Zoo Camp

Zoo Explorers (Sessions 1 & 5) – Exploration is all about self-discovery and adventure. Your child will get to see the Zoo’s many exhibits and interact with a wide variety of species! Nature Detectives (Sessions 2 & 6) - Are you ready to solve a mystery? We'll focus on animals that sneak around their habitat and disguise themselves in the wild. Animal Engineers (Sessions 3 & 7) - Animals are amazing designers and engineers. During this session, we'll study several animal techniques and try them out for ourselves! Conservation Heroes (Sessions 4 & 8) – Is your child passionate about protecting threatened species? Campers will learn about current conservation initiatives through a variety of games, activities and animal presentations.

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a zookeeper is like? In this week-long session we'll have the opportunity to shadow zookeepers and see Franklin Park Zoo’s different animal and behind-the-scenes areas. Some of the tasks the Jr. Zookeeper will help with includes prepping animal diets and feeding, cleaning stalls, or observing animal training. This program includes a more challenging curriculum and hands-on experiences to give Jr. Zookeepers a feel for what it's like to have a profession in a zoo or animal and science related field. Some topics that may be included in the curriculum are animal behavior and training, exhibit design, zoo careers, local species, animal handling and horticulture!