• Slide Sets and CD_ROMs
• Videos
• Small Teaching Kits
• Large Teaching Kit
• Teacher Packets

Call the zoo’s Teacher Training Coordinator at 206.548.2424 for information on borrowing these resources or follow the instructions provided in the individual resource sections below.

Slide sets and CD-ROMs are available on a loan basis and must be returned to the zoo within two weeks. All slide sets must be picked up and dropped off at the zoo’s Seattle Rotary Education Center.

$5.00 loan fee; $10.00 replacement deposit.

• The Snow Leopard: A Vanishing Vision
  Time: 12 minutes/Grades: 5-12
  The International Snow Leopard Trust produced this slide/tape program to enhance people's awareness of the plight of the snow leopard. This highly endangered cat has historically been hunted for its luxurious pelt. Today, snow leopards face a situation that is potentially more devastating — destruction of their habitat.

• The Unknown Forest
  Time: 15 minutes/Grades: 5-12
  Through this slide/tape program produced by World Wildlife Fund, your students are introduced to the ecology, wildlife, cultures and products of the tropical rain forest. The problems causing rain forest destruction and the need to save this fragile ecosystem are revealed.

• We Care About Eagles
  Time: 15 minutes/Grades: 5-12
  This slide/tape program produced by the National Wildlife Federation introduces students to eagles and the reasons threatening their survival.
  
  
• Wild Spaces, Wild Species – A Biodiversity Journey
  Time: 18.5 minutes/Grades: 5-12
  This slide/tape/CD-ROM program, produced by World Wildlife Fund, explores the incredible diversity of living things on the planet, the many benefits we get from biodiversity, and the challenges facing biodiversity conservation.

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Videos are available on a loan basis and must be returned to the zoo within two weeks. All videos must be picked up and dropped off at the zoo’s Seattle Rotary Education Center.

$5.00 loan fee; $10.00 replacement deposit.

• Bats of America (1989)
  Time: 16 minutes/Grades: 1-6
  This video is the finest assembly of pictures depicting the lives of North American bats, from the common to the endangered. Produced by Bat Conservation International, this video offers an in-depth look at the fascinating world of bats, their importance to ecosystems and the threats facing these winged mammals.

• Bats: Myth and Reality (1985)
  Time: 16 minutes/Grades: 2-12
  From the tiny "bumblebee bat" of Thailand to the giant Lyle's flying fox, this video introduces students to the second largest group of mammals in the world. This video, produced by Bat Conservation International, emphasizes the ecological importance and conservation needs of bats worldwide.

• India: Land of the Tiger (1998)
  Time: Six cassettes, 60 minutes each /Grades: 6-12
  This six-hour miniseries presents not just the mesmerizing, stunningly photographed beauty and astonishing diversity of wildlife on the Indian subcontinent, but also how humanity is entangled with nature. Host and narrator, Valmik Thapar, is a world-renowned tiger expert, wildlife conservationist and author, well know in India for his tireless efforts to achieve a balance between social and economic policies and the survival of the tiger. Volumes may be borrowed singly or two at a time only. Volume 1 – The Tiger’s Domain, Volume 2 – Sacred Waters, Volume 3 – Unknown Seas, Volume 4 – Desert Kingdom, Volume 5 – Mountains of the Gods, Volume 6 – Monsoon Forests.

• Natural Connections (1999)
  Time: 48 minutes/Grades: 6-12
  This video, produced by the King County Solid Waste division, focuses on the interconnectedness among different species and their ecosystems, and how our everyday actions affect the environment. Several Northwest scientists explain aspects of the natural world including biodiversity, the role of salmon in the web of life, keystone species, healthy forests, and the effects of humans on the environment.
  
  
• Rain Forest Rap (1988)
  Time: 6 minutes/Grades: K-3
  Accompanied by fast-paced rap music, this video, produced by World Wildlife Fund, highlights the beauty and fragility of the rain forest.
  
  
• Strange Days on Planet Earth (2005)
  Time: four 60 minute segments/Grades: 4-12/Format: DVD
  Around the globe scientists are racing to solve a series of mysteries: what happens to an ecosystem when top predators disappear? Why do invasive species cause such havoc? National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth uses engaging storytelling and innovative imaging to explore new discoveries about the health of the planet. Each of the four one-hour episodes (Invaders, The One Degree Factor, Predators and Troubled Waters) is constructed as a high-tech detective story, revealing the way that seemingly distant events are connected and how they are affecting our individual health and well being.  Includes an Activity Guide for educators.
  
  
• Vanishing Giants (1994)
  Time: three 10-minute segments /Grades: 5-12
  Produced by KOMO TV and Sister Parks International, this video includes three segments on endangered African wildlife: elephants, black rhinos and mountain gorillas.
  
  
• The Vanishing Shrub-Steppe (2001)
  Time: 20 minutes/Grades: K-8
  Produced by LeapFrog Productions and the Bureau of Land Management, this video takes you on a journey through the shrub-steppe landscape of central Washington, including basalt cliffs and coulees, blooming wildlflowers, sagebrush-covered hills and isolated ponds and streams. Four threatened shrub-steppe animals are highlighted.
  
  
• World Population:
  A Graphic Simulation of the History of Human Population Growth (2000)
  Time: 7 minutes/Grades: 5-12
  Developed by Population Connection (formerly Zero Population Growth), this video provides a dramatic overview of the history of global population growth. As a discussion tool, it can serve as a starting point for a closer examination of human population dynamics and their environmental and social impacts.

The following videos are available on loan through King County or Seattle public libraries:

• Woodland Park Zoo: A Family Portrait
  Time: 22 minutes/Grades: K-12
  You'll get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how zoo staff care for more than 1,300 animals every day!

• Sounds of the Earth
  Time: 22 minutes/Grades: K-12
  This program examines why some animals are in danger of becoming extinct and what Woodland Park Zoo and you can do to help save endangered species.

• The Timeless Zoo
  Time: 11 minutes/Grades: 5-12
  Take a closer look at Woodland Park Zoo: one of the best zoos in the world, a place dedicated to the dignity and preservation of animals. Begun in the 1890s as a private collection of Guy Phinney, Woodland Park Zoo has grown to become a model for exhibiting animals in naturalistic settings.

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Teaching kits are available on a loan basis and must be returned to the zoo within two weeks. All teaching kits must be picked up and dropped off at the zoo’s Seattle Rotary Education Center.

$5.00 loan fee; $10.00 replacement deposit.

• Habitats: Realm of the Tiger
  Grades: 3-12
  This teaching kit, produced by the National Geographic Society, includes two videos, student handout masters, 40 transparencies and a teacher's guide. The kit focuses on tigers, their habitats and issues concerning their survival in the wild. $8.50 loan fee. Must be picked up from the zoo.
  
  
• Amphibian Alert
  Grades: 2-5
  This teaching kit, produced by the Declining Amphibian Population Task Force and the Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, focuses on why amphibian population declines are important to scientists and communities throughout the world. The kit includes background information, three slide presentations, audio and video tapes, The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer, sample posters and reading material, classroom lesson plans and field activities.

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Teaching kits are available on a loan basis and must be returned to the zoo within two weeks. All teaching kits must be picked up and dropped off at the zoo’s Seattle Rotary Education Center.

$5.00 loan fee; $10.00 replacement deposit.

• Raptor Discovery Kits
  Grades: K-12
  Teachers participating in a SOAR program (Save Our Amazing Raptors) may also rent a Raptor or Owl Discovery Kit for two weeks. Feathers, bones, skulls, books, talons, owl pellet displays, videos and current news articles are just a few of the items you might find in one of these kits. Please visit the SOAR page on the zoo's Web site for more information or call the zoo’s Outreach registrar at 206.548.2424 to schedule a SOAR program.
  
  
• Suitcase for Survival
  Grades: 5-12
  This teaching kit, containing confiscated endangered species items obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service together with education materials prepared by World Wildlife Fund, is available for loan to middle school educators upon completion of a zoo-sponsored teacher workshop concerning international wildlife trade and its serious impact on animal survival. Consult the zoo’s educators’ newsletter, Zoo Edition, or call 206.548.2424 for dates and times of upcoming teacher workshops.

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Woodland Park Zoo offers teachers packets on a variety of subjects.   Each packet contains background information, fact sheets, activity ideas and resource information. Activities included in teacher packets help you meet the Washington State Environmental Education Mandate and Essential Academic Learning Requirements. Most activities are designed for use with students in grades K-12 and all are easily adapted to suit your needs. All packets include a one-day admission pass to give you a free opportunity to visit the zoo and to help plan class activities. The packets can be used to help you design a curriculum for use at the zoo or in your classrooms.

All teacher packets are $10.00 each and are available at the ZooStore or by calling 206.548.2500 ext. 1561.  Prices do not include postage.

• African Savanna: The central theme of this packet is the balance of nature. You and your students will examine the relationships between plants, animals and people of the east African savanna. This packet includes information about ecotourism and how people can minimize their impact on this fragile and fascinating part of the world.

• Amazing Arthropods: The group of animals classified as arthropods is the largest, most diverse group of animals in the world. It includes insects, spiders and lobsters. This packet will help you and your students explore these fascinating and vitally important animals.

• Endangered Species: This packet is designed for grades 5-12, but includes background information and a few activities useful for grades K-4. You will find current information regarding endangered species in our state and country, and throughout the world.

• Northern Trail: Life in the far north is hard. The ground is permanently frozen, the sun never shines during part of the winter, and never sets during part of the summer. How do animals and plants adapt to this environment? This packet will help you share the mysteries of Alaska with your students.

• Raptors: Birds of prey are magnificent animals that can be readily seen in both urban and rural areas. Since they are top predators, raptors provide an excellent avenue for studying a wide variety of biological concepts, such as predator-prey relationships, adaptations and the effects of human influence.

• Reptiles & Amphibians: Cold-blooded animals have developed unique physical characteristics and life cycles for survival in a variety of habitats. This packet explores the human-posed threats faced by reptile and amphibian populations throughout the world. Specific examples are provided about species in Washington state that are threatened or endangered.

• Tropical Asia: Plants, animals and people of tropical Asian forests are inextricably linked. This packet looks at interconnections that make life in the tropical rain forests of Asia possible. This packet helps students to learn about biodiversity and interdependence.

• Tropical Rain Forest: This packet presents information on the forests of the world, with an emphasis on tropical rain forests. Activities and information focus on the different layers of the forest, and the species of plants and animals that are uniquely adapted to each layer.  Also provided are ideas on how you and your students can help conserve forests.

• Washington Wildlife: Washington state contains some of the most diverse ecosystems in the nation. This packet takes a detailed look, through background information, activities and resources, at five different habitat regions: the steppe, montane, temperate forest, wetland and urban areas.

• Zoo/Wildlife Careers: Did you know that the zoo employs more than 350 people in careers from accounting to zookeeping? This packet helps teachers of all grades guide their students in explorations of zoo and other wildlife careers.

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