Taking your student to the zoo is a great way to engage with them outside of the classroom and enjoy a hands-on learning experience together.

Use this the guide below to make your trip engaging, educational, and enjoyable.

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Before your visit:

• Read a book about your child’s favorite animal to learn more about where it lives, what they eat, and what the animal sounds like.
• Watch videos online of the animals in their habitat.
  • Ask your student about what he or she observes

During your Visit:

• Encourage your student to ask the animal keepers questions about the animals.
• Have your child count how many animals are in a habitat.
  • Have them make predictions about why some habitats have several animals and some only have a few.
• Review key vocabulary words to build emerging reading skills. Examples include:
  • Keeper
  • Habitat
  • Species
  • Mammal
  • Conservation
  • Enclosure
  • Endangered

After your visit:

• Ask the student the following questions:
  • What was your favorite animal? Why?
  • What animal surprised you? Why?
• Play an animal walk game where you take turns naming an animal and walking like it. For example, run like a cheetah, slither like a snake, and stomp like an elephant.
• Create a zoo guidebook with pictures and words to describe the different animals that you saw at the zoo.

Parent Pro-Tips

• Plan ahead by looking up the daily programs and the attractions you want to see on the zoo map to make the most of your day.
• Don’t be shy: Ask animal keepers and zoo staff questions about the animals.
• Check the zoo’s website and download any zoo-provided activity sheets for the kids to do during or after the visit to the zoo.