Planning a Meaningful Zoo Trip for Kids

Going to the zoo can be an enriching experience for your kids. They can learn about how animals behave, where they come from, their eating habits and sounds they make. They can make comparisons between adult and baby animals and animals within the same family. Here are some tips to plan a meaningful zoo trip with your kids :

1. Before visiting the zoo, visit the zoo website with your kids to help create interest. Some zoos may feature on-line activities or printables for kids.
2. Learn about the history of the zoo, its mission, and the direction it is heading.
3. Check the calendar of events for the zoo.
4. Print out zoo newsletters, if any.
5. Print out pictures of the animals and have your kids identify them at the zoo.
6. At the zoo, get your kids to count the animals.
7. Bring along drawing papers and encourage your kids to draw the animals.
8. Learn about the programs which the zoo offers. Some zoos allow you to feed the animals at allocated times.
9. Take your kids for an animal show. Animal shows are always interesting and often include audience participation games, keeper chats and animal demonstrations.
10. Bring a camera to capture shots of animal movements.
11. Encourage your kids to make a scrapbook of the zoo trip.
12. Pick up any worksheets at the zoo, or design some worksheets yourself.
13. Learn about the zoo's conservation projects.
14. Visit the Kid's Zoo. Usually, the Kid's Zoo will have many interactive activities, animals, storyboards, and other opportunities for kids to be creative. Kids can experience touching, creativity, play and fun-filled learning.
15. Some zoos allow kids to be zoo-keepers for a day. This interesting program allows kids to have a close encounter with the animals.
16. Join a zoo camp. Campers can enjoy the tours, animal demonstrations, crafts and activities.
17. Stay overnight at the zoo with the zoo's Snooze Program. Zoo Snooze Programs usually include an up-close animal encounter, craft activities, night tours and games.
18. Compare zoos. Every zoo is different. Get your kids to discover their differences and similarities.
19. Observe zoo manners. Teach your kids what they must not do at the zoo (e.g. no littering, no smoking, do not climb over the fences, do not provoke the animals, etc.).
20. Learn about the zoo's adoption programs.
21. Write suggestions to the zoo on how to provide better facilities and services.
22. Be a zoo volunteer. Sometimes, zoo will advertise the kind of help that they need at different times. Zoo volunteers may assist in animal food preparation, educating visitors and school children during zoo camps, etc.
23. Teach your kids to support the zoo by making a donation. Some zoos have special programs which require funding. You can also help to sponsor an animal.
Have a nice trip at the zoo !