Brookfield Zoo’s Community and Corporate Tree
Decoration Guidelines 

Please share these restrictions with everyone involved in your organization. Please keep in mind the health and safety of the animals when constructing your ornaments. Be creative!
 
Materials Recommended for Ornaments:
- Decorated popsicle sticks
- Laminated paper
- Styrofoam balls
- Plastic needlepoint clothespins
- Foil wrapped objects
- Strung beads
- Yarn
- Fabric
- Soda cans
- Wood items
- Plastic containers (film, margarine)
- Plastic milk bottles


Materials NOT Allowed on Trees:
(Ornaments made from these materials are not allowed on the trees and will be removed.)

NO FOOD ITEMS (including but not limited to): 
- Food on strings (popcorn, cereal, cranberries, peanuts, pasta, marshmallows)
- Candy canes
- Ice cream cones with birdseed
- Graham crackers
- Cereal
- Suet with bird seed
- Peanut butter balls with bird seed
- Dog biscuits
- Pine cones dipped in peanut butter
- Pet food
 
NOTHING NON-DURABLE: 
- Ornaments made of dough
- Varnished or shellacked dough
- Strung Styrofoam “peanuts”
- Objects with jagged edges
- Unlaminated paper
- Tinsel (or icicles)
- Straw
- Glass


PLEASE NOTE:

- The ornaments need to withstand the elements of winter. Ornaments should be painted, varnished, shellacked, or laminated (this does not include food items). Water-soluble glue (Elmer’s) is NOT recommended. 
 
- Please do not hang any ornaments that are valuable or hold special meaning.  The trees remain in the zoo for six weeks and there is no guarantee the ornaments will remain on the trees.  Brookfield Zoo is not responsible for ornaments that are missing or stolen. 
 
- Please hang ornaments with string or yarn (no wire or pipe cleaners). Tie the ornaments on tight enough that they will not blow off, but not so tight that volunteers are unable to remove them.
 
- Lights will be strung by Brookfield Zoo staff. Do NOT add additional lights of your own. Your groups should make enough ornaments to sufficiently decorate these trees – approximately 200 ornaments no smaller that 3” x 3” and no larger than 4” x 6”.
 
- If your group would like to keep its ornaments, you can remove them January 1-8, 2010 during regular zoo hours (10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.). Ornaments left on the trees will not be saved.

- Questions?  Email Tree.Trim@CZS.org