Seattle public schools with 30% or more of their students on free and reduced-rate lunch (or equivalent program for private schools)

• schools receive free admission for all students and for one adult for every six students
• schools receive subsidized bus transportation

Seattle private schools and Seattle public schools with less than 30% of their students on free and reduced-rate lunch

• schools pay zoo admission for all students and adults at the reduced school rate of $5.50 per person ($6.25 per person in March and April)
• schools pay for all transportation costs

King County schools outside of the Seattle school district with 30% or more of their students on free and reduced-rate lunch (or equivalent program for private schools)

• schools pay a $5.75 per person program fee for both students and adult chaperones. Admission paid for by the zoo.
• schools pay for bus transportation

King County schools outside of the Seattle school district with less than 30% of their students on the free and reduced-rate lunch program

• schools pay $11.25 per person for both students and adult chaperones. ($12.00 per person in March and April). This includes zoo admission and program fee.
• schools pay for all transportation costs

Questions? Call the Forest Explorers Registrar at 206.548.2424 or email forest.explorers@zoo.org

General Information:

Forest Explorers was developed by Woodland Park Zoo staff to make environmental education accessible and fun for all second grade students in King County. Forest Explorers introduces students to the important components of Costa Rica's tropical rain forests and Washington state's temperate forests.  The program consists of an interactive auditorium program, in which students are transformed into different parts of both forests, and a tour of the zoo's Temperate and Tropical Rain Forest bioclimatic zones. This program also helps teachers satisfy the Washington State Environmental Education Mandate and meet many Essential Academic Learning Requirements.  Components of Forest Explorers also reinforce the concepts of the Seattle schools' NSF Soils science kit.

Program Times
Forest Explorers is offered Tuesdays through Fridays. The program starts at 10:30 a.m. and includes a half-hour assembly in the Education Center Auditorium followed by a one-hour staff-led tour. Make sure you arrive at the zoo at least twenty minutes early to allow time to go through admissions at the South Gate. Please allow at least two hours for your Forest Explorers visit. You are welcome to extend your visit beyond that time to explore other areas of the zoo on your own.

Chaperones
One adult chaperone (including teachers) is required for every six students.

How do I sign up for Forest Explorers?

Applications and reservations must be in writing. For a Reservation Form call the Forest Explorers Registrar at 206.548.2424 or download a Forest Explorers application, which can be read with Adobe's free Acrobat Reader. All participating teachers and the school’s principal must also read and sign the Reservation form. Applications will not be processed without these signatures.

Please submit all correspondence to: Forest Explorers Registrar Education Department Woodland Park Zoo 601 North 59th Street Seattle, WA 98103 or fax: (206) 547-3553

Forest Explorers Program Merits AZA Award
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) presented to Woodland Park Zoo’s Forest Explorers program a Significant Achievement Award in Education on September 16, 1997.The Forest Explorers program was piloted by Woodland Park Zoo Education Department staff during the 1995-96 academic year. The program currently reaches over 9000 second-grade students from public and private schools in King County. Teachers were provided with a curriculum packet including background information about forests and ecological concepts such as habitats, niches and interdependence. Students had the opportunity to explore temperate and tropical forests through interdisciplinary classroom activities as well as an interactive program and tour on Zoo grounds. One of the goals of the program is to encourage an appreciation of forests of the world by creating an awareness of the similarities and differences between our local forest habitats and tropical forest habitats. Funded through grants and other donations, the entire program is presented to schools at no cost.

The receipt of this award is significant for Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo has received several awards for exhibits in the past, but this is the first AZA award received for an education program. Forest Explorers was chosen among 13 programs from zoos and aquariums throughout the United States.