For the child who will be entering 1st or 2nd grades in the 2010-2011 school year.
WELCOME TO MY HOUSE
Every animal needs a home! Every animal has a job! Come and explore habitats from the animals’ point of view. Learn about the amazing journeys animals take while searching for a home.
Join us as we explore how animals interact with each other in their habitat and create that wonderful place we call “The Wild.”
ALL CREATURES ... AT POTTER PARK ZOO
Big and small, short and tall - we have them all! Come discover the amazing variety of animals at Potter Park Zoo. Watch as we see who is beautiful and who is not.
Listen as we hear who is noisy and who is quiet. Feel whose fur is soft and whose skin is rough. Take a sniff to know who is fragrant and who stinks!
WHAT'S FOR LUNCH
Who’s eating whom! In nature, animals spend most of their time looking for food — while trying to avoid being eaten! Explore how predators catch prey and how prey escape.
Visit a zoo kitchen and see how zookeepers prepare food for our animals. Learn about what our zoo animals eat and how we feed 400 animals each day!
SENSATIONAL ZOO
Do animals see what we see? How do owls see at night? Why do elephants need such big ears? Why do wolves have such a long nose? Do stinky odors smell bad to animals?
How do whiskers work? Come have a sensational time as we use our five senses to explore the amazing sensory world of animals.
For the child who will be entering 3rd or 4th grades in the 2010-2011 school year.
WOW, HOW 'D THEY DO THAT!
Animals make some incredible things! As engineers they build houses, construct dams, weave nets, dig burrows and carry heavy loads. As chemists they make glue, poisons and repellents.
As farmers they make honey and grow crops. Come along and get your hands dirty as we discover the amazing things animals do with their paws, beaks, tongues and tails!
AWESOME AUSTRALIA - *NEW CLASS*
G'Day Mate! Come and check out this new class! The Land Down Under is a fascinating place full of unique creatures and interesting culture.
Join us to learn about the amazing wildlife of this fascinating continent. Experience kangaroos, wallabies and so much more as you get up close to observe and interact with some of
Australia’s fabulous animals!
AROUND THE WORLD IN FIVE DAYS
Become a great explorer and join us on a voyage around the world! Take an up-close look at our zoo animals and the intriguing places they come from. Potter Park Zoo has animals
from six of the seven continents! Travel to Africa to see lions; Asia to see camels; South America to see penguins; Australia to see wallabies...and much, much more!
SURVIVORS AT POTTER PARK ZOO
Watch out! Danger is everywhere! Nature can be a treacherous place as animals work hard to survive. How can you eat without getting eaten? Should animals flee, hide,
look fierce, fight or play dead? What happens when wild animals get sick or hurt? How do predators catch prey? After this class you will know why only the strongest and
smartest survive!
SWAMP THINGS
Murky water, buzzing mosquitoes, pungent odors — a swamp seems like a scary place. Wetlands are actually one of nature’s most amazing places! The animals who live here are “all wet”
and they like it that way! Become an aquatic scientist and join us as we “run amuck” and capture aquatic critters, study fish and analyze water samples in this wet ’n wild class.
For the child who will be entering 5th, 6th or 7th grade in the 2010-2011 school year.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE!
Swimming, bathing, drinking — all animals need water. Take the plunge! Submerge yourself in the underwater world of the coral reef exhibit, the otter pond, penguin pool and the Red
Cedar River. Fresh or salty, hot or cold, water is an amazing substance. Join us in fun experiments as we study the amazing chemistry of water and the animals that are adapted to live in it.
SCALES 'N TALES - *NEW CLASS*
Lizards without legs? Snakes with legs? Turtles who cannot swim? What’s going on here? How are reptiles different from other animals and how are they the same? Learn
what is fact and what is fiction as you explore the amazing world of reptiles. From their dinosaur ancestors to the snakes, lizards, and turtles of today, you will have some up-close
encounters with our reptiles from Potter Park Zoo.
SO YOU WANT TO WORK AT A ZOO
There is more to working at a zoo than you may think! Be a zookeeper for a day, become an animal chef, learn what it takes to be a zoo vet, design a zoo exhibit, plan an animal escape
drill. It’s all in a days work! Meet the experts and learn what it takes to become one of the pros who make the zoo such a wonderful place!
WHO IS ENTERTAINING WHO?
Hiding food, “rearranging the furniture,” making toys...what’s going on? Zoo staff work hard to make sure our animals are healthy, active and exhibit natural behavior. This program
is called enrichment. Join the enrichment team and help zoo staff make piñatas for tigers, fishcicles for otters, cricket kabobs, food puzzles and so much more. Then watch our zoo
animals have a ball —literally!
