Zoo Tots (ages 18 months - 5 years)
Join us for a six-week series where children learn through play with their favorite play partner: you! Each week you will make friends with nature through play experiences, art, songs, special animal friends and take a zoo hike to an animal exhibit.
The ZooTots series is offered two times a year, in Spring (April to mid-May) and Fall (mid-August to September). Zoo Tots programs are divided into three age groups: 18 months to 23 months, 2 to 3 years, and 4 to 5 years.
Please note: Due to space limitations, only one adult may attend with each registered child. Only those registered for the class may attend. No additional children (including infants) and/or adults may attend with you and your child.
Weekly Topics:
Backyard Friends
We’ll get an up-close look at animals that live in our neighborhoods. Then discover how they use their senses to survive.
Camouflage, Can You Find Me?
Discover why animals have different colors and patterns to blend into the environment.
SSSSSSSnakes!!!
How do you eat without hands? How do you move without legs? Learn about the special adaptations snakes have to help them survive.
Have You Hugged a Tree Today?
Trees give us oxygen, shade, and provide homes for different animals. Learn how important trees are to us and our animal friends.
Sounds of Nature
Shhh! Did you hear that? Was it a bird singing? Was it a duck quacking? Children will learn how animals communicate.
Turtle Trekking
We will discover different kinds of turtles that live in Tennessee, and make a turtle shell rattle to take home.
Program Dates & Times:
Weeks of August 21, 2016 – September 25, 2016
*You will attend class the same day and time each week of the series based on the schedule below.
Fall Topics:
- Week 1 - Numbers in Nature
- Week 2 - ABC Zoo
- Week 3 - Colors of Creatures
- Week 4 - Animal Shapes
- Week 5 - WILD Sounds
- Week 6 - Numbers, Letters, Shapes! Oh my!
Ages 18 - 23 mos.
Wednesday: 9 - 10 am
Age 2-3 yrs
Wednesday: 10:15 - 11:15 am
Thursday: 9 - 10 am
Thursday: 10:15 - 11:15 am
Thursday: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Saturday: 9 - 10 am
Ages 4 - 5 yrs
Wednesday: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Saturday: 10:15 - 11:15 am
Cost of Program:
Members $100 for entire series
Non-Members $125 for entire series
Register for Fall ZooTots
Jr. Zookeeper (ages 10-15)
Does your teen want to be a zookeeper when he or she grows up? In this interactive program, participants will learn more about the Zoo’s animals, interact with keepers, and spend time learning about what a daily zookeeper routine consists of in order to care for our animal collection.
Offered six months out of the year, each month will focus on a different theme. Two age group offerings are available each month.
Program Topics & Dates
Animal Eaters: Carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore?
Did you know that you can tell what an animal eats by just looking at its different adaptations? Learn about different animal eaters by observing eye placement, teeth differences, fecal shapes, and more!
Dates
June 15, 9:30am-2pm (10-12 year olds)
June 25, 9:30am-2pm (13-15 year olds)
Social Butterfly or Lone Wolf?
Do you like to spend your time alone, or with a group of friends? Explore group dynamics for different types of animals, names of the groupings, and how species benefit from being solitary or social.
Dates
July 13th, 9:30am-2pm (13-15 year olds)
July 30th, 9:30am-2pm (10-12 year olds)
Cost of Program:
Members $50 per class
Non-Members $75 per class
Register for Jr. Zookeeper
Please note, a minimum of 7 participants is needed for the class to take place. In the event a class does not fill, we will contact registrants.
Veterinary Care
June 13 or 28 | 9:30am - 2:15pm
Learn about the medical aspect of maintaining the health and well being of the animal collection at the zoo.
Nutrition
July 18 or 26 | 9:30am - 2:15pm
This class focuses on the basic needs of the animals within the zoo's collection, and explains the similarities and differences between species.
Exhibit design & Conservation
Aug. 15 or 30 | 9:30am - 2:15pm
This class focuses on all aspects of designing an exhibit for an animal in a zoo while considering the basic needs of the animal, and designing in a way that facilitates the education of guests.
Enrichment & Training
Sept. 12 or 27 | 9:30am - 2:15pm
Discover how keepers improve the quality of life for the Zoo's animals through building a relationship between man and animal, training, and providing stimulation through enrichment.
Register for Jr. Zookeeper
Thanks to our Education Partners: