Posted by Leigh in Classes/Programs,Fun on grounds
Do you want to be a wildlife biologist for a day? The Houston Zoo Toad Trackers class is for you!
The Houston Zoo would like to offer a special opportunity for Houston Home School families to take part in a one of a kind wildlife conservation education program called Toad Trackers. This exciting program was made possible by a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife, Community Outdoor Outreach Program. This program aims to teach students real world field research methods used by conservation biologists and wildlife professionals. Through the course of the class, students will be introduced to the equipment a field biologist would use in their research and some of the methods used in the scientific study of wild animal populations. Students will also learn about global amphibian extinctions and why monitoring local amphibian populations are important to detecting declines in our own region.
In the second part of the class, students will be able to apply their newly acquired skills by actively searching for real toads on Zoo grounds and weighing and measuring them under the supervision of Houston Zoo biologists!
This important information collected by students will help Houston Zoo amphibian biologists to track the toad’s movement and health on Zoo grounds!
This is a two part class, the first class is on Monday, May 24th from 1-3 pm and Wednesday, May 26, from 8-10 pm. Space is limited.
Check out the website for more information and to register!
Posted by Leigh in Classes/Programs
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!