City Zoos Education

School Programs

Pre-school children learn about the wonders of wildlife through programs such as Colorful Creatures, which combines storytelling, movement, and live animal contact to teach children about animals and the colors they wear. Programs for older students include Trekking the Tropics, an expedition to the tropics in the heart of New York City, and Polar Expedition, in which students discover what it takes to survive the harsh conditions of the poles.

Central Park Zoo Wildlife Theater Players ©WCS/S.Bolduc

Wildlife Theater: From the Zoo to the School
The Wildlife Theater Players are available for at-school performances throughout the greater New York region. Our fun, engaging productions highlight key issues and principles of wildlife conservation. Through music, drama, puppetry, and audience participation, we invite your students to explore their environment and learn how they can make a positive impact on the world around them. They’ll embark on a journey to the tropics, an expedition to the Antarctic, or unravel the mystery of a marsh, without ever leaving school grounds!

Two sets of programs include an auditorium series for up to 300 students in kindergarten through fifth grades, as well as a classroom series for groups of 30 or fewer students in pre-K through first grade. For more information on how you can bring Youcan the Toucan, Captain Cocoa, or a nine-foot-tall heron puppet to your school, click here.  A list of shows and their target audiences will help you decide which performance is right for your students.

For more information, please call 212-439-6540 or email us at asaltz@wcs.org.

Family and General Audience Programs
Close Encounters of the Critter Kind is an introductory program for toddlers in which children and parents can explore the sense of touch through up-close encounters with live animals. Programs for older children include Snooze at the Zoo: Rain Forest Retreat, an exciting parent-child adventure at the zoo's own rain forest. Participants meet tropical animals and enjoy a special Wildlife Theater performance.

Programs at the Zoo

Prospect Park Zoo Discovery Center ©WCS

Calling all aspiring veterinarians, scientists, and young naturalists! At the Prospect Park Zoo’s new interactive Discovery Center, we’re looking for volunteer vets to examine our animal puppets, and field detectives to help trace clues about wildlife. Open from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. every weekend, the Discovery Center is made up of various learning stations where children can hone their science skills with the same tools that the experts use. Visitors can peer through a microscope lens, try on a pair of butterfly wings, and explore the zoo’s living laboratory. Featured stations include Zoo Vet Center, Amazing Arthropods, Young Naturalist, and The Scoop on Poop.

The Discovery Center is also open by reservation to groups during the week. All visits include a live animal encounter and a 30-minute exploration of the center. Spaces are limited, so register in advance. Call 718-399-7327 or email ppzeducation@wcs.org for more information or to make a reservation.

For more weekend entertainment at the zoo, don’t miss our live animal encounters, held in the theater at 12:00, 12:30, 2:30, and 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Rotating animal guests who enjoy the spotlight include a ball python, chinchilla, blue-tongued skink, rooster, rabbit, tarantula, ferret, mud turtle, Egyptian tortoise, and tomato frog.

Wildlife Theater
The Prospect Park Zoo’s Wildlife Theater shows take place on our stage located near the barn. A variety of free performances highlight the wonder of wildlife, the ecology of wild places both near our homes and around the world, and the importance of conservation efforts. Programs work to foster emotional empathy and a sense of personal responsibility for the natural world through movement, song, puppetry, and humor.

The 2006 Wildlife Theater season will begin on May 5.

Interactive Tours for Schools and Groups
Get more out of your trip to the Prospect Park Zoo! Call in advance to book a free interactive tour. Our staff will tailor your tour to meet your interests or complement your curriculum. There are a limited number of free tours that can encompass highlights of the entire zoo or focus on an area of particular interest to your group. To participate in these programs, please book at least two months in advance. To register for a free tour, call 718-399-7327 or email ppzeducation@wcs.org.

Self-Guided Tours
The Prospect Park Zoo has developed three different self-guided tour packets that highlight various areas of the zoo. These packets include pre- and post-visit activities, a list of vocabulary words, and a take-to-the-zoo sheet for children in grades K–2 and 3–8. These tour packets are free. Please email ppzeducation@wcs.org to obtain your packet today! Please note that if your group would like to visit the zoo without a tour, you do not need to book in advance. The Prospect Park Zoo opens every day at 10:00 a.m.

Click here for the Animal Habitats Self Guided Tour Packet.

Community Programs

Let the zoo come to you! Inspire your children with a free visit from the Prospect Park Zoo Outreach Program. Through creative and interactive activities, our staff brings elements of the zoo straight to you and your community. Combining storytelling with art and examination of animal specimens, our programs introduce children to key concepts of wildlife and the natural world. Program sites range from HeadStart centers and libraries to local parks and street fairs.

Brooklyn Public Library Animal Tales
Visit the following branches on these days and participate in our Animal Tales program. Participating children are invited to listen to a couple great books, touch animal biofacts, and enjoy a craft-making activity. All programs are FREE.

• Crown Heights
  Dates: March 7, 14, 21, & 28; April 4, 11, 18, & 25, 2006
  Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m.
• Central
  Dates: March 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29 April 5, 12, & 19 2006
  Time: 3:30–4:30 p.m.
• Windsor Terrace
  Dates: May 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30 June 6, 13, & 20, 2006 
  Time: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Program demand is high, so register soon. For more information or to register, contact Audrey Lucas at 718-399-7326 or at alucas@wcs.org.

Click here to view the Outreach Program brochure.

Prospect Park Zoo Volunteers

Discovery Guides
Are you a teen interested in wildlife? Then consider becoming a Prospect Park Zoo Discovery Guide! Teen volunteers help to maintain a friendly atmosphere for zoo visitors by staffing exhibit areas, assisting with special events, and talking to the public. Zoo internships can satisfy school community service hours, be applied toward school credit (check with your school), provide an introduction to careers in the animal field, or be a satisfying part of a summer vacation.

Applicants must be at least 15 years old, have a strong interest in wildlife and conservation, and have completed a highschool-level biology, wildlife, or environmental science course. Summer applicants are advised to apply well in advance, as the program is quite competitive. Contact Debbie Dieneman at 718-399-7324 or email ddieneman@wcs.org.

Discovery Guide Application

Education Docents
Prospect Park Zoo is looking for dedicated volunteers who are willing to become Zoo Docents. As a volunteer educator, your level of commitment to the zoo is much greater than that of a seasonal volunteer. Those who are accepted into the program will attend weekly training sessions for approximately four months. Session topics will include conservation, biology, and informal learning. Once you have successfully completed training, you’ll be ready to give tours, manage discovery stations throughout the zoo, and help with special events. Applicants with backgrounds in science and/or education are encouraged to apply, but those with an interest in animals are needed as well. If you would like to begin volunteering before docent training begins in order to get a feel of the place and become familiar with our animals and staff, please let us know. Contact Karen Tingley at 718-399-7322 or ktingley@wcs.org.

Zoo Docent Application

Programs at the Zoo

Queens Zoo Wildlife Theater ©WCS/S.Bolduc

The Queens Zoo is offering exciting opportunities to learn about wildlife and wild places through its brand new theater program. Visit the domestic area from June through Labor Day to see one of several shows offered daily.

In our engaging performances, Wildlife Theater Players encourage children to waddle like a duck and jump like a frog in Shape, Waddle and Grow; help Mr. Dredge discover an important treasure for all in The Great Treasure Hunt; and learn about a royal tunneling animal with a key job in King of the Prairie.

Don’t forget to look for wildlife enthusiasts Pete Bog or Lily Marsh at the marsh exhibit during your visit!

Call 718-271-7361 for more information.

Guided Tours
Enjoy a guided tour by one of our expert zoo educators. The Education Department offers engaging, interactive tours for all children’s groups and schools. Dance or dabble, squawk and cackle.  Learn about animal adaptations, and how your favorite critters move or talk. Choose a pre-designed tour or ask us to create a tour that fits your needs.

We also offer tours for adults and seniors. Learn about animals, zoo exhibits, and local wildlife, and discover how zookeepers collaborate with WCS field scientists around the world to help care for the animals right here in the Queens Zoo.

Tours are free with the price of admission but must be scheduled in advance, call the Registrar at 718-271-7361.

Community Outreach Programs
The Education Department now is offering free community outreach programs, serving all ages, in public libraries, after-school programs, community or senior centers, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, YM or YWCAs and childcare centers located in the borough of Queens.

If you work with a local organization and would like to book a program or for more information on additional offerings that can be tailored for your group, contact Lauraine Merlini, Outreach Program Coordinator, at lmerlini@wcs.org or 718-271-1500 x135. 

Queens Zoo Volunteers
Embark on an unforgettable educational adventure by volunteering at the Queens Zoo. The Queens Zoo Education Department provides conservation education to a wide range of people from New York City and Long Island.

Click here to become a Volunteer.