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ZOO TO YOU
The Lincoln Children's Zoo & Botanical Gardens invites teachers within a 50 mile radius of Lincoln to participate in the Our Zoo to You program.
Throughout the school year, a variety of animals will be loaned to classrooms for six-week periods. These animals will be cared for in classrooms where teachers and students can observe, keep records, propose theories, test preconceptions, and share data on a website.
Zoo staff will visit participating classrooms twice a month.
Participating teachers attend two workshops, one before an animal is taken into the classroom and the second in mid-term. These workshops empower teachers to...
- teach inquiry based science using live animals.
- handle, care for, and incorporate animals into existing curriculum.
- become part of a professional learning community.
share data and observations on a specially designed website.
A listserv of teachers will be established to facilitate peer support and the exchange of ideas throughout the length of the project. This internet resource will be used to exchange information about classroom management of animal issues, assignment of animal-related activities and curriculum, and monitor and discuss student activities and investigations.
Mimi Wickless, Education Director, explains the significance of animals in the classroom: "Studying animals in a classroom situation, caring for them every day, and monitoring their well being enables students to develop skills of observation and comparison, a sense of stewardship, and an appreciation for the unity, interrelationships, and complexity of life. This will be a unique opportunity for classrooms in our area."
Teachers interested in participating in this program during the school year should call the Zoo at (402) 475-6741 for more information. Check the Our Zoo to You website at http://dwbrr.unl.edu/Zoo.
Our Zoo to YOU Summer Program for Seniors
The Lincoln Children’s Zoo, through grant support, has maintained this program for seniors for five years. It combines teenagers, animals and senior citizens and is an unqualified success.
Over these five years, more than 7,500 seniors have met Zoo Crew teens and experienced a variety of animals first hand. In 2006, 2,098 men, women and children who were living in assisted living facilities met a rabbit, legless lizard, gecko, ring-neck dove, hooded rat, blue tongued skink, hedgehog, guinea pig, tenrec, ball python, baby goat, and leopard tortoise. This program has grown yearly as new facilities ask to be included and new residents attend the programs.
When we took a baby goat to visit, one of the residents at Eastmont Towers commented, “I’d like to keep her.” Another 91 year old resident added, “It’s so wonderful for the people here, because they can’t get out to visit them any other place.” One lady asked the Zoo Crew member to take a picture of her holding a ball python, “My family won’t believe it!” she said.
In the words of the staff at the Lexington Assisted Living Center, “This program is wonderful on many levels. It appeals to the emotional, cognitive, and physical well being of each of our residents. And, it also serves as an intergenerational activity for our residents and your zoo staff. It brings smiles and laughter to our residents and sparks curious interest in those who thought they had seen it all. This program inspired high participation levels, and we cannot thank you enough.”
Staff at Lancaster Manor wrote, “The number of residents that this program touched grew on a weekly basis and averaged around 101! Many of these residents would not have come out of their rooms had it not been for the very caring nature of the Zoo Crew and the hands-on experiences with the animals. Being able to witness the look and the expressions on the resident’s faces was priceless….”
Call the zoo, 475-6741, for additional information.
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