HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES
Self-guided field trips are available to any group visiting for an educational purpose.
Scroll down for homeschool resources and registration for Homeschool Days.
YEAR-ROUND FIELD TRIPS
Scheduling Your Field Trip
Woodland Park Zoo would like to welcome Homeschool Groups year-round to use our facility as a learning destination. By registering three weeks in advance, homeschool groups can qualify for the reduced admission education rate.
Please see our Field Trips page for a step-by-step guide for booking and preparing for your visit.
HOMESCHOOL DAYS
Homeschool Days 2023-2024
Wednesday, October 4, 2023 and Friday, October 20, 2023
This year’s version is scaled back just enough to ensure homeschooling families like yours have equitable access to the resources available to traditional schools, but without a specific theme that may not fit into your curriculum. Though the zoo will be open to the public, we are closing school field trip registrations so you will have an easier time navigating the animal spaces, making this a more personal experience.
Cost
You’ll pay the education admission rate, without needing to worry about the qualifying chaperone-to-student ratio—and scholarships are available if needed. You will also have the opportunity to participate in an Up CLOSE animal program, which usually only travel to school sites.
Please contact schools@zoo.org, with any questions or requests.
Registration Process
Step One
Pick a date to visit
- Wednesday, October 4, 2023
- Friday, October 20, 2023
Included with your zoo ticket
- Access to the zoo from open to close
- A visit date free from school field trips
- Docent Carts available throughout the zoo
Step Two
Optional Paid Experience
Cost is $5.00 per person. Experience information can be found below.
UpCLOSE Creature Feature
October 4 & October 20, 2023 at 10:15 a.m.
UpCLOSE Animal Body Coverings
October 4, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.
UpCLOSE Care for Animals
October 20, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.
Animal Populations: Conservation Biology Hands-On
October 20, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.
Step Three
Register Online
Cost: Discounted Education Rate Zoo Admission Ticket
$10.50 per person (Children ages 2 and below receive free admission)
Students must be chaperoned at all times. Chaperones must also purchase a ticket.
Register
Explore other opportunities & plan your day:
Discovery Den
Today at the Zoo
Map
Accessibility Information
NOTES:
Fridays are Sensory Friendly Fridays in Zoomazium. Find out more about that here!
Contact Us
For additional questions or assistance, please contact the registration office at schools@zoo.org.
Experiences
Optional Paid Homeschool Day Experiences
$5.00 per person (caregivers must accompany students)
Creature Feature
October 4 & October 20, 2023 at 10:15 a.m.
Stories about animals speak to the minds and hearts of young children in a way nothing else can. Students ages 2 through 6 and their caregivers will learn simple science facts and build empathy toward animals through early childhood best practices such as movement, pretend play, and storytelling. Children will also get to meet and touch a real Ambassador Animal who was a character in the puppet story!
The story of the day will be chosen based on which Ambassador Animal is ready to meet guests that day. Neither the story or the ambassador animal will be known until right before the program.
Some of our story themes include what foods different animals eat, which animals hatch from eggs and which don’t, and how animals’ move their bodies, etc.
Animal Body Coverings
October 4, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.
Why do animals look different from one another? How do those differences help them survive? We’ll learn about animal adaptations through some of their most visible characteristics. This auditorium program includes an Ambassador Animal guest, but is a no touch opportunity.
Topics covered include:
- Mammal and bird adaptations and the many uses of hair, fur, and feathers
- Animals with exoskeletons and how these specialized body coverings help them survive and thrive
- How reptilian scales provide protection in harsh and not-so-harsh environments
Care for Animals
October 20, 2023 at 11:15 a.m.
Providing care for all the animals at the zoo is a huge and complex task, and it takes a dedicated team of professionals. But animals who need our help are all around us. From our household pets to the wild animals who share our world. Come learn about how we care for animals at the zoo, and how we can help improve the lives of animals everywhere. This auditorium program includes an Ambassador Animal guest, but is a no touch opportunity.
Topics covered include:
- How we meet the physical and mental needs of the animals in our care at the zoo
- Zoo-care lessons we can all take home to enrich the lives of our pets
- What people can do to make sure wildlife can coexist with us in the habitats we both need
Animal Populations: Conservation Biology Activity
October 20, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.
Participate in a hands-on activity that explores how a biologist studies wild populations and how they determine approximate numbers of individuals within that population. Created for ages 11 - 17 years old.
Topics covered include:
- Techniques that biologists use to learn what kind of animals or plants exist in an area
- What do scientists mean when they say an animal or plant population and the math involved in these types of investigations
- Why understanding population numbers is important to conservation and how we use this information in zoo populations too!
Classroom Resources
Discovery Den
Connect your class to the Zoo before, during, and after your field trip using Discovery Den. A free, continually-updating resource library by educators, for educators.
On Discovery Den, you'll find resources such as:
- Standards-aligned lesson plans
- Authentic data sets
- Printable activity sheets
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Curriculum connections to field trips... and more!
Access Discovery Den
cancelation POLICy
Modification or Cancelation of Homeschool Day Registrations
- For a full refund, cancelations must be made no later than the day before the event.
- Registration modifications can be made as long as capacity is available in the program requested. Modifications must be made prior to the day of the event.
- Please email schools@zoo.org, to make any cancelation or modification requests.