Zoomobile Topics
ASSEMBLY
Our assemblies are designed for a maximum audience size of 300 people, last approximately 45 minutes, and typically include 4-5 species of animals.
All Things Connected
Using a variety of animals, props, and activities, the Zoomobile naturalist leads students through a process of discovery to recognize the relationships that connect all life on earth. This program can be adapted to serve any grade level.
Tropical Rain Forest
Featuring a unique array of animals and props, the Zoomobile naturalist will bring to life tropical rain forest issues right in your school. This program will enhance and reinforce any school's unit on the tropics and can be adapted to serve any grade level.
Cool Animals of the North
This program uses a variety of animals native to our state and will educate the students about ecological concepts unique to Minnesota while instilling a sense of environmental stewardship towards the global ecosystem. This program can be adapted to serve any grade level.
Seminar Program
Zoomobile seminars are designed for a classroom setting (30 students maximum). Seminar programs are more hands on, informal, and in-depth. Seminar programs may include power point presentations, sound, animals, plants, props, and individual participation. Program duration is 45 minutes.
Critter Clothes
Preschool-2nd
Do animals wear hats, mittens, or bike helmets??? Of course not, their clothes are part of their bodies. In this seminar, we will meet some exciting animals and investigate the different types of coverings they have, and how those "clothes" help the animals survive.
Animals in Motion
Preschool-2nd
Ever wondered how snakes move without any limbs or why a millipede doesn't trip over all those legs? This seminar will answer all kinds of questions about how different animals move. After you meet some live animals and see the ways they move, it will be your turn. You'll put on your imaginary wings, scales, paws, and tails so you can move like the animals do!
Tropical Forests
1st Grade - 8th Grade
Where are the tropical forests? Why are they so important and worth saving? What can we do to help? We explore these and other issues by "building" the layers of a forest in your classroom. We'll look at animals that live on the forest floor like the Hissing Cockroach and ones that live high above in the canopy layer like the Amazon Parrot. You'll discover how they can't live with out each other and we can't live without them, or the wonderful forests that they inhabit.
Winter Animals
Preschool - 3rd Grade
This program begins with a brief puppet show in which the students discover how different kinds of animals survive long, cold winters. After the show, we put away the puppets and bring out the real thing! The kids will have a chance to share what they learned from the puppets and add to that knowledge by meeting live animals, as well as through discussion and question and answer time.
4th Grade - 6th Grade
For this age group, our build-a-beaver activity takes the place of the puppet show, and the naturalist will lead a more in-depth discussion of winter survival.
Minnesota Seminar
3rd Grade -8th Grade
This seminar focuses on Minnesota and the plants and animals that make it an incredible place to live. Our state is made up of several types of biomes, each supporting different kinds of plants and animals. In this program, students will meet some Minnesota animals up close, and discuss which biome each inhabits and why. Students will have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of, and sense of appreciation for their state and the life within it.
Endangered Species
5th Grade - High School
What does it mean for an animal to be endangered? How does an animal become endangered? Why should we care? What can we do to help? These are a few of the questions that are raised during our endangered species seminar. Students will meet some real, live endangered species as well as look at some very unique endangered species bio-facts. This program usually sparks plenty of questions, discussion, and even debate.
Birds, Bugs, Mammals or Reptiles
3rd Grade and up
What makes each of these animal groups unique? You can choose one of these topics and we'll go in-depth to discover some of the identifying characteristics of that particular group of species. Each seminar includes live animals, biological artifacts, and opportunities for students to ask questions.
Animal Tales
Preschool - 4th Grade
The only thing kids love more than stories are animals. Put the two together and you've got a real hit! Students will experience a couple of stories, investigate the moral of each, and meet two or three animals from the tales.
Wetlands
3rd Grade - 8th Grade
Sometimes when we hear the word wetland, we just think of swamps. But, wetlands have great diversity and many functions that serve nature, including people. In this seminar, students learn just what makes a wetland a wetland and what jobs those wetlands do to keep an area healthy and thriving.
Custom Seminar
Can't find the topic you were hoping for? Have a special unit you're working on and want us to help bring to life? We can create a seminar specifically for you. There is no limit to our naturalists' imaginations! But, we are sometimes limited by the zoomobile animal collection.
