Sometimes my kids have so much energy, they’re bouncing around like kangaroos, howling like wolves, and play wrestling like lion cubs. “You guys belong in a zoo!” I say. And you know what? They do!
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden offers a wonderful four-week kids class for a wide range of ages; it is called Zoo Troop. Zoo Troop is the perfect place for kids to act likes their favorite animals, and meet some of them, too!
In fact, the zoo houses over 100 unique animals in their education program, who routinely interact with the public. During Zoo Troop, your little animal may encounter slithering snakes, creepy crawly bugs, clucking chickens, and so many other fun animal friends.
Humans are social animals, too, so Zoo Troop is also a great time for your kids to make new friends. Your little one will love singing songs, pretending to be animals, playing games, and creating crafts with their new buddies from class. They will also love going on nature hikes to explore the zoo!
Both of my sons, ages 2.5 and 4, have attended Zoo Troop and absolutely adored it! Activities are always age appropriate, educational and fun. I love that my kids get into a routine of attending class for four weeks, and they know what to expect during class. I also appreciate the weekly handouts with learning extension ideas, such as book recommendations or what animals we should look at that day after class with discussion ideas.
In February, my son Dominic attended a four-week session that focused on “Finding Friends.” We learned all about our senses and how animals also use smell, touch, sound, and sight to communicate with their animal friends. My son and his classmates matched descriptions of animals to their photos, made painted dog, blue tongued skink and tiger artwork, and my gorilla son may have even picked a “bug” from my hair when we explored touch. Luckily, he did not eat the “bug.” We had tons of fun during our pre-k session and learned lots of new things all along the way.
This isn’t the first time we’ve done a Zoo Troop series, and it certainly won’t be our last. The zoo does a wonderful job at choosing new and interesting topics for each age range, so we will definitely be back again and again to see what’s new at Zoo Troop!
If you’d like to check out Zoo Troop, they will have another round of four-week sessions running in April and May! Check their website for a list of themed classes for kids from 18 months through 8th grade and encourage your children to feel like they belong in a zoo.
