Posts Tagged ‘summer camp’

Dec
01

Tour of the BEC: Education Office

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office

A look at our colorful education offices!

It should come as no surprise that a group of creative people work in a colorful space.  The walls and workspaces themselves aren’t so colorful (with one very blue exception), but instead it is the personalized decorations that everyone has used to adorn their spaces.  Photos of family, animal pictures from magazines, sample crafts and thank-you certificates hang on cubicle dividers and walls.  I even have an old graphic from the llama exhibit on my wall! 

The Education side of things is a little more populous than the Volunteer side.  We have eight cubicles, six of which are occupied by Education Specialists, and three side offices for the two supervisors, our education manager, and the two members of our interpretive team.  Wondering what those extra cubicles are for? One is the home base for our eight part-time teachers, the wonderful crew who lead our Wild Wink overnights (and yes, they sleep at the Zoo during their programs).  The other is currently not in use, but provides a great workspace for our Camp Zoofari interns over the summer.

The eleven people who occupy these offices (plus the part-time staff who occasionally share it) are responsible for all of our variety of education programs.  From Camp Zoofari and ZooMobiles to on-grounds programming like the Zooper Challenge, for everyone from toddlers in our Wild Wheels program to seniors on our Senior Safari, the team that uses this space does it all!

Our last stops on the tour are well-organized resource spaces – check back for the final post!

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Nov
10

Tour of the BEC: Auditorium

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office

A view from the stage in the Auditorium.

Many Zoos do not have even an amphitheater, let alone an indoor auditorium!  Our auditorium can seat about 300 people and is used for everything from Summer Camp and field trip programs to special events and conservation lectures.  We even have our Zoo staff meetings there! 

The seating upholstery might be a little out of date, but our audio/visual equipment is fairly advanced.  We have a large screen that can be raised or lowered, a big projector, and several different types of media players.  The system is typically used to project PowerPoint presentations, but we have the capability to play music or show movies as well.

The front of our auditorium has a screen that can be lowered from the ceiling!

If you’re coming to a program in the Auditorium, be prepared.  The air conditioning works very well in this large space, and it can be a little chilly if you sit there for long!  Another cool thing that happens in the space from time to time is special animal presentations.  The cheetahs have been in here for events, as well as Liberty the bald eagle, and Zuri the pygmy falcon practices his flight behaviors in the room occasionally.  Most days, though, the space is simply used for people, attending a class or an event.

Check out my next blog for a look at our two main classrooms!

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Oct
28

Zoo Crew: Teen Volunteer Program

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Featured,Volunteer Programs

Some of our Education Zoo Crew, educating people about insects.

Zoo Crew is a unique program offered to youth between the ages of 13 and 17 who seek to enrich their lives and gain important job skills by volunteering at the Houston Zoo. The Zoo Crew program gives teens exposure to careers in the Zoo field while learning about animals and the conservation efforts and methods at the Houston Zoo, Inc. We currently have the program split into two (2) seasons.

Summer Zoo Crew: Teen volunteers participate in an eleven week volunteer program from the first week in June to the middle of August. During the summer first year Zoo Crew are able to apply for entry positions which include Education, Theatrical, and Camp Zoofari. Once returning they may apply for animal sections from Aquarium to Carnivores and most sections in between.

Fall Zoo Crew: Teen volunteers participate in a four month weekend volunteer program from the end of September to the first week in December focusing on Conservation. A day can consist of anything from educating on Zoo grounds about endangered species and recycling to participating in a Beach Clean Up in Galveston. 

As we wrap up the final months of 2010, we must acknowledge this years 307 Zoo Crew teen volunteers for all their contributions. From volunteering with Camp Zoofari, assisting animal keepers with their daily duties, on grounds giving a hand, or shall we say “green thumb”, to Horticulture, and last, but not least, focusing on Conservation. Finally throughout each area Zoo Crew volunteered a total of nearly 31,000 hours!

On the topic of recognition, I am pleased to announce our 2010 Zoo Crew Scholarship recipients: Shayak Sengupta, Elizabeth Garza, Elizabeth Poulin, Elizabeth Woodruff, Cailey Cotner and Lucy Martinez! Please join me with congratulating our Zoo Crew volunteers for their hard work and strong passion for animals and conservation.

For more information on Zoo Crew, please visit us at www.houstonzoo.org/teen or contact Patrick Cadriel at pcadriel@houstonzoo.org.

Written by Patrick, Volunteer Coordinator, Teen Programs

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Aug
21

Life after Camp Zoofari

Posted by in Camp,Classes/Programs,Education Office

Organization at its best!

Who says spring cleaning is just for the spring time? Over the past week the Education Department has been in a frenzy of “spring” cleaning. It has been about a week since our Summer Camp Zoofari program ended, and that means there is a massive cleanup occurring in the Brown Education Center!

In order to get ready for a fall full of programming we’ve taken on some big projects-painting, organizing, cleaning, redecorating, hauling…you name it, we’re probably in the process of doing it!

There’s no better way to prepare yourself for something new than by cleaning out the old…and the Education Department is taking that literally. We’ve taken down our temporary classrooms, reopened the exhibit hall, taken everything off of our walls in order to paint, spackled the walls, organized and put away all camp materials, cleaned our classrooms and reorganized our biofact rooms…phew! Who knew you could do all of that in just one week?

Bare walls ready for a makeover!

This process is very important, but we’re also in the midst of another important task post-camp…planning! We’ve been planning our fall programs all summer but it’s time now to start implementing those programs, writing curriculum and gathering supplies. The work sounds never-ending, doesn’t it? Well, we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it, and we certainly think it is a very important (and fun!) job to do.

 *Post makeover pictures to come in a later blog!

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Jul
30

The End is Just the Beginning

Posted by in Camp,Classes/Programs

Anybody else surprised at how fast the summer went?

One of this summer's Camp Zoofari highlights was a visit to Dinosaurs!

We have been having a blast this summer.  It’s hard to believe, but we only have two exciting weeks of Summer Camp Zoofari left!  Our teachers are already starting to finish up their summer commitment, going back to their own classrooms and schools.  What has been a trickle of last days will soon become a river, and before we know it the summer-sized Education team will contract down to our usual year-round crew.  The end of camp is always bittersweet; we’re glad to have survived another busy season, but it’s sad to say goodbye to all our campers, staff, interns, and Zoo Crew.  (At least we know we’ll get to do it again next summer!)

Wild Wheels, our toddler program, returns in the fall!

We may get a brief moment to breathe when camp ends, but the Education Department never comes to a full stop.  The end of camp means the beginning of fall programs!  The planning is already underway for our school-year classes.  During the summer we focus on the 4-12-year-olds, along with our 13-17-year-old Zoo Crew.  During the year that range expands dramatically, with something for every age.  Adults, seniors, school groups and scout groups, teachers, home schoolers and preschoolers, we even have Wild Wheels for kids up to the age of 3.  I enjoy the planning aspect of this time of year; creating themes for the semester, arranging for special adventures within the Zoo, and selecting handling animals.  It can be challenging to find the time during camp, but we make it happen - you can check the program websites soon for fall information!

So as we say goodbye to Summer Camp Zoofari, we say hello to a full array of fall programming.  We’ll have a short pause to breathe - most programs start again in September – but the transition has already begun.

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Jul
16

A Great Way to Start the Day

Posted by in Camp

A Physical Challenge is always a great way to start a Friday!

 

Summer camp is a fun experience for campers, and we want every week to be exciting.  Our part-time teachers are the primay people responsible for the atmosphere in camp, and we want them to be enthusiastic every day.  This year, Victoria (our camp principal) devised a great way to get everyone’s energy up in the morning: teacher games! 

We have a morning camp meeting every day, and Tuesday through Friday our meeting now starts with a game.  The goal is to do something different every day.  So far, the teachers have done animal and zoo trivia, played pictionary and animal charades, identified movie quotes, and re-assembled the art carts.   On “Physical Challenge Fridays” they’ve tossed water balloons, thrown frizbees, and raced in jumping sacks.  The team with the most points at the end of the week gets a little prize. 

This week we came up with a diabolical plan.  (Insert scary laughter here.)  Throughout the summer we’ve quizzed the teachers on their knowledge of the principals and the full-time staff.  This week every challenge has been this type, which makes it more difficult.  Instead of competing for points, they’ve been accumulating items: hula hoops, balls, and frizbees.  Today their physical challenge relied on the use of these items to complete the challenge, giving the teams different advantages based on their earlier results.  The orange team, which had more hoops but fewer of the other items, succeeded in “crossing the ocean” first.  

It will be hard to top this week’s games for the remaining weeks of camp, but we will definitely try.  The teachers have been enjoying the competition, and the staff have had fun creating the games.  And the ultimate goal, getting everyone excited for the day, has definitely been accomplished.

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Jun
29

Supplies on Wheels

Posted by in Camp

Our newest camp innovation - an Art Cart!

Every year we try to find ways to make our Summer Camp Zoofari run smoother while making things easier on the teachers.  This year, one of our innovations is the Art Cart – rather, the Art Carts, as we have three of them.

At a program at one of the local hospitals, Victoria (our camp principal) saw their art cart. With wheels on the bottom and a plethora of art supplies, this was a way to bring all of the art supplies to the participants.  When the kids may not be able to come to the art, the art cart can come to them.

Doesn't it just make you want to create some art?

We’ve took this idea for camp and ran with it.  Last year, every classroom had their own set of scissors and glue, and teachers had to collect their own paints, brushes, and construction paper every day.  The art carts relieve the need for all of that.  Now, the teachers just sign up for a time for the art cart and pick it up when it is their turn.  They only have to collect the more specialized items for their crafts, which saves them time in the mornings.  It also means we only have to stock enough scissors and glue for one classroom worth of kids per cart! 

Each of our art carts has enough glue and scissors for our biggest group of kids, bottles of paint in 11 colors, paint trays and brushes, googly eyes, clear tape, a stapler, and a rainbow of construction paper.  Our camp interns have taken on the task of keeping everything neat and refilled.  And the teachers enjoy having a few extra minutes and a mobile supply closet that comes to them.

I would say our art carts are a success!!

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Jun
22

Tracking Toads

Posted by in Camp,Classes/Programs,Featured

Toad Trackers measuring a Gulf Coast toad!

Have you ever wondered what the Zoo would be like at night? Do you have an interest in conservation and amphibians? Maybe you’ve always wanted to become an expert field researcher during the summer? Well this summer you can! During Toad Trackers, a week-long summer camp offered July 19th and July 26th children ages 10-12 can become field researchers while spending the night at the Zoo.

In this brand new conservation education program, students become familiar with local amphibians and field research tools such as kestrels, GPS units, calipers, microchips and scales.  Students practice using this equipment in order to perform tests and measurements when they search for Gulf Coast toads on Zoo grounds during their overnight.

In May of this year we had a home school group join us to pilot the program. We had two very successful evenings of tracking toads on grounds, where we found about four gulf coast toads each night. Each student that participated had a specific job during the field research portion of the evening ranging from catching the toad and placing it in the bucket to sexing and weighing the toad. After the students performed their tests they handed the toad to an employee of the Conservation Department that specializes in amphibians, who placed a microchip in the toad. The microchip allows the conservation department to track the toads for several years. Both the home school group and our summer camp groups play an important role in gathering information for this research project. Not only do these students have the opportunity to become a field researcher for the week, they also contribute to one of the Zoo’s conservation projects.

 So, if your kids are like me and spend lots of time outside getting dirty and collecting snakes, frogs, toads, salamanders or any other wildlife to bring back home-this camp could be for them! Spaces are filling fast, so visit our website to register now: http://www.houstonzoo.org/camp/.

Written by Martha, Education Programs Specialist

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Jun
04

Capture the Flag!

Posted by in Camp,Fun on grounds

The Rainbow of Camp Flags

The Rainbow of Camp Flags

In an attempt to reduce some of the inevitable camp chaos, each summer camp topic is assigned a color on the first day of camp. White = Bringing up Baby, Green = Adventures in the Rainforest, Orange = Garden Safari, Purple = All Sorts of Animals, and so on.  The campers wear a colored wristband, to keep track of who belongs where, and the classrooms are labelled with their colors.  By the end of the first day, the campers know their colors and can find their classroom with ease.  Think air traffic controllers or naval officers, but with small children. 

To make check in and check out easier, we’re using large fabric flags of each of the colors.  Find the color to check in; find the color to check out!  The kids may remember their colors right away, but sometimes the grown-ups have trouble remembering their colors, so we keep a list at the check-out gate, just in case.

The youngest campers check in and out in their room, so the flags can also serve a different purpose – to make it easy to sort them at lunch!  It is simple to ask them to follow their flag, especially when we hold it up high.

With all this use, here’s keeping our fingers crossed the flags survive the summer!

Leigh, Education Specialist and Camp Assistant Principal

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May
29

The Transformation

Posted by in Camp

Exhibit area of Brown Education Center

Exhibit area of Brown Education Center

It is that time of year again, camp time!  Every May the Brown Education Center goes through a drastic transformation.  Its spacious “exhibit” area gets extra classrooms built in to it.  This year we have added seven classrooms and one storage room to go along with our year round three classrooms and storage area. 
The camp colors for 2009 are

blue and yellow, so we have kept with that theme in the painting our classrooms.  Hope you like the color blue!

The exhibit hall with new camp classrooms.

The exhibit hall with new camp classrooms.

 

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