Explore and experience the wonders of the wild. Learn how animals survive, what makes each one distinct and different, how they behave and more.

Take a look at the range of onsite activity programs for groups of all ages at Discovery Tours.

PreSchool/Kindergarten Programs

• Program Length: 1.5 hours
• Fee: $5 per person
• Program held at the zoo

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 6.3.A. Senses help humans and other organisms detect internal and external cues.
  Level: Essential

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 7.1.A. The offspring of some plants and animals resemble the parents
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.B. The offspring of some plants and animals do not resemble the parents. Similarities between parents and their offspring become more apparent as their life cycle continues.
  Level: Essential

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 1.1.A. Understand that: Scientific investigations, whether conducted by students or scientists, involve asking a question about the natural world. Be able to: Generate questions and predictions using observations and exploration about the natural world.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.A. Plants and animals are similar to and different from each other in observable structures and behavior. These characteristics distinguish them from each other and from nonliving things.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 7.2.A. Many different kinds of plants and animals live throughout the world. These plants and animals can be grouped according to the characteristics they share.
  Level: Compact

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 1.3.B. Much has been learned about the natural world but there is still much to understand.
  Level: Compact
• 6.1.C. In animals the skeletal-muscular system provides structure, support and enables movement.
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.C. All plants and animals go through a life cycle of birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. This cycle is predictable and describable, but differs from organism to organism.
  Level: Essential
• 7.2.A. Many different kinds of plants and animals live throughout the world. These plants and animals can be grouped according to the characteristics they share.
  Level: Compact
• 8.1.A. Interconnectedness exists among the living and nonliving parts of an environment. This interconnectedness can be observed by the changes made by plants and animals in their environment.
  Level: Important

Grades 1-6

• Program Length: 2 hours
• Fee: $6 per person
• Program held at the zoo

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed: Associated Units: Organisms (1st grade)

• 6.1.A. Plants and animals are similar to and different from each other in observable structures and behavior. These characteristics distinguish them from each other and from nonliving things.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.A. Plants and animals are living things. All living things have basic needs for survival including air water, food (nutrients), space, shelter, and light.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.A. The offspring of some plants and animals resemble the parents
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.B. The offspring of some plants and animals do not resemble the parents. Similarities between parents and their offspring become more apparent as their life cycle continues.
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.C. All plants and animals go through a life cycle of birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. This cycle is predictable and describable, but differs from organism to organism.
  Level: Essential
• 8.1.A. An interconnectedness exists among the living and nonliving parts of an environment. This interconnectedness can be observed by the changes made by plants and animals in their environment.
  Level: Important
• 8.1.B. Plants and animals need enough space and resources to survive. Overcrowding leads to an increased need for resources.
  Level: Important
• 8.2.A. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that have eaten plants.
  Level: Important
• 8.3.A. Many natural resources are limited. The amount available can be made to last longer by decreasing the use of some resources or by reusing or recycling certain materials.
  Level: Important

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 6.1.C. In animals the skeletal-muscular system provides structure, support and enables movement.
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.C. All plants and animals go through a life cycle of birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. This cycle is predictable and describable, but differs from organism to organism.
  Level: Essential
• 7.2.A. Many different kinds of plants and animals live throughout the world. These plants and animals can be grouped according to the characteristics they share.
  Level: Compact
• 8.1.A. An interconnectedness exists among the living and nonliving parts of an environment. This interconnectedness can be observed by the changes made by plants and animals in their environment.
  Level: Important

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 1.1.A. Understand that: Scientific investigations, whether conducted by students or scientists, involve asking a question about the natural world. Be able to: Generate questions and predictions using observations and exploration about the natural world.
  Level: Essential
• 5.2.A. Weather influences plants, animals and human activity.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.A. Plants and animals are similar to and different from each other in observable structures and behavior. These characteristics distinguish them from each other and from nonliving things.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.C. In animals the skeletal-muscular system provides structure, support and enables movement.
  Level: Essential
• 7.2.A. Many different kinds of plants and animals live throughout the world. These plants and animals can be grouped according to the characteristics they share.
  Level: Compact
• 7.3.A. People use the variety of plants and animals found throughout the world for food, clothing, and shelter (e.g. silk for clothing, wood for building shelters.)
  Level: Compact
• 8.1.A. An interconnectedness exists among the living and nonliving parts of an environment. This interconnectedness can be observed by the changes made by plants and animals in their environment.
  Level: Important
• 8.2.A. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that have eaten plants.
  Level: Important
• 8.3.A. Many natural resources are limited. The amount available can be made to last longer by decreasing the use of some resources or by reusing or recycling certain materials.
  Level: Essential

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 1.1.A. Understand that: Scientific investigations, whether conducted by students or scientists, involve asking a question about the natural world. Be able to: Generate questions and predictions using observations and exploration about the natural world.
  Level: Essential
• 5.2.A. Weather influences plants, animals and human activity.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.A. Plants and animals are similar to and different from each other in observable structures and behavior. These characteristics distinguish them from each other and from nonliving things.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.C. In animals the skeletal-muscular system provides structure, support and enables movement.
  Level: Essential
• 7.2.A. Many different kinds of plants and animals live throughout the world. These plants and animals can be grouped according to the characteristics they share.
  Level: Compact

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 3.1.A. The Sun is a source of energy that lights and warms the Earth.
  Level: Essential
• 3.1.C. Heat energy is a form of energy that makes things warmer.
  Level: Important
• 4.1.A. The shape of the Earth is similar to a sphere.
  Level: Compact
• 5.2.A. Weather influences plants, animals and human activity.
  Level: Essential
• 5.2.C. Water from rain, lakes, and underground, is needed by plants, animals and people for their everyday activities.
  Level: Compact
• 6.1.A. Plants and animals are similar to and different from each other in observable structures and behavior. These characteristics distinguish them from each other and from nonliving things.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.C. In animals the skeletal-muscular system provides structure, support and enables movement.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.A. Plants and animals are living things. All living things have basic needs for survival including air water, food (nutrients), space, shelter, and light.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 8.1.A. An interconnectedness exists among the living and nonliving parts of an environment. This interconnectedness can be observed by the changes made by plants and animals in their environment.
  Level: Important
• 8.1.B. Plants and animals need enough space and resources to survive. Overcrowding leads to an increased need for resources.
  Level: Important
• 8.2.A. All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that have eaten plants.
  Level: Important
• 8.3.A. Many natural resources are limited. The amount available can be made to last longer by decreasing the use of some resources or by reusing or recycling certain materials.
  Level: Essential

4-5 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 3.1.E. Heat energy raises the objects temperature or changes the state of the object (i.e., solid to liquid, liquid to gas).
  Level: Important
• 3.4.A. The production of most of the energy that we use in our daily lives comes from energy stored in natural resources. The quantity of these resources is limited, so it is important to conserve our natural resources by using them wisely.
  Level: Compact
• 6.1.A. Structures that function for similar purposes in living things may have different appearances.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.C. Organisms can be grouped based on similarities and differences in their structures and functions. These may include characteristics such as appendages, roots and leaves of plants, or the presence or lack of a backbone.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.A. Plants need the Sun's energy to grow and survive.
  Level: Essential
• 8.1.A. People depend on living and nonliving resources to satisfy their need for food, shelter, and fuel.
  Level: Compact
• 8.1.B. All living organisms interact with the living and nonliving parts of their surroundings to meet their needs for survival. These interactions lead to a constant exchange of matter.
  Level: Essential
• 8.1.D. Changes in an organism's environment may be either beneficial or harmful. Organisms may be affected by other organisms, by various physical factors (e.g., rainfall, temperature), by physical forces (e.g., storms, earthquakes), and by daily, seasonal, and annual cycles.
  Level: Compact
• 8.1.E. In order to survive, populations within an ecosystem require a balance of resources.
  Level: Important
• 8.3.A. Human activities may cause pollution of air, water and soil.
  Level: Important
• 8.3.B. Different technologies are used to access resources to meet human wants and needs. In many cases the environment is affected and resources become limited. Some activities may include burning of fossil fuels, logging, building of highways, shopping centers, and dams, introduction of one species to control another species, spraying of insects, as well as some aspects of farming.
  Level: Important

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 6.1.A. Plants and animals are similar to and different from each other in observable structures and behavior. These characteristics distinguish them from each other and from nonliving things.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.B. Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.C. In animals the skeletal-muscular system provides structure, support and enables movement.
  Level: Essential
• 6.3.A. Senses help humans and other organisms detect internal and external cues.
  Level: Essential
• 6.3.B. The brain receives signals from parts of the body via the senses. In response, the brain sends signals to parts of the body to influence reactions.
  Level: Essential
• 7.1.C. All plants and animals go through a life cycle of birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death. This cycle is predictable and describable, but differs from organism to organism.
  Level: Essential

4-5 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 6.1.A. Structures that function for similar purposes in living things may have different appearances.
  Level: Essential
• 6.1.C. Organisms can be grouped based on similarities and differences in their structures and functions.
  Level: Essential

K-3 Cluster Standards Addressed:

• 1.3.A. People from all parts of the world practice science and make many important scientific contributions.
  Level: Compact
• 1.3.B. Much has been learned about the natural world but there is still much to understand.
  Level: Compact
• 6.2.A. Plants and animals are living things. All living things have basic needs for survival including air water, food (nutrients), space, shelter, and light.
  Level: Essential
• 6.2.B. In addition to basic needs for survival, living things have needs specific to the organisms such as temperature range and food requirements.
  Level: Essential
• 6.4.C. The ability of an organism to meet its needs for survival is dependent upon its environment. Manipulation of the environment can positively or negatively affect the well being of various organisms that live there.
  Le