Can I register my child for all 10 weeks of summer camp?
Woodland Park Zoo's camp programs are structured as weekly sessions with two different curricula offered for each program (Kinder Camp, Zooper Day Camp and Discoveries Day Camp). Children are only eligible to attend one week of each curriculum that is appropriate for their age group. Depending on your child's date of birth, they may be eligible to attend more than one type of camp program during the summer, but typically the maximum is 2 weeks of summer camp.
How do I know what group my child is in?
Camp staff will direct you to your child's camp group at check-in on the first morning of camp.
Can my child be in the same group as their friend or sibling?
Camp groups are typically assigned so that all children in a group are no more than 12 months apart in age. This allows the camp instructors to tailor camp activities and learning opportunities in a way that is successful for the entire group. However, depending on the camp and time of year, groups can sometimes extend beyond the 12-month age range.
If you register a child for a camp that relies on group assignments by age, you are given an opportunity to include a grouping preference at the time of registration. If you have already registered your child and would like to submit a grouping preference, you may do so by emailing us at camps@zoo.org. Although we make every effort to honor your grouping preferences whenever possible, please understand that we can never guarantee that children will be grouped together. Unless specifically requested otherwise, we tend to place siblings in separate groups.
For privacy reasons, we are unable to give out group information about children to individuals who are not listed in the registration order or emergency contacts. However, if you have submitted a group request and we are unable to accommodate it we will make every effort to contact you prior to the start of camp.
Who will be in charge of my camper's group?
We work hard to hire fantastic staff each summer for camp. Our instructors are often college students studying natural sciences or Education or professionals in the environmental education or teaching fields. During school year camps most of our instructors are full-time educators at the zoo.
In each group we have an instructor and an assistant working with 13-14 children in Zooper Day Camp and DDC and 10-12 children in Kinder Camp. Sometimes your instructor team will be helped out by a ZooCorps volunteer. Counselors-in-training (CITs) also assist camp groups during the summer. CITs are middle school and high school students who are at least 12 years old and have previsouly attended the Zoo U camp program. CITs and ZooCorps volunteers are never soley responsible for children during camp. They serve as an extra pair of eyes and hands for the instructors and act as role models for campers.
Scroll down for links to our camp staff biographies!
Will my camper always have the same instructor?
Your child will always have the same instructor team working with your group each week (although the ZooCorps volunteers may be different each day). If your child attends Zooper Day Camp or DDC for more than one week they may experience different instructor teams each week.
Do the campers get to go behind the scenes or touch the animals?
For safety reasons, we are unable to take camp groups behind the scenes in animal units. Some years we do go to non-animal behind-the-scenes locations such as the Zoo Doo Yard or Commissary. Groups occasionally have the opportunity to come in contact with small zoo animals at the Family Farm Contact Area or Animal Encounter stations around the zoo.
Why is the t-shirt that color?
Every two years we change the camp t-shirt colors. Our purpose is to choose a color that is bright and easy to pick out in a crowd.
Does my child have to wear the camp t-shirt?
All Zooper Day Camp, Kinder Camp and Discoveries Day Camp campers and staff are required to wear official camp t-shirts every day during summer camp programs. This allows us to recognize campers easily when we are out on grounds with the throngs of summer visitors. Each child automatically receives one camp t-shirt for each week they are registered to attend camp. If your child is registered for multiple camp weeks, all of their t-shirts will be issued on the first day of the first week they attend camp.
If a camper does not come to camp with their t-shirt any day during camp, you can either retrieve it from home or you will need to purchase a new one for $5.00. Due to health guidelines, we cannot loan children t-shirts.
Who will be at zoo camp?
There are four different camps running each week during the summer. Kinder Camp for 3-5 year olds, Discoveries Day Camp (a cooperative program between Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Children's Theatre) for 5-7 year olds, Zooper Day Camp for 4-9 year olds and Zoo U for 10-14 year olds. Campers come from all over the state and country - even overseas!
What is the zoo's EIN/Tax ID number?
For your tax forms and other childcare deductible paperwork, the zoo's EIN/Tax ID number is 91-6070005.