Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by: Caitlin Potter and Stacey Hammond, Education If you visited the zoo during July, you may have seen a group of enthusiastic, orange-t-shirt wearing learners writing in their nature journals at the maned wolves exhibit, designing a scavenger hunt along the Northern Trail, typing away on computers at the building across from Bug World, observing the birds in the Tropical Rain Forest Dome, or reading about animals as they snuggled up in the den on the Discovery Loop. ZooCrew students practice reading and writing at the zoo. For five weeks this summer, twelve 6th and 7th grade students from Asa Mercer, Washington and Denny Middle Schools explored ecosystems, watersheds and science careers through the ZooCrew Summer Learning Program , Woodland Park Zoo’s middle school outreach program. The ZooCrew Summer Learning Program is a free program in which students participate in nature explorations and science investigations, meet and work with STEM professionals, produce and sh

Posted by: Eli Weiss, Education Originally published July 24, 2015 on Raikes Foundation blog Summer is here and at Woodland Park Zoo our youth programs are in full swing. On our 92 acre grounds and beyond, middle and high school students find a place to learn and grow outside of the classroom, through participation in the ZooCrew and ZooCorps programs. We provide youth an opportunity to make real life connections to science, develop communication and job skills and explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and conservation careers. Each year 300+ middle- and high-school-aged youth are engaged in free out-of-school time and summer programs, which are rooted in youth development best practices. In 2014, with support from the City of Seattle Families and Education Levy, we piloted the ZooCrew Summer Learning Experience, a new, five-week hands-on STEM program for middle school students that takes on summer learning loss with a fresh new approach. What makes our progr

Posted by: Stacey Hammond, Education The ZooCrew after school program season has come to a close. This past quarter, the students studied the Asian tropical rain forest. They learned about deforestation and how the palm oil and lumber industries impact animals across the globe. After learning about the issues, the students took action to help animals by working on various projects. WildSense One of the projects was contributing to a citizen science initiative called WildSense. Students helped record and document global tiger populations by going through tourist photos and camera trap images and classifying tigers in them. The students started off by first identifying if the photo had a tiger in it. Next, the students recorded the number of tigers in the photo, the weather conditions, the tiger’s general location, behavior, etc. After classifying over 100 images, ZooCrew students gave their feedback and suggestions to the developers in the hopes of improving the user experien

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor Bears, we dedicate this week to you! Photo by John Loughlin/Woodland Park Zoo. It’s Bear Awareness Week in Washington, proclaimed by Governor Jay Inslee, and it’s all leading up to Bear Affair: Living Northwest Conservation Day presented by Brown Bear Car Wash, Sat., June 6. At Bear Affair, grizzly bear brothers Keema and Denali will demonstrate exactly what happens in your backyard or campsite when a picnic isn’t stored properly—and you’ll get tips on how to bear-proof your next outdoor adventure! Photo by Mat Hayward/Woodland Park Zoo. Bear Affair puts the spotlight on bears, wolves, raptors and other Pacific Northwest wildlife—the focus of Woodland Park Zoo's Living Northwest conservation program  and the personalities behind our newest quiz: Which Northwest Animal Are You? Practice carnivore awareness by learning what these animals need to survive in the wild, how to help keep them safe and what humans can do to peacef

Posted by: Jessie Maxwell, Education Greetings from the desk of the Alpha Dog!  We are almost finished with camp preparations since summer camp is—if you can believe it—only weeks away! I can’t wait to see all of the new and familiar faces arrive through our doors! One of our most popular camps is Kinder Camp, designed for campers aged 3-5. Together, the camp staff and the children explore either the north or the south end of the zoo and use games, exploration and play to discover zoology and school-readiness around every corner! Kinder campers using their feet like mountain goats!  Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo, 2014. Woodland Park Zoo’s summer camps are curricular-based, and Kinder Camp is no exception. Our highly trained staff is supplied with a compilation of activities, songs, games and crafts designed to achieve specific objectives outlined. Each day not only has science content objectives, but also social and emotional growth, gross and fine motor skills, and

Posted by: Stacey Hammond, Education This past winter, ZooCrew students learned about the conservation issues that face the Northwest and designed projects to address those issues. All of these projects highlighted how climate change is affecting animals. From bats to birds to wolverines and wolves, check out some of the projects from the Mercer, Denny, and Washington Middle School ZooCrew students below. Bat Houses Students from all three schools made bat houses, which will be hung up on zoo grounds. Bats are an important part of a healthy ecosystem. Unfortunately, due to habitat loss, bat populations have decreased. By building bat houses, the students are helping create safe homes for bats. Denny Middle School students. Mercer Middle School students. Mercer Middle School students. Mercer Middle School students. Washington Middle School students. Backyard Bird Counts Another project highlighted bird conservation. Students observed birds in t

Posted by: Jessie Maxwell, Education Can you be a snake? 2014. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. You can feel it in the air—it’s that time of year again: the hustle, the bustle, the warm temperatures. Before you know it, the kiddos will be out of school and it will be summertime! Campers enjoy an up-close raptor program at the zoo. 2012. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Too soon, you might think? Not in my world; that’s why I have one of the best jobs at the zoo! I manage Woodland Park Zoo’s summer camp program . To campers, I’m known as the “Alpha Dog,” so for me summer is always near! Can you be the canopy of a rain forest? 2014.  Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo. Summer camp at the zoo is a wonderful blend of learning and fun as campers (ages 3-14) explore the zoo with their peers and teachers for a week at a time. Through imaginative play, games, activities and crafts our camp instructors weave together zoology content, wildlife conservation and