Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Yesterday I taught the first of this year’s home school classes at the zoo. This year we are studying Mysteries of the Natural World. This week’s class is Mysteries of the Jungle, which deals with rainforests and the animals that call them home. We fed hissing cockroaches, looked at tropical birds, and sorted out rainforest animals by their jobs.
According to the Texas Home School Coalition, there are an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 home schooling families in Texas. We already provide a myriad of programs for public and private schools, including field trips and ZooMobiles. So last year we began offering home school programs, as well. Our second annual Home School Day was a success, even with dismal weather, and the first class yesterday went very well.
We split the class into two sections, so that we could have smaller class sizes without restricting the number of participants. There were six kids in my section. I was pleased that even with a variety of ages, two siblings, and a few kids who knew each other, they worked together well and became a cohesive group during class. I was especially impressed with the three girls in my group; during our sorting activity, the two older girls made it a point to include the youngest, and she contributed quite a bit to their team.
The same class is offered three times, on Tuesday, Thursday, and the following Wednesday, so I get to teach Mysteries of the Jungle twice more. I hope my other groups are as interested and attentive as this one!
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