Home Safari Resources

While the Cincinnati Zoo is closed and kids are home from school, let us help make your children’s hiatus from school fun and educational.

Join us for a Home Safari Facebook Live each day at 3pm EDT where we will highlight one of our amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home.

Don’t have access to social media? No worries! All videos will be posted to this webpage and to our YouTube channel shortly after the Facebook Live ends.

If you’re enjoying these Home Safaris, please consider making a small donation. We rely on ticket revenue, so being closed has a big impact on Zoo operations. Your support makes a difference now more than ever. Thank you! Donate

Home Safari

Wallaby

Check out what’s new on our online shop.

At Home Activity

ACTIVITY 1- Wild Writing

Watch our Home Safari and then use your words to complete the Wild Writing worksheet about the wallaby.

ACTIVITY 2- Wallaby Hopscotch

Wallabies are known for the high hops, so get outside and play hopscotch! Grab some sidewalk chalk and draw ten squares on your driveway or sidewalk. See if you can hop from square to square like a wallaby would. Toss a marker (like a stone or stuffed animal) onto the square to decide which square to hop to. Pick up your marker along the way, holding it tight in your arms to keep it safe just like a wallaby would keep her joey safe in her pouch. Want an extra challenge? Try hopping with your legs inside a pillowcase or sleeping bag.

We want to see your completed worksheets and wallaby hopscotch games, so please upload your photos or videos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your posts on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Fiona the Hippo

Check out all our Fiona merchandise including the brand new Fiona book on the Zoo’s online shop.

Fionatastic Art

Watch the video below, by the illustrator of several Fiona books, Richard Cowdry, to learn how to draw Fiona. https://youtu.be/V-eLYrc3WMo

Click here to purchase the new Fiona book by Richard Cowdrey

We want to see your Fiona drawings, so please upload photos of your art to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Win a Hippo Kiss Painting

A.D.O.P.T. any Cincinnati Zoo animal through Sat. April 11th and you’ll be entered to win a Kiss painting created by Fiona or Bibi during our Home Safari!* (All who have A.D.O.P.T.ed since March 15, 2020 will automatically be entered.) By becoming a Cincinnati Zoo A.D.O.P.T. parent, you help to provide world-class care to the animals you love! Your support is critical now more than ever! Winners will be notified on Saturday, April 18, 2020.

African pygmy falcon

Help support the Zoo by shopping online!

At Home Activity

ACTIVITY 1- QUIZ

After observing Tanzi, take this quiz and be entered to win 4 tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo!

ACTIVITY 2- Tanzi Paper Airplane

The African pygmy falcon flits, dips and glides through the air after insects or to protect its nest from predators. It’s time for you to take to the sky by making your own paper airplane and decorating it to look like Tanzi, our African pygmy falcon.

Click here for step by step instructions on how to fold a paper airplane. Color your paper airplane with markers, crayons or paint. Remember, your Tanzi paper airplane should be light as a feather, so it is important that your decorations don’t add too much weight. Next, see how far your falcon can fly!

We want to see your Tanzi paper airplane, so please upload your photos or videos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Aardvark

Look for more ways to stay busy at home on our online shop!

Aardvark Claws

Aardvarks have long shovel-like claws for digging. Why does the aardvark need to get deep down in the dirt? Make your own set of claws to pretend to dig in the dirt to find bugs and make burrows. Use scrap paper or whatever materials you have at home (i.e. cardboard, pipe cleaners, toilet paper rolls) to create aardvark claws. Attach a paper strap to the back and wear them over your hands.

We want to see your aardvark claws, so please upload your photos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your photos on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Komodo Dragon

You can purchase your own Komodo dragon on the zoo’s online shop.

Super Scales

The Komodo dragon has bony deposits under its skin, allowing the scales to act like armor. You can pretend to be as tough as a komodo dragon at home by creating super scales. Cut oval shapes out of scrap paper or whatever materials you have (foil, leaves, fabric). Glue or tape the scales to a piece of paper in rows. Cover the whole paper in overlapping rows of scales. Next, wrap the paper around your wrist and tape it closed to transform your arm into Hudo’s! Alternatively, you could draw a dragon on top of your sheet of super scales to make your own Hudo.

We want to see your super scales, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Consider signing up for Summer Camp. All Zoo Camps are age-appropriate and are guaranteed to be a WILD time.

Okapi

Get your own cuddly okapi on our online shop!

At Home Activity

ACTIVITY 1 – Okapi Crossword Puzzle

Okapi are experts at camouflaging in the dense forest. Can you take what you’ve learned during our Home Safari to help us uncover the important words hidden in our Okapi Crossword Puzzle?

ACTIVITY 2 – Okapi Hide and Seek

Okapi leave their calf in a dark, cozy nest deep in the rainforest while they forage for food. In the wild, the adult’s white stripes and the baby’s smell may help them find each other. Designate one person to be the adult okapi and another to be the baby okapi. Designate a safe play area (i.e. living room or backyard). Now play a game of Hide and Seek, where the baby must hide and the adult must seek!

We want to see your completed Okapi Crossword Puzzle or you having fun playing Okapi Hide and Seek at home, so please upload your photos and videos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your photos or videos on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Tamandua

Shop our online store for more ways to stay busy!

Purchase the shirt Isla’s keepers were wearing – proceeds benefit the Zoo!

Tamandua Tail

A tamandua’s tail is prehensile and can double the length of its body! That means that the tail is used like an extra limb, able to grip on to tree branches while climbing. It’s time to show off your own tamandua tail. Take our template and trace on scrap paper, fabric or whatever materials you have at home to create a tail that is as long as you are tall. Next, decorate your tail to look like our tamandua. When you’re done, fasten the tail to the back of your clothing, and pretend to be Isla. Be sure to stick out your tongue as far as you can and pretend to slurp up some delicious bugs.

We want to see your tamandua tails, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to[email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Red River Hog

Shop our online store for more ways to stay busy!

Red River Hog Mud Painting

Sir Francis and other pigs like him love to get down in the dirt. While it may be a lot of fun, rolling around in the mud also serves an important purpose. Mud baths help red river hogs stay cool and protect their skin from sun exposure. Can you help us give Sir Francis a mud bath? Use this Sir Francis coloring sheet, or any other materials you have at home.

Next, get outside and create some mud paint. In its simplest form, this can look like gathering some dirt in a dish and adding water. Use your fingers if you’d like. If you’re able, you could mix in food coloring or tempera paint and use a paintbrush.

We want to see your Sir Francis mud paintings, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Check out this photo of our Zoo Academy high school students meeting Sir Francis. Learn more about our Tech Program geared towards high schoolers interested in pursuing a career in wildlife conservation, or animal care.

Manatees

Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership

Pippen and Truffleshuffle, our manatees at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Manatee Springs, were both rescued from Florida waters as sick orphans, and now are being cared for by Zoo staff temporarily until they gain enough weight to be released back into the wild. They have come a long way, but there is still quite the journey ahead! Be sure to watch our Home Safari Manatees video to hear about the obstacles manatees face in the wild and what steps we take to be sure they are ready for the journey back home.

Shop our online store for more ways to stay busy!

At Home Activities

Activity 1 – Manatee Maze

Help navigate our manatees back to Florida’s waterways by completing our manatee maze.

Activity 2 – Manatee Obstacle Course

Designate clear boundaries in your indoor or outdoor space (i.e. living room, backyard). Set up a life size obstacle course using whatever materials you have available! For safety, we recommend establishing rules about a pathway that must be followed around (or over) obstacles. Home obstacles could be things like books, toys, laundry baskets, etc. You can pretend to be a manatee headed back to warm wild waters, or you could pretend to be a manatee rescuer by carrying a “manatee” (i.e. stuffed animal, manatee drawing) to safety.

We want to see your completed Manatee Maze or you having fun creating a Manatee Rescue Obstacle course at home, so please upload your photos and videos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your photos or videos on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Meerkats

Support the Zoo purchase your own cuddly meerkat on the zoo’s online shop.

At Home Activities

Activity 1- QUIZ

After observing our meerkats, take this quiz and be entered to win 4 tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo!

Activity 2 – Meerkat Shuffle

Meerkats rely on teamwork to stay safe from predators. They do this by staying close together in a group called a Meerkat Mob. Designate one person to be a Lookout and the rest as members of the Meerkat Mob. When the Lookout says “Danger”, the Meerkat Mob must lie on their bellies as quickly as possible. When the Lookout says “All Clear”, the Meerkat Mob can resume normal activities. Remember that meerkats are quick and are constantly foraging for food. The Meerkat Mob should be on all fours trying to gather as much pretend food as possible when in the clear.

We want to see your meerkats at home, so please upload your photos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Consider signing up for a family overnight. Our Overnight Adventure programs put you in the middle of the zoo at night where you take a night hike and get a peek at some of the zoo’s behind-the-scenes areas.

Flamingo

Flamingos

Watch the Home Safari live on Facebook at 3pm EDT. Don’t have access to social media? No worries! All videos will be posted to this webpage and to our YouTube channel shortly after the Facebook Live ends.

Get your own cuddly flamingo from our online shop!

Wild Art

From webbed feet to curved beak, take note of the shapes, colors and textures that make up our feathery flock. Next use whatever supplies you have available to re-create our flamboyance of flamingos at home! Try getting our flamingos just right, and then try making other silly versions out of your pure imagination. Looking for more to add to your creation? How about a flamingo filter feeding or flying high in the sky? What supplies do you have at home that could really show off their long necks and legs (spaghetti, yarn, sticks)? We want to see your masterpieces, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Schedule a Frisch’s Zoo on the Move where the Zoo comes to you. You can partner with a Cincinnati Zoo instructor and create a masterpiece from a not-so “still life” observation.

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Galapagos Tortoises

Galapagos Tortoise

Support the Zoo! Shop our online store today!

Island Giant Shell

Why does the Galapagos tortoise need its giant shell? Their shells are distinctly domed and surprisingly light. What materials can you use to build yourself a tortoise shell? Try construction paper, cardboard, a laundry basket or pillows and blankets. Are you able to lift it with your back and move around with your new shell? What sort of decorations can you add to your shell?

We want to see your giant shells, so please upload your photos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Consider signing up for Summer Camp. All Zoo Camps are age-appropriate and are guaranteed to be a WILD time.

Snow Leopards

Snow Leopard

Support the Zoo! Get your own cuddly snow leopard from our online shop!

Snow Leopard Leap

How do you think your leap will compare to the great long jumpers of the animal kingdom? Go outside and measure 50 feet on your driveway or sidewalk. Mark the following distances with sidewalk chalk:

Grasshopper = 3 feet
Rabbit = 9 feet
Impala = 30 feet
Red kangaroo = 43 feet
Snow Leopard =50 feet

Now it’s time to see how far you can leap! How many of your jumps does it take to make one snow leopard leap?

We want to see all the best snow leopard leapers, so please upload photos of you doing this activity at home to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your photos on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Join the club and hang with the Troop! Learn more about Zoo Troop.

Bearcat

Lucille the Bearcat

Check out our online shop for more ways to stay busy.

Creature Crossover

The binturong gets its nickname “bearcat” because it looks like an adorable cross between a bear and a cat! Its prehensile tail is a lot like a monkey’s. Close your eyes and imagine your favorite animals. How could you take features of each one to create your own creature crossover? Create a bearcat, or your unique creature using pencil and paper or whatever materials you choose. Give it a name and share it with us!

We want to see your creature crossover, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Bearcat Art

Giraffe

Gentle Giraffes

Purchase your own cuddly giraffe.

Giraffe Puppet

Giraffes stretch their long necks and tongues as far as they can to reach delicious leaves atop the tallest trees. Try stretching your arm as far as you can to reach out and grab any objects close to you. Now turn your arm into a giraffe puppet and try to reach things around the house, pretending they are leaves.

What materials do you have around that can transform your arm into a giraffe puppet? Perhaps socks or a brown paper bag? Decorate your puppet to look like our giraffes and put on a puppet show! Be sure to find a way to add that long tongue (yarn, scrap paper, etc.).

We want to see your giraffe puppets, so please upload your photos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Consider signing up for Summer Camp. All Zoo Camps are age-appropriate and are guaranteed to be a WILD time.

Once the zoo reopens be sure to visit so you can feed our giraffe herd. Giraffe Feedings are presented by Chick-fil-A.

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Elephants

Excellent Elephants

We apologize for the sound difficulties. Please fast forward to the four minute mark and those issues are resolved.

Get your own cuddly elephant here. Proceeds support the zoo!

Elephantastic Art

Watch the video below, by Cincinnati Enquirer illustrator Kevin Necessary, to learn how to draw an elephant. You can also download step by step instructions or this finished drawing to color.

We want to see your elephant drawings, so please upload photos of your art to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

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Red Panda

Red Panda-monium

Get your own cuddly red panda on our online shop!

At Home Activity

Take this red panda quiz and be entered to win four tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo!

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Kris the Cheetah

A Cat’s Best Friend

Watch the Facebook live at 3pm ET Monday! Don’t have social media? It’s ok! A YouTube version of the video will be posted on this page shortly after the Facebook Live ends.

Check out our Kris & Remus shirts on our online shop – Domestic orders of $25 or more receive FREE shipping.

Request a personalized message from Andie, Kris and Remus on Cameo!

Read more about Kris and her companion dog in these blogs written by their keeper Andie!

A Cat’s Best Friend Home Activity

It’s undeniable that Kris and Remus are unlikely friends. They can be your pals at home too! You can make your own Kris and Remus by saving and repurposing two old toilet paper tubes or cutting an old paper towel roll tube into two pieces. No recycled tubes laying around? Use any other recycled materials like plastic bottles or rolled up scrap paper. Next use paint, crayons or markers to decorate one roll to look like Remus and another to look like Kris. What colors or patterns will you use to tell them apart?

We want to see your pals Kris and Remus, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

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Seyia the Black Rhino

Rhinos Rule!

Check out lots of arts and crafts projects on our online shop.

Order a painting made by Seyia that supports rhino conservation!

Rhino Home Activity

Rhino Handprint Art

Can you name all 5 species of rhino? Now count to 5 on your hand. Looks like you’re ready to use that hand to create your own rhino handprint art!

Finger paint is tons of fun, but you could also trace your hand if there is no paint available. Have everyone at home participate to create a “crash of rhinos”. Be sure to add ears. Your rhino needs 3 toes on each foot. Of course, don’t forget the rhino’s most prominent feature…it’s horns! How many horns does our black rhino have?

We want to see your crash of rhinos, so please upload photos of your art to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

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Penguins

Penguin Parade

Purchase your own cuddly penguin plush that’s made out of 16 recycled water bottles!

Penguin Home Activity

Penguins are EGG-cellent parents! Penguins take turns balancing their egg on their feet to keep it safe and warm. The egg could be any thing around the house (pillows, stuffed animals, balls, etc). Designate a start and a finish line in your play area (i.e. living room, backyard). Your goal, as a penguin, is to keep your egg safely balanced on your feet as you waddle from start to finish. If you drop your egg, you have to start over.

This could be simple to complex for all ages, or could even be a relay race if there are multiple kids. Make an obstacle course! For older kids, it could be a smaller object balanced on a spoon.

We want to see your penguins playing, so please upload your photos or videos to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share them on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Lions John and Imani

Lion Around with John & Imani

Purchase your own cuddly lion here – proceeds from online sales help support the Cincinnati Zoo!

Activity 1- Lion’s Mane Craft

Using whatever paper products you have at home (paper plate, construction paper, scrap paper, card board, etc.) transform yourself into John the Lion. Be sure to capture his mane, whiskers and colors!

We want to see your pride of lions at home! Share with us on Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Activity 2- Snapshot Safari

Download the Zooniverse App to help Snapshot Kruger monitor the amazing biodiversity of South Africa’s oldest and most renowned protected areas from your own home.

Look through images taken by camera traps in Krueger national park and identity if there is any wildlife shown in the image. Follow these steps in order to participate:

Download the Zooniverse App
Click snapshot safari
From the projects list choose snapshot Kruger
Scroll down and look for a button called empty or not.
Answer the questions on if there is an animal in the image.

This is a fun project and it helps scientists understand the diversity and dynamics of wildlife populations

Let us know if you spot a lion!

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Sloths Moe and Lightning

Hanging with the Sloths

Purchase your own cuddly sloth here – proceeds from online sales help support the Cincinnati Zoo!

“Leaf it” to Moe

What are sloths most known for? Living life in slow MOE-tion! The reason they move so slowly has a lot to do with their leaf-lined bellies. Leaves have low nutritional value, which leads to a low energy lifestyle.

Head outside and collect an assortment of leaves of different shapes and sizes. Use your leaves to re-create Moe. Use whatever other supplies you have at home to make your leaves look like Moe, Lightning and their rainforest home.

We want to see your masterpieces, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Sign your kids up for a Zoo Summer Camp.

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Sihil the Ocelot

Awesome Ocelot

Activity 1 – Print this a-MAZE-ing ocelot activity.

Activity 2 – Sneaky Sihil

Ocelots are known for their stealth. They must rely heavily on moving through their environment undetected. If you were sneaky Sihil, what would you be trying to avoid? What would you be trying to sneak up on? For this game, designate who will pretend to be Sihil and who will be Sihil’s Predators or Prey. There can be multiples of each role depending on how many people are playing! Next, designate a play area (i.e. living room or backyard) that the players must stay within. Sihil’s Predators or Prey should have their backs turned so that they cannot see Sihil’s approach, but they should be using their ears to listen very carefully! It is Sihil’s job to tag the Predator or Prey on the back without being detected. Sihil’s Predator or Prey can turn around to try to catch the ocelot moving. Sihil must freeze to stay in the game. An ocelot that is standing very still is all but invisible because of its excellent camouflage. If Sihil doesn’t freeze fast enough, the predator will catch her or the prey will escape.

Play again and again but switch up the roles or the play area. Sihil camouflage costumes encouraged, so please upload your photos or videos of your Sneaky Sihils in action to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your photos on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Consider signing up for Summer Camp. All Zoo Camps are age-appropriate and are guaranteed to be a WILD time.

Check out all our merchandise in our online store – proceeds from online sales help support the Cincinnati Zoo!

Rico the Porcupine

Prickly Porcupine: Rico

Check out all our merchandise in our online store – proceeds from online sales help support the Cincinnati Zoo!

Wild Art

As you watch Rico, make note of all the colors, shapes, and textures that you see on each part of his body. Does his tail look the same as his nose? How do his feet compare to his teeth? Next use whatever supplies you have available to re-create Rico at home! Try getting Rico just right, and then try making other silly versions of Rico out of your pure imagination. Looking for more to add to your creation? How about his favorite foods or him exploring his habitat? What supplies do you have at home that could really show off his texture (toothpicks, leaf stems, sticks? We want to see your masterpieces, so please upload your artwork to Instagram or Twitter using #ZooHomeSafari, post it in the comments of our Facebook Live Video, or email it to [email protected]. We may share your amazing artwork on our Facebook/Instagram stories and our website.

Schedule a Frisch’s Zoo on the Move where the Zoo comes to you. You can partner with a Cincinnati Zoo instructor and create a masterpiece from a not-so “still life” observation.