Zoo Troop

These 4 week long, age-appropriate classes for toddlers through 8th graders are designed to develop curiosity, create empathy, encourage healthy social skills, and grow self esteem. Participants will be immersed in fun, educational, wildlife rich experiences designed to develop knowledge and life skills. Toddler and PreK participants are joined with their caregiver for all the action! To encourage independence, Kindergartners and older are dropped off before and picked up after each adventure! Join the club and hang with the Troop!

Questions? Contact us at (513) 559-7767 or email [email protected]

more information

In each series we will identify specific steps or skills that your child will achieve along with a key purpose statement. The same knowledgeable Zoo instructor will teach each week of the Zoo Troop series which will allow your child to form a positive relationship with their instructor.

Join the Zoo Troop as we explore a different fun and interactive topic every month and foster caring, confident, and inspiring young people who know and love the wild world around them.

Who can participate?

Ages 18 months old through 8th grade. We divide age groups by grade bands. We offer the following grade bands: Toddlers (18-36 months old), Pre- K, Kindergarten, 1st-2nd Grade, 3rd-5th Grade, and 6th-8th Grade.

When are Zoo Troop courses available?

When you register for Zoo Troop you will be asked to select the day of the week you would like to come to every week. Currently Zoo Troop is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays.

How much is Zoo Troop?

Zoo Troop series are 4 weeks long.
Cost for series vary based on Grade Band and program length. See below for the cost of each.

Where does Zoo Troop take place?

Most occur in the Harold C. Schott Education Center. Confirmation materials will be received once you have registered.

For Toddlers (18-36 months old)

Cost: Members: $65 / Non-Members: $80 (An adult must accompany child. No charge for accompanying adult.)

Oh Baby!

Do you look like your mommy and daddy? Animal babies look like their mommy and daddy, too! Join us while we match up mom and baby and use our voices and bodies to act like animals in the classroom and around the Zoo.

Steps

Discover animal babies by looking at different babies and their parents.
Meet animals up close and identify if they are a baby animal or adult animal.
Understand that baby animals will grow to be an adult.
Make new friends by practicing communication, sharing and caring.

Purpose

When I have finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will be able to match up animal babies to their parents.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for 4 weeks.

Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30: 9:30-10:15am or 11:00-11:45am
Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 9:30-10:15am or 11:00-11:45am
Fridays: April 12, 19, 26 & May 3: 9:30-10:15am or 11:00-11:45am
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 9:00-9:45am or 9:30-10:15am or 11:00-11:45am

For Pre-Kindergarteners (ages 3-4 years old)

Cost: Members: $65 / Non-Members: $80 (An adult must accompany child. No charge for accompanying adult.)

Born Wild!

What is it like to be an animal baby? Some need more tender love and care than others, but they all need food, water and protection to survive! Join us as we learn about the most precious time of an animal’s life, where a baby will learn the most essential lessons from mom and dad! We will meet some beautiful babies face to face, out in the Zoo, and in the classroom.

Steps

Discover what an animal baby needs to survive.
Meet animals up close and understand what they need to live.
Discover if animal baby needs are similar or different to ours.
Make new friends and learn to share with them.

Purpose

When I’ve finished this Zoo Troop adventure, I will be able to understand what it takes for babies survive either with the help of mom, or on their own.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30: 10-11am
Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 10-11am
Fridays: April 12, 19, 26 & May 3: 10-11am
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 10-11am

For Kindergarteners

Cost: Members: $70 / Non-Members: $85

Ready, Set, Play!

What is your favorite game to play on the playground? Have you ever played hide-and-seek or hopscotch? You may be surprised to discover that some animals are born knowing what to do while others play games in order to learn important lessons for survival! During this four-week series, we’ll take a closer look at the role of play in how baby animals learn the skills they need to survive as adults.

Steps

Investigate the different ways animals learn to survive in their environment.
Discover how playing can be an important (and fun!) way babies learn.
Learn new lessons through play just like our favorite animal babies.
Make new friends and have fun together!

Purpose

When I finish this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have developed a curiosity to explore the natural world through an understanding of how animals learn and grow.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Homeschool Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30: 10-11:30am
Homeschool Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 10-11:30am
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 10-11:30am

For 1st-2nd Graders

Cost: Members: $70 / Non-Members: $85

Are You My Mother?

How are the lives of baby reptiles, mammals, birds and insects different? When you’re an animal baby, everything from what you eat to where you live all depends on who raises you! This spring is a great time to check out the diversity of the Zoo’s growing family. Join us as we meet animal friends, hike around the zoo, and play games to see who raises our favorite animal babies.

Steps

Discover who raises babies in the animal kingdom as well as here at the Zoo.
Compare and contrast how different types of animal babies are raised.
Gain confidence based on the knowledge you gain.
Make new friends through teamwork.

Purpose

When I finish this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have developed knowledge of who raises a baby and an understanding of the differences between the lives of various baby animals.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Homeschool Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30:10-11:30am
Homeschool Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 10-11:30am
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 2-3:30pm

For 3rd-4th Graders

Cost: Members: $70 / Non-Members: $85

My Wild Family Tree

What do tigers and ocelots have in common? How about painted dogs and wolves? Their wild family trees of course! With hikes, games, and classroom animal visitors, this four-week series will help us explore the parenting and family lifestyles of these wild animals and see if they have more in common than shared ancestry.

Steps

Learn about characteristics that help scientists understand relatedness in species.
Learn new words to describe parenting styles and family groupings.
Discover how particular animals’ parenting styles are the same or different from others in their animal group.
Test our skills at different animal parenting tasks.
Make new friends and discover our voices as we learn together.

Purpose

When I finish this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have honed my observation and team working skills and have more knowledge about the similarities and differences in parenting styles and family groups in the animal kingdom.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Homeschool Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30: 10:00am -11:30am
Homeschool Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 10:00am -11:30am
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 2:00-3:30pm

For 5th-6th Graders

Cost: Members: $75 / Non-Members: $90

Raising Wild Ones

From baby parking to baby wearing, animals employ MANY different parenting styles. During this four-week series, participants will go on Zoo hikes, meet animals in the classroom, and engage in other fun activities that will help them explore the way that wild animal babies are raised and compare them to their own families.

Steps

Investigate why different parenting styles work for different parents.
Learn how to tell if a baby is precocial or altricial.
Discover how non-human animal parenting styles are the same or different than those of humans.
See how good we are at different animal parenting tasks.
Make new friends and investigate animals and ideas together.

Purpose

When I finish this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have developed cooperative and team working skills and have more knowledge about the diversity of parenting styles, strategies, and adaptations in the animal kingdom.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Homeschool Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30: 10:00am -Noon
Homeschool Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 10:00am -Noon
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 1:30-3:30pm

For 7th-8th Graders

Cost: Members: $75 / Non-Members: $90

Growing Up Wild

Imagine going from newborn to adult in a year, a few months, or less than a month! Imagine being independent from birth or staying a baby until conditions are right to become an adult! Imagine having 200 brothers and sisters! In this 4-week series, we will learn all about the crazy variety that can be found among baby animals and why growing up in the animal kingdom is a wild and wonderful thing!

Steps

Discover and compare how long it takes different animals to mature.
Investigate different parenting strategies in the animal kingdom.
Understand the reasons behind high and low parental investment in wild animals.
Identify the techniques employed by human parents and compare these to other animals.
Make new friends and investigate animals and ideas together.

Purpose

When I finish this Zoo Troop adventure, I will have developed critical thinking, observation, and inquiry skills regarding how and why animals grow up the way they do and will build confidence in my own voice and ideas that I share.

Dates:

Choose to come every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday for 4 weeks

Homeschool Tuesdays: April 9, 16, 23 & 30: 10:00am-Noon
Homeschool Wednesdays: April 10, 17, 24 & May 1: 10:00am-Noon
Saturdays: April 13, 20, 27 & May 4: 1:30-3:30pm

For High Schoolers

Topics to Come this Fall

Past topics include:

The Power of Plants
Pondering Penguins
Tiny but Mighty
Train of Thought

Chinese (Simplified)