visit with our Wild Winks specialists and learn what we do during our overnight programs. Learning about this program was of increased significance since the kids sleep over at the Bush Camp in Zimbabwe for 4 nights.

Our ZooMobile program is one of our most well-known educational programs, and we thought it would be fun for Dought to tag along on one. He went with an Education Specialist to Lonestar College to teach college freshman about adaptations. He also spent some time with Bennett-our Interpretive Programs Supervisor to learn about theatrical programs on Zoo grounds (Story Safari, Zooper Challenge, Zoo Adventures).

Dought and DeAndra on a ZooMobile with a volunteer docent-Bonnie

Finally, we wrapped up his visit with a trip to the Texas City Prairie Preserve, a free field trip that we conduct on land owned by The Nature Conservancy. This program is very similar to the Bush Camp program in that kids study a local ecosystem from the bugs to the water and develop an appreciation for declining flora and fauna in the area. Dought had the chance to sweep for Texas insects, go seining in Moses Lake, learn the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken mating dance and test the quality of water in the brackish habitat. He said he really enjoyed seining and that he usually doesn’t like water because he can’t swim (Zimbabwe is a land-locked country) but he walked along the bank and used a net to catch some fish!

Dought and Bennett conducting a Zooper Challenge in the Children's Zoo

At the end of his stay Dought took home certificates to certify that he completed training in Community Outreach, Interpretation and Curriculum Design and Instruction. PHEW…not bad for a week! We hope Dought enjoyed his visit as much as we enjoyed having him here. It’s not every day you get to learn from such a well-spoken, friendly and knowledgeable conservation hero. It seems as though he learned quite a bit from his visit to Houston, but he may never know how much we learned from him.

To learn more about Painted Dog Conservation visit our conservation website: http://www.houstonzoo.org/painted-dog-conservation/ or visit the PDC website: http://www.painteddog.org/.

If you’ve enjoyed reading about Dought and Xmas you can read more about them on our main Zoo Blog and Conservation Blog: http://www.houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/ or http://houstonzooblogs.org/wildconservation/.

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