Zoo Education online – a resource for teachers and students

May 6, 2020Cheri CunninghamKids Activities, What's On

Zoos Victoria has launched an online educational resource for teachers and their students called Zoo Education online, in the aim to bring real-world learning to students at home. The program consists of student activities, teacher resources, webinars and live animal streams.

Highlights from the Zoo Education online program include:

STEM Design Challenge – Animals at Home

Students can help solve real zoo problems with the zoos STEM Design Challenge, for animals featured in the Animals at Home live streams.

Students from prep to year 10 will use their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills, knowledge and an engineering framework called Design Thinking.

Love Your Locals – English and Science Program

The Love Your Locals program has lessons that lead students through an inquiry that focuses on two very special Australian species, the Plains-wanderer and the Orange-bellied Parrot. The program allows students from years 3–6 to practice literacy skills and present their solutions for wildlife.

Student Webinars

Students have the opportunity to learn about sustainability, conservation and more. Teachers can register their class via the Studnet Webinars page.

Term 2
• STEM Design Challenge Q & A (Foundation–Year 6)
• STEM Design Challenge Q & A (Years 7–10)
• Endangered Animals: Plains-Wanderer (Year 5–8)
• STEM at the Zoo – Animals and Ethics (Year 5–6)
• Endangered Animals: Australian Native Mice (Year 7–8)

Term 3
• Endangered Mammals: Tasmanian Devil (Year 1–4)
• Wildlife and Waste: Sustainability (Year 5–8)
• Endangered animals: Good News Stories on Threatened Species Day (Year 5 –8)
• STEM in action – Careers at Werribee Zoo (Year 9–12)

Term 4
• Endangered Birds: Helmeted Honeyeater (Year 3–6)
• Love your Locals: Victorian Grasslands, OBPs and EBBs (Year 5–8)

Virtual Excursions

Zoos Victoria is offering free Virtual Excursion programs for students. Each program includes a 30-minute webinar with a Zoo teacher and a teaching guide filled with activities. There are multiple webinars offered throughout the week.

Term 2 Virtual Excursions include:
• Wild Explorers
• Aussie Animal Adventurers
• Call of the Wild
• Animal Classification and Adaptations
• Geography, Gorillas & Us (Year 7-8)
• Geography, Gorillas & Us (Year 9-10)
• Sustaining Life in an Ecosystem

Zoos Victoria Teacher Tribe Facebook Group

Teachers can stay connected with zoo staff and teachers from other schools by joining the Zoos Victoria Teacher Tribe Facebook Group. The Teacher Tribe community share stories, ideas and resources with each other.