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Zoomobile

Bring the zoo to you!

Zoomobile programs bring live animals into your facility! These fun and educational programs can visit classrooms, libraries, senior centers or living facilities, scout meetings, or anywhere that would like to experience the wonders of nature first hand.

 

Zoomobile programs are currently suspended for the safety of our staff and animals during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Program Types:

Animal Presentation

The classic Zoomobile program! Whether you are a school, preschool, daycare, senior living center, library, or any facility that wants animal visitors, this is the program for you. This is a 45-60 minute long presentation featuring visits from three of our live Animal Ambassadors. Choose from a program topic below to focus the discussion on a particular animal theme, many of which help meet Next Generation Science Standard Benchmarks.

 

Fair and Festivals (Booth Style)

If you are planning a large scale event, where visitors will be coming and going frequently or freely moving around an exhibition space, this is the program for you! This program will bring 1 live animal for each hour you book, up to three hours. This is casual meet and greet style is always a hit with visitors! Plus, we will bring a table display of animal artifacts to make our space all the more wild.

Cost

Fees are due on the day of the Zoomobile program.

 

First Program: $250.00

 

Additional Programs: $100.00,
for up to three total programs in one day with up to a 60 minute break between programs

Mileage Fees

Based on driving distance from Binder Park Zoo to your facility

< 20 miles: $0

20-40 miles: $30

41-60 miles: $50

61-80 miles: $70

81-100 miles: $90

101-120 miles: $110

Program Policies

• The maximum capacity for a single program is 150 participants. (Not including Booth style)

• A maximum of three programs, or three hours for Booth style, may be run per day with the same animal ambassadors.

• All programs must be inside a secure building with doors and windows that can be closed. Certain exceptions can be made for outdoor programs, e-mail aross@binderparkzoo.org for details concerning outdoor venues.

• No food may be present in the room during the program.

• Due to the dynamic nature of live animal ambassadors, specific animals cannot be guaranteed for any program.

• Programs cannot travel to private residences.

Program Topics

Summer Library Reading Program

2020 Theme: Imagine Your Story

This specially designed program is for libraries participating in the statewide Summer Reading program with the theme Imagine Your Story. The Zoomobile will bring animals related to myths and legends and compare fantasy animals to those we might find at the zoo or in the wild!

Seasonal Programs

Winter- Discover all the interesting and varied ways animals survive the cold weather. With the help of animal artifacts, see what special adaptations and behaviors animals have developed to outlast the winter.

Spring- When spring is in the air, animals are mating and having young. This seasonal topic is a great way to melt away the winter blues. Discover how animals protect and raise their young in the harsh wilds and why spring is the ideal season for rearing young. 

Fall- Colors abound as trees and seasons change! Learn that leaves aren’t the only nature change when fall arrives; certain animals change too. Let the Zoomobile come share the beauty of autumnal nature with your group.

All Ages

Livin’ in the Mitten- Nothing compares to the simple nature of Michigan backyards. This Zoomobile program will highlight what makes Michigan outdoors such an interesting and beautiful place by bringing native Michigan animals and animal artifacts!

Animals in Danger- Poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and vanishing species can be hard topics to conceptualize in a classroom. Let the Zoomobile help bring these issues to life with not only live animal ambassadors, but real illegal wildlife items from various endangered species around the world.

Preschool and Daycare Programs

Animal Story Time – Calling all young readers! Gather round for an exciting reading of a book about animals. Afterward, the story will come to life as the Zoomobile presents live animals from the story.  A variety of book choices are available and requests are welcome!

Fur, Feathers, and Scales – With so many animals scattered across the Earth, scientists have a great challenge in organizing them. This program starts young children off with the basics of animal taxonomy by sharing what makes animals different from one another. Students will get to see live animals from different groups to bring classification to life.

School Programs

Kindergarten -2nd Grade:

Five to Survive- All living things needs five basic resources to stay alive. Have the Zoomobile bring in live animal ambassadors to help show exactly what they need to survive and how they get it in the wild. 

Growing Up Wild- Being an animal parent is a tough job and this Zoomobile program showcases all the difficulties of raising young animals in the wild. This topic will explore the fun and exciting ways animal young learn to hunt, forage, survive, and thrive in nature.

Habitats are Homes- Animals from across the world will arrive in your school so that students can discover all the interesting places animals make habitats in the wild. From mountains and valleys to swamps and deserts, animals can make anywhere home.

3rd-5th Grade:

Survival by Life Cycle- Egg, larvae, and metamorphosis, oh my! Students of all ages will be enthusiastic about lifecycles after meeting live animals that go through metamorphosis in order to grow and reach adulthood.

Amazing Adaptations- This Zoomobile program brings in a wide variety of animals with fascinating adaptations which allow them to live more efficiently in their native habitats. Let students see first-hand how different animals are specialized to live where humans never could.

Circle of Life-From the smallest blade of grass to the strongest predator, all life is necessary to keep the world’s ecosystem in balance. Using live animals, students will learn how all these animals fit together in the global food web.

Middle and High School:

Conservation Crew- Have the Zoomobile come out and discuss current animal related news and conservation issues while meeting animals who are affected, for better or worse, by the world’s current events. Students will also learn about ways they can help animals right in their backyard.

Career Exploration- Students will learn all about what it’s like to work at a zoo and all the different types of jobs a zoo has to offer. Discover how we take care of animals by meeting some of them as we discuss their daily care routine.

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