Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

Education Programs at the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus may be scheduled Monday through Friday at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Our presentations focus on the topic of the teacher’s choice and include up-close and hands-on animal encounters in a traditional classroom setting.  Programs target Pre-K through Twelfth Grade curriculum and have been developed in conjunction with the FCAT, Sunshine State Standards, NCEE New Standards, and the Duval County Schools District Performance Standards.  Program activity packets are mailed in advance of the reservation and include vocabulary lists, suggested reading lists, pre-visit and post-visit activities, and suggested means of evaluating student outcomes.  The fee for one program is $40 per class (up to 35 people) and does not include admission to the Zoo.  Admission to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is an additional fee if applicable. 

Program Offerings

Every program is accompanied with a teacher’s packet that features vocabulary, suggested non-fiction science reading lists, activity sheets, recommended pre-visit and post-visit activities, and correlations to the state recommended science standards.

Animal Life Series

Preschool and Kindergarten (30-minute programs)

• Animal Friends: How do animals help people?  Learn the differences between wild and domestic animals while meeting animals.  Respect for animals is emphasized.
• Animal Life: What do all living things need to survive?  During this program learn the differences between living and non-living things.
• Animal Senses: How do animals use their senses to survive?  How are their senses like ours?  Compare your senses to the animals’ senses and discover which ones we don’t have.

Kindergarten, First &  Second Grades (45-minute programs)

• Sensational Life: This combined program focuses on the characteristics of living and non-living things and animal senses while getting up-close and hands-on with a variety of animals.
• Animal Adaptations: Every animal has special characteristics that help it survive.  During this program we look at camouflage, spines, venom and other features used for defense.
• Food Chains: Dinner or diner?  Where do you stand in the food chain?  Explore how all life is interrelated and learn what happens when the food chain is broken.
• Life Cycles: Explores the various life cycles found in the Animal Kingdom.  Emphasis is placed on the Sunshine State Standard Benchmark “Plants and animals change as they grow” and “Living things have offspring that resemble their parents.”

Third – Fifth Grades (45-minute programs)

• Animal Behavior: Why do antelopes live in herds?  Why do owls hunt at night?  Learn how behaviors help animals survive.
• Endangered Species: Why do species become extinct?  What can be done to save them?  Discover how animals become threatened or endangered and what you and the Zoo can do to save them.
• Fur, Feathers, Scales & Slime: Learning to categorize animals can be as easy as looking at their coverings.  Discover the basic characteristics of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals as you get up-close and hands-on with a representatives from each category.

Habitat Series

Fourth – Twelfth Grades (45-minute programs)

• Florida Habitats: Discover the wide variety of habitats found in Florida and meet the animals found there.  An emphasis is placed on respecting our natural resources and conserving the environment.
• Rain Forests: Explore the rain forests of the world during this program that highlights its unique features and forest creatures.  The importance of rain forests and their effects on our everyday lives will be emphasized.
• Ecosystems: Take a global safari and learn about the ecosystems of the world with our animal ambassadors.  Once you discover the environmental factors of each system, you will understand why animals and plants live where they do.

Scientist Series

Sixth – Twelfth Grades (45-minute programs)

• Captive Care: What do zoos do?  Why do they exist?  Explore the world of captive exotic animal management including a focus on diets, health issues, enrichment and breeding.
• Anatomy and Function: What’s the use of a giraffe neck, jaguar spots or an alligator’s snout?  Explore the various physical structures of animals and learn how they relate to body functions.  Excellent program for anatomy and art classes.

Zoo Quest Series

For All Ages (45-minute programs)

• A Touching Experience: This program is designed for groups with “special needs.”  Multi-sensory encounters with a variety of animals may be tailored for each group.  Emphasis is placed on a respect for animals by creating a positive, hands-on experience.
• Zoo Careers: Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?  This program highlights the various career opportunities available in the zoo and aquarium fields, reviews the educational requirements necessary to qualify for these positions, and showcases a variety of the “tools of the trade” used in the management of exotic animals.
• Carnivore and More: Explore the world of the hunters.  This program focuses on meat-eaters, their adaptations and hunting behaviors for survival.

Don’t see a topic suitable for your needs?  With at least six weeks advanced notice, allow our Zoo Educators to create a program for you!

Reservations must be made at least six weeks in advance.  Please contact the Education Department at (904) 757-4463 ext. 122 for more information and to make a reservation.

SEASONAL WARNING

March, April & May are the busiest months for school visits.  Nearly 50,000 or 50% of our annual field trip attendance occurs during these spring months.  It is strongly recommended that if you want to schedule a field trip during this time that you make your reservation in January or February.  We also recommend that you visit in the fall and winter to avoid the spring rush.

Summer Group Programs

Planning a Zoo visit for your summer camp group?  Make your visit an adventure when you reserve this program.  Meet a variety of animals up-close and hands-on while learning fascinating facts about their lives during this 45-minute presentation geared for your group’s age level.  Critter Close-Ups may be scheduled at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., or 12:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays during June & July.  The cost is $11 per person ages three years and older and includes your admission to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for the day.

Advanced reservations are required at least four weeks in advance and a 30 percent deposit must be received prior to your arrival in order to guarantee the reservation.  Please contact the Education Department at (904) 757-4463, ext. 122 for more information and to make a reservation.