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School Programs at the Zoo

During your visit, consider adding an educational program to provide your students an opportunity to experience the zoo in a whole new way. Our programs connect classroom learning with our unique resources to provide your students with a chance to see how the zoo applies science topics every day!

Printable MCAS Aligned Program List

 

The zoo offers two different options for an educational program at the zoo. In our 30-minute classroom programs, you and your students get an exclusive opportunity to meet animals up-close and connect them to science topics. In 60-minute Zoo Inquiries, students assume the role of conservationists, exploring ways to support animals at the zoo and in the wild. 

Did you know that MA school groups can get free admission for students? Book your field trip!

PreK - 2

Zooper Senses

Students learn about animals with super senses.

Habitats, Sweet Habitats

Students learn what animals need to survive in the wild.

Not So Scary Snakes

Students learn how important snakes are to the environment and why they might not be as scary as people like to think.

Wild Neighbors

Students will learn about wild animals that live in their own area of the world, and what they need to survive.

Scales, Fur or Feathers?

Students will learn the differences between animals and what makes each group unique.

ZooKeepers

Students will learn what it takes to care for animals at the zoo.

Hungry, Hungry Animals

Students will learn what's on the menu for different animals.

3rd - 5th

Programs: 30 Minutes

Where in the World?

Students discover where animals can be found in the world and how their environments differ from each other.

Amazing Adaptations

Students learn what unique adaptations animals have developed to survive in their environment.

Endangered Animals 

Students will learn about endangered animals and what we can do to protect them in the wild.

Circle of Life

Students will learn what's on the menu for different animals.

Inquiries: 60 Minutes

ZooArt

Students will participate in a live painting class.

6th - 8th

Programs: 30 Minutes

Friend or Foe

Students will learn about animal relationships and the interactions that take place in an ecosystem.

Animal Family Tree

Students will learn about the process of natural selection and how animals evolve over time.

Cretaceous Comparisons

Students will discover the techniques scientists use to hypothesize what life was like for extinct animals.

Inquiries: 60 Minutes

Zoo Art

Students will participate in a live painting class.

ZooCareers: Animal Training

Students will learn how and why we communicate with animals.

ZooCareers: Animal Behavior

Students will learn how we assess animal behaviors and what we can learn from observing animals.

Zoo Fossils

Students will discover what we can learn by observing animal bones.

CSI: Animal Kingdom

Students will learn how predators use different methods of catching their prey.

High School

Programs: 30 Minutes

ZooCareers: Animal Care

Students will learn how we care for animals at the zoo and the pathway to a career in zookeeping.

Inquiries: 60 Minutes

ZooArt

Students will participate in a live painting class.

ZooCareers: Animal Training

Students will learn how and why we communicate with animals.

ZooCareers: Conservation

Students will learn what the zoo does for endangered animals here in Massachusetts.

ZooCareers: Animal Behavior

Students will learn how we assess animal behaviors and what we can learn from observing animals.

Health and Safety Information

-Please note that due to the animals’ availability and health, we cannot guarantee which live animals we will bring to each program. Animals we bring align with the program topic and information covered.
-Due to abundant caution for the well-being of ambassador animals in our care, and for people who participate in our programs, we encourage looking at our animals without touching them.
-We rely on chaperones and teachers to help maintain a quiet and calm space for the safety and well-being of our animals.

Class Size Information

We can accommodate groups of up to 25 participants.

Contact Us

For more information about our programs and how to schedule one, please contact us at education@zoonewengland.org or by calling: 617-989-3742.