Bring the Zoo to You
School Outreach Classroom
Zoo Idaho brings the zoo to you! Our School Outreach program delivers engaging, hands-on animal presentations to your classroom, focusing on Idaho wildlife and conservation. Presentations are customized to meet your school’s curriculum needs and are designed to inspire a connection with nature and wildlife.
Elementary School: Grades K–2
Home Is Where the Habitat Is
Meets standards:
- LS1-K-1, 2
- LS1-1-1, 2, 3
- LS1-2-1, 2
- LS2.A
- ETS1.B
- LS2-2-1
- LS4.D
Middle School: Grades 6–8
Trophic Levels! Ecosystem Interactions!
Meets standards:
- MS-LS1-4, 5, 6
- LS1-B
- LS2-MS-1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Download Lesson (PDF)
High School: Grades 9–12
Biodiversity: Explore the dynamics of ecosystems and investigate carrying capacity of organisms!
Meets standards:
- LS2-HS-1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
- LS2.A, LS2.C
Idaho Alive!
Don’t see a program you need? Contact the Zoo Education Department to schedule a special topic. Outreach programs can be designed for audience members from age 2–102. Each program is individually tailored to meet the needs of your age group, class size, and learning objective.
COST
- Within School District 25: $25.00 for the first class; $16.00 per additional class per visit
- Outside School District 25 (within 25-mile radius): $40.00 for the first class; $26.00 per additional class per visit
- Beyond 25-mile radius: $40.00 for the first class; $26.00 per additional class per visit + $2.00 per mile over 25 miles
School Outreach Assembly
Predator vs. Prey
Perfect for larger groups, our School Outreach Assemblies bring the excitement of the zoo to your entire school. Students will enjoy live animal encounters while learning about native wildlife, conservation, and human-wildlife interactions.
COST
Within School District 25: $50.00 per assembly
Outside School District 25: $50.00 per assembly + $2.00 per mile over 25 miles
Summer Camp Outreach
Make your summer camp even more exciting with a visit from Zoo Idaho! Our Summer Camp Outreach program offers fun, hands-on wildlife presentations that engage campers in learning about Idaho’s native animals and ecosystems.
COST
Single visit: $50.00
Weekly visit: $50.00 for the first visit; $25.00 for each additional visit
OWLL Trunks
The zoo has 11 fantastic biofacts trunks that are great educational tools for local teachers who would like to spice up their classroom experience.
- Trunks include Bats, Canada Lynx, Songbirds, Bull Trout, Wetlands, Bears, Wolves, Cranes, Ungulates, Birds of Prey and Sage Grouse.
- Trunks can be checked out for a week at a time.
COST
FREE OF CHARGE
Organizations are responsible for transporting trunks to and from the zoo.
Take Your Crew to the Zoo
School Field Trips
Discover the wonders of Idaho’s native wildlife with your students during a self-guided field trip at Zoo Idaho! Explore at your own pace while observing animals in their natural habitats. To enhance the experience, we offer grade-level tailored scavenger hunts and activity sheets upon request, designed to engage students in learning about animal adaptations, habitats, and conservation. Perfect for schools looking for a flexible and educational outdoor adventure!
COST
$2.00 per person for Middle School/High School and College groups
$1.50 per person for Pre-School/Elementary School groups
One chaperone for every five children, 3rd grade and younger
One chaperone for every ten children, 4th grade and older
Zoorific Tours
Explore Zoo Idaho like never before with a guided Zoorific Tour! Perfect for school groups, youth organizations, and public groups, these tours offer a deeper dive into the lives of our animal residents and our conservation efforts. Tours are led by knowledgeable staff and can be customized for your group’s interests.
COST
School Groups: $2.00 + admission
Non-School Youth Groups: $4.00 + admission
General Public Groups: $6.00 + admission
Zoo Idaho Society Members: $5.00 + admission
Tour Topics
Animal Olympians!
Millions of people watch the Olympics every 4 years, and wait excitedly for the next spectacular competition. But most wild animals don’t have the time between “events” to train and rest; they have to be ready at any moment and depend on their athletic skills to survive. We invite your students to experience the sweat, the heat, the thrill and the defeat—animal style!
Something To Sink Your Teeth Into
Our teeth allow us to eat all of our favorite things, and animals’ teeth allow them to eat all their favorite things. In this tour we will look at how you can tell if an animal is a meat-eater, plant-eater or both, just by looking at their teeth. We will see some other cool things that animals use their teeth for besides just eating!
Pre-/Post-Zoo Visit Activities
Zoo Idaho activities are free for teachers to use when visiting the zoo with their classes.
Activities
To Know Before You Go
Activities for Grades K–1
- K–1 Activities (PDF)
- Answers to K–1 (PDF)
Activities for Grades 2–3
- Grade 2–3 Activities (PDF)
- Answers to 2–3 (PDF)
Activities for Grades 4–5
- Grade 4–5 Activities (PDF)
- Answers to 4–5 (PDF)
School Curriculum
Alternative Energy Curriculum
Teaching about climate science in the classroom is becoming increasingly important. The following resources will allow your students to investigate the benefits of renewable resources and understand some of the effects of climate change on our environment. These lessons are adapted to be beneficial in the classroom, outdoors, and some independently. Curriculum is based on 5th grade science standards.
Curriculum
Lessons
- Energy Basics (PDF)
- Energy Units Basics (PDF)
- Electricity (PDF)
- Forms of Energy (PDF)
- Laws of Energy (PDF)
- Renewable – Biomass Energy (PDF)
- Renewable – Geothermal Energy (PDF)
- Renewable – Hydropower Energy (PDF)
- Renewable – Solar Energy (PDF)
- Renewable – Wind Energy (PDF)
- Sources of Energy (PDF)
- U.S. Energy Facts Explained (PDF)
Activities
- Active Energy Game (PDF)
- Energy Journal (Word)
- How Big is your Ecological Footprint? (PDF)
- Solar Collectors (PDF)
- Solar Powered System (PDF)
- Steal the Bacon Activity – Instructions (Word)
- Steal the Bacon Activity – Cards (Powerpoint)
- True/False Game (Word)
