Archive for the ‘Swap Shop’ Category

Nov
13

Who is trading in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop?

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Just for Kids,Memories,Swap Shop

Meet Peter and Jason Zhao.   The Zhao brothers have been trading with us since early 2011. 

Jason and Peter Zhao

 These two fabulous brothers have brought in many interesting items to the shop such as shells, seeds, cones, rocks, and even a dead spider.  When it comes time to pick something to spend their points on they usually pick from our shell or rock and mineral section. 

 The trips to the zoo are usually a family affair for the Zhaos.  We not only get to see Jason and Peter but their mom and dad too!  The entire family has a love of nature and we all learn when they come in.

Peter and Jason are just two of over 1400 kids 18 years old and younger that are trading with us now.  Don’t know about trading in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop?  Click here for more information.

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Oct
01

The Swap Shop Mystery Box Revealed

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Contest,Giraffes,Hoofed Stock,Just for Kids,Swap Shop

 

Mystery Box

Many of you who have been in the Swap Shop recently have seen the very large mystery box.  We are happy to finally announce what was in it!  Thanks to a generous donation from The Junior League of Houston, Inc.,  we now have a complete giraffe skeleton.  This was a 9 foot tall  juvenile male giraffe from Florida and died.  The crate was quite large 6′x3′x2′ and had to be brought into the Shop by fork lift.  The articulator (an expert that assembles skeletons) was here on the evening of Saturday September 17, to put it together. 

Articulator Mike working on the skeleton

 

During the week the box was here we held a contest to let kids guess what was in the box.  The only clues they had were: 1.  It is a skeleton 2. It is an entire skeleton 3. It may or may not be put together already in the box. 4. It is not an extinct animal.  We had so many wonderful guesses- everything from alligator to long horn to zebra.  We held a drawing Friday September 16,  and Cody Molandes was our winner – guessing that it was a giraffe!  He won 100 points to spend in the Swap Shop for his efforts! 

The finished skeleton

You never know what you’ll see in the Swap Shop.

Dont know about trading in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop?  Click here for more information.

 

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Sep
18

Who is Trading in The Naturally Wild Swap Shop?

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Just for Kids,Swap Shop,Uncategorized

In today’s blog we are spotlighting one of our regular traders, 8 year old Jayden Schexnider.  Jayden has only been trading since March of this year but he has been busy in those 6 months of trading.  One of his favorite things to bring in are nature journals as he loves to draw pictures of animals.  He doesn’t limit himself 0n the animals he draws either!  His journals have featured animals at the zoo, from the wild, and even extinct animals.   Dinosaurs appear in his journals quite often. 

Jayden at The Naturally Wild Swap Shop

 On a recent visit, he brought in some wonderful finds from his trip to Pensacola, Florida.  His items included a Gafftop Sail Catfish skull (also called a crucifix fish due to the bones of the lower part of the skull resembling the form of a crucifix) and sand dollar pieces- along  with an excellent journal on sand dollars reflecting the research he had done.  Jayden, and all of our traders, get extra points for knowledge when they have learned about the item they bring in and can tell us about it.

 The Swap Shop is growing and we now have over 1200 young people trading with us! 

Dont know about trading in The Swap Shop?  Click here to find out more.

 

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Sep
10

Get Out and Play and The Naturally Wild Swap Shop

Posted by in Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Events,Just for Kids,Swap Shop

On Saturday, September 17 from 10AM – 3PM, the Houston Zoo will be hosting a zoo wide event to challenge everyone to GET OUT AND PLAY!  Many of the children and young adults of this generation are plugged into the electronic world and out of touch with the nature and world around them.  This is known as Nature Deficit Disorder and it can actually be linked to several childhood health issues.    The zoo’s goal for this event is to inspire children and adults to Get Out and Play more often and explore the natural world around them.

The zoo will be filled with exciting and challenging games and activities for children and adults.  The Houston Texans, KICKSTART KIDS, and other community groups and organizations will also be here, showing guests how and where they can be active and enjoy nature year-round in the city.

The Naturally Wild Swap Shop

One great way to become more active in nature is to get involved in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop in the McGovern Children’s Zoo.  The Swap Shop is designed for kids 18 years old and under to bring in things they find in nature and exchange their items for points. The points can then be swapped for items in the shop.   

  A very important part of the swap is knowledge.  If the trader has researched and learned  about the item they have brought in, and can tell us about it,  they get extra points for their knowledge. 

For more information about The Swap Shop and a list of items that can and cannot be brought in click here.

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Jul
31

Whats New in the Swap Shop?

Posted by in Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Insects,Swap Shop

Meet Edward Scissorhands, our Tailless Whip Scorpion.  He now lives in the Swap Shop full time!  Edward is not a true scorpion, but is in the Arachnid family and is a variety found in Africa.  He is harmless to humans but, if you are a cricket or worm, it’s a whole different story.  Tailless Whip Scorpions are nocturnal so they are active at night.  During the day they can be found hiding in leaf litter, logs, bark or under stones.  At night they come out to hunt and then it’s crickets beware.  They don’t have venom like a true scorpion but instead use their pinchers, called pedipalps, to crush their prey.  As in some other arachnid orders, Edward’s first pair of legs are modified to act as sensory organs or whips.  While Edward walks on the other six legs, these two legs are held out in front of his body as he moves to probe terrain and find prey. Come in to swap with us and visit Edward while you are here.  Don’t know about the Swap Shop?  Click here for more information.

Edward the Tailless Whip Scorpion

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Jun
11

1000th Trader in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop!

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Just for Kids,Swap Shop

We made it to 1000!  On June 4, 2011, Taylor Albrecht was our 1000th new trader.  In honor of this milestone he was awarded 100 extra points!    Taylor’s first trade  included a mule deer antler and a white-tailed deer skull – he started his trading in grand style. 

Taylor Albrecht - Trader # 1000!

He and his parents had a great time looking around the Swap Shop and Taylor decided to spend some of his points to start an insect collection.

We hope that this will be the first of many, many trades Taylor will make as he explores nature. 

The Naturally Wild Swap Shop has been growing by leaps and bounds.  Not only do we now have over 1000 individual traders, but the number of trades has increased too.  For 2011, each month the number of trades per month has increased at least 200% from the same time last year.  Dont know about the Swap Shop and trades?  Click here to find out more.

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May
15

Exciting Swap Shop News

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Conservation,Swap Shop

The Naturally Wild Swap Shop in the McGovern Children’s Zoo is becoming more and more popular.  Our young guests have  brought in everything from pine cones and sweet gum balls to skulls and crystal formations. We currently have over 900 traders in the system and continue to grow.  In celebration of our success, we will be giving our 1000th new trader an extra 100 points! 

Trading in the Swap Shop

Those 18 and younger can bring in things found in nature.  We award points for the items brought in and the points can be swapped for some of the things in the shop.  An easy way to boost your points is by doing a little research before you come.  If our traders can tell us about the item they have brought in they get extra points for knowledge.  The Swap Shop has a wonderful collection of things to trade for including bones, fossils, rocks, minerals and shells to name a few.  There are a few rules for trading so be sure to check here for details.

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Apr
22

Are those cats in the Swap Shop?

Posted by in Swap Shop

Penny

Cats?  In the Naturally Wild Swap Shop?  Yes!

Penny and Bagherra are a part of our education collection and actually have a job at the zoo.  Are you wondering what they do when they are working?They both go to classrooms and presentations as part of the Houston Zoo’s outreach program.  They are wonderful ambassadors and can help us when we teach about animals, especially cats.  We cant bring a big cat like a tiger to a classroom but, we can bring a small cat and teach about the big cats.  We can also use the small cats to talk about predator vs. prey or what animals would make a good pet.

When they are not working,  they live in the building that houses the Swap Shop.

Bagherra

They are very popular in the Swap Shop and some of our visitors come in not only to trade but to visit Penny and Bagherra too.  If you dont know about making trades in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop, click here for more info.

Recently the swap shop even had a visit from a different kind of cat – some of the cast of the Broadway show CATS!  The members of the cast of Broadway Across America’s Cats On Tour stopped by.

You never know what – or who – you will see in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop!

Suzanne from the Swap Shop with Cats cast members

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Apr
13

Earth Day in the Swap Shop

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Recycling/Green,Swap Shop

Earth Day at the Houston Zoo is fast approaching!   April 16th and 17th are going to be full of Earth Day activities at the zoo and the Naturally Wild Swap Shop is no exception.  Here is your nature journal assignment for Earth Day – How Can I Save The Planet?

Any nature journal brought in April 16th or 17th with an Earth Day topic will recieve DOUBLE points.  This is a great opportunity to earn some extra Swap Shop points and all you need is paper and pen. 

What topics will earn you double points?  Any conservation or green topics that includes such things as:

  • recycling and renewable energy sources
  • conserving water or other resources
  • protecting endagered species (plants or animals)
  • efforts to improve air or water quality
  • pollution, greenhouse effect

 

 

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Mar
30

You Never Know What You’ll See in the Swap Shop

Posted by in Just for Kids,Swap Shop

Welcome to the amazing Naturally Wild Swap Shop located just inside the McGovern Children’s Zoo!  The shop is set up for kids 18 and under to bring in things they find in nature.  We give them points for what they bring in and they can spend their points on some of the things in the shop.  It is a wonderful thing to watch the kids.  You can actually see the wheels start to turn as they realize what they could get for their points.  AND, we give extra points for knowledge!  So if they have learned about the item they bring in before hand and can tell us about it they get extra points for the knowledge.

Click here to see what items can and cannot be brought in.

The Swap Shop is open daily from 9:00 to 11:45 and 1:00-3:45 (closed on major holidays).  Come by and see our wonderful collection and watch your own children not only discover nature but begin to love and care for it.

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