CONNECTIONS: Middle School and High School
- All classes are 50 minutes unless otherwise noted.
- Please note that there will be a $45.00 per class fee for any cancellation which is not rescheduled for the current school year.
NATURE HIKES
Grades 1 through 8. Offered Monday through Friday.
May through October. $4.50 per student.
A 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Held outside at Brookfield Zoo's Indian Lake, this class allows students to explore the woods and lake area to find evidence of local animals, their homes, and other activity in nature. There will be hands-on opportunities with animal artifacts. Please remember to dress for the weather.
SCIENCE INQUIRY
Grades 4 through 12. Offered Monday through Friday.
September 1 through March 27. THIS CLASS IS 2 HOURS IN LENGTH.
$6.50 per student. A 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Students are engaged in hands-on activities as they explore the inquiry method of learning. During this two-hour class, they will learn to develop comparative questions, gather data, and make presentations of their findings. Topics will vary. This class will include a visit to an exhibit to investigate animals and habitats. Please remember to dress for the weather.
Dinosaur Forensics
Grades 5 through 8. Offered Monday through Friday.
April 3 to November 1. $4.50 per student.
What happened to the dinosaurs? Are there any still around today? Come prepared to think like a scientist. Explore dinosaur extinction theories and learn how scientists piece together the mysteries of the past.
RETURN OF THE WOLVES
Grades 6 through 8. Offered Monday through Friday.
September 1 through May 29. $4.50 per student.
A 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
This class focuses on Brookfield Zoo's Mexican gray wolves. Students will have the opportunity to explore Regenstein Wolf Woods and "hunt down" information. They will work in "expert teams" to learn more about these animals, their lifestyles, and conservation efforts for the wolves. Please remember to dress for the weather.
CONSERVATION: AIR
Grades 6 through 8. Offered Monday through Friday.
September 1 through June 12. $4.50 per student.
Is global climate change really an issue? What does it have to do with wildlife? With me? Do my daily activities make a difference? Students will explore these issues as they investigate the carbon cycle, carbon emissions, and their impact on the planet. As students make decisions and negotiate priority actions for school and the bigger world, they will gain familiarity with the major issues affecting global climate change.
CONSERVATION: WATER
Grades 6 through 8. Offered Monday through Friday.
September 1 through June 12. $4.50 per student.
Water quality and conservation are important awareness issues for today's students. In this class, students will learn about where their water comes from, investigate their own water usage, and estimate the impact of water usage in their schools and in the Chicagoland area. Your students will leave with a better understanding of their own ecological footprints, as well as some ideas for reducing their schools' and families' water usage. After class, students and their chaperones can visit the newly opened "Adventures with Agua" exhibit and learn more about point and non-point source water pollution.
CONSERVATION: EARTH
Grades 6 through 8. Offered Monday through Friday.
September 1 through June 12. $4.50 per student.
Think globally and act locally! Each day, humans consume more resources than we replace. What would it take to reduce the size of your ecological footprint? Students will investigate the effects of wasting natural resources and then start taking steps toward raising their own environmental awareness.
ENDANGERED! PRIMATE POPULATIONS:
EVERY STUDENT IS A SCIENTIST
Grades 6 through 12. Offered Tuesday through Friday.
September 1 through March 27. $4.50 per student.
A 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Suitable for inclusive classrooms-including students with visual, auditory, or physical disabilities. Primates are among the most beloved and endangered animals on Earth. To help them, scientists need to learn about them. Students learn how to make detailed behavioral observations, just like researchers studying wild primates. They will use interactive tablet PCs to observe the primates at Tropic World.
WATER QUALITY
Grades 6 through 12. Offered Monday through Friday.
April 1 through October 16.
NOTE: THIS CLASS IS 90 MINUTES IN LENGTH. $6.00 per student.
Water, water everywhere-but is it safe for the animals that depend upon it? How can we find out? Come to Brookfield Zoo to learn how to take water samples, measure what's in the water, and then determine whether it's suitable for the fish, frogs and other animals that live in or near the water. Please remember to dress for spending time outdoors drawing water samples.