/Teachers-Class-400)
Ready for a change of pace? Take a teacher workshop at Brookfield Zoo!
Our expert educators will inform, entertain, and engage you as you explore a wide range of topics. The following classes carry ISBE credit (CPDUs) at no additional charge. Many provide optional graduate credit for an additional fee.
Refund Policy
All class fees include a $40 nonrefundable registration fee for 1-hour graduate classes and a $75 nonrefundable registration fee for 3-hour graduate classes. Class fees, minus the nonrefundable registration fee, can be refunded or transferred to another teacher class if we receive notice of this request at least two weeks prior to the date of the original class.
Have you checked out our new Advanced Inquiry Program Master’s degree? It’s fun and exciting, includes travel abroad, and is very affordable. Check it out at www.czs.org/aip
For questions, contact Lanis Petrik at 708-688-8372 or Lanis.Petrik@czs.org., or Julie Wozniak at 708-688-8367 or Julie.Wozniak@czs.org
2013 Teacher Classes at Brookfield Zoo
Animal Colors
October 11 (4:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.) and 12 (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.), All Grades, $140 fee, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), 15 CPDU’s.
Camouflage, warning colors, attracting a mate, and declaring a territory: color plays many roles in the animal world. Discover the purpose of a zebra’s stripes, a fish’s white belly and the dots on a tiger’s ears through activities and guided animal observations. Take home AV of beautiful Brookfield Zoo animals and activities for your classroom.
Illinois Biodiversity
October 18 (4:30 – 10:00 p.m.) at Brookfield Zoo and 19 ( 8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m.) at Spring Valley Nature Center, 1111 E. Schaumburg Rd, Schaumburg. 8:30 - 4:30 daily, grades 4 - 12, $140, 1 optional graduate credit (through Aurora University).
What is biodiversity, why is it important, what is the status of biodiversity and how can we protect biodiversity for future generations? Participate in activities designed to study biodiversity in Illinois and to engage your students in caring about and caring for nature! Receive activities from “Illinois Biodiversity Basics” and other extensive curriculum materials
Exploring Nature With Children
October 26, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and 27 (11:00-a.m. -5:00 p.m.) Please note: this is a Saturday/ Sunday class. Grades Pre K–3, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100), 15 CPDU’s
You don’t need to be any kind of an expert to share nature with young children through activities ranging from nature yoga to art, crafts, and games. Discover the fun that you can find in the natural world in the school yard, a vacant lot or your own back yard. Create an inquiry activity for curious kids!
Smart Consumers
November 8 (4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 9 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) Elementary grades, $140,1 optional graduate credit (through Aurora University, $100) , 15 CPDU’s.
Many of our planet’s most pressing environmental problems can be linked directly to the goods and services purchased every day by consumers in the U.S. and around the world. Look closely at environmental issues and consumer choices with curricula designed to help your students be informed consumers. Participants receive curriculum materials.
Hands-On Classroom
November 15 (4:30–10:00 p.m.) & 16 (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) Elementary grades, $140,1 optional graduate credit (through Aurora University, $100) , 15 CPDU’s.
This class will help teachers understand how to move from the role of "knowledge owner" to that of "facilitator" in their classrooms. Participants will learn the differences between student-centered and teacher-centered approaches, as they experience student-centered activities at the Zoo. Participants will then learn how to turn their classrooms into student-centered environments, and develop practical lessons and activities that they can implement in their classrooms.
Exploring Rain Forest Communities
December 7 (8:30-4:30) & 8 (11:00 to 4:30), grades 1-9, $140, 1 optional graduate credit ($100 through Aurora University), 15 CPDU’s.
Spend Saturday at Chicago Botanic Garden and Sunday at Brookfield Zoo and learn about rainforests worldwide — why they’re important, why some are disappearing, and why we want to protect them. Join educators at Chicago Botanic Garden in the warm, steamy greenhouses to explore rainforest plants and their adaptations. At Brookfield Zoo, seek out animals of the rainforest in our cozy rainforest exhibits, and learn about their adaptations for survival. At both places, learn hands-on art and science activities for use in the classroom. Teachers will explore rainforests through classroom activities that relate to language arts, math, science, social studies, and fine arts.