Cape May Zoo Educational Program List

Amazing Adaptations

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 8th

Adaptations are all around us! But can you see them? This up-close look at how animals have changed to better fit their environment will astound and amaze you.

Note: This subject matter can be centered on a specific habitat of interest or an overview of many ecosystems.

Animal Enrichment

Grades Recommended: 2nd - 12th

Investigate the newest thing to hit zoos across the world, food, smells, toys, and sounds that are created solely for the animals' enjoyment. Take a look at the many different ways we keep our animals happy and healthy through enrichment.

Animal Kingdom

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 6th

All animals are different, whether it is in size, shape, or color. But did you know that the diversity goes more than skin deep? Discover the general differences that separate mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and invertebrates.

Animal Senses

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 6th

Animals come in all different shapes and sizes. So how do they see, smell and hear the world around them? Learn the reason behind why a snake sticks its tongue out, why a cat's eyes glow in the dark, and much more.

Bird Brains

Grades Recommended: 3rd - 12th

With so many different colors, beaks, and feet birds are a truly fascinating group. Here we will take a close up look at the many differences between our fine feathery friends. We will also look at why some birds can fly while others cannot.

Cold-Blooded Creatures

Grades Recommended: 2nd - 8th

Reptiles and Amphibians feel cold to the touch but why?! Explore the wild world of what allows animals to survive when they can't keep themselves warm!

Endangered Animals and the SSP

Grades Recommended: 5th - 12th

The SSP, or Species Survival Program is a major way zoos across the world are trying to help increase endangered animals' numbers, all the while trying to ensure the healthiest and strongest offspring possible.

Exhibit Design

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 12th

Do you know the four essential requirements to support life? Do you know what it takes to keep an animal from escaping? Take a look into what we do for our animals at the zoo in order to keep them happy, healthy and safe.

Fact or Fiction

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 8th

Are snakes slimy? Do opossums really hang upside down by their tails? Uncover the facts from the fiction as we expose the myths of the animal kingdom.

Fur, Feathers, Scales, and Slime

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 6th

Animals are covered by many different types of skin. We will look at why snakes have to shed their skin and how a frog breathes through its skin. No matter where the animal lives, or what it does they all have some type of skin.

Habitats

Grades Recommended: 2nd - 8th

The Earth is covered by multiple habitats and ecosystems. Together we take a closer look into what makes each environment different and how animals survive in their specific niche.

Nomenclature No-No's

Grades Recommended: 6th - 12th

All animals have common names with which they are referred to on a daily basis, but they also have scientific names. Here we will learn about Carl Linnaeus and his binomial nomenclature which uses Latin to name animals; a naming system that transcends all other languages.

Parental Behaviors

Grades Recommended: 5th - 12th

Ever wonder who in the animal kingdom is a good parent? Learn which animals take care of their babies and how we handle new additions at the zoo.
Note: Sexual material is covered in this program, basic sexual education is required.

Skull Specific

Grades Recommended: 2nd - 8th

Take an up close look what lies underneath the fur and skin of some amazing animals. A lot can be explained from the skull of an animal. Just one quick look can tell you how intelligent they are, to even what kinds of food they eat.

Things that go Bump in the Night

Grades Recommended: 2nd - 12th

Nocturnal animals have so many special means of dealing with and living in the absence of light. Together we will explore how they exist in the darkness, and try to amend a few myths while we are there.

What's For Lunch?

Grades Recommended: Pre-K - 8th

Inspect why some animals eat only plants, while some eat only meat. And just what do you call humans because we eat both?! Here we'll take a look at basic dietary needs of many different animals and just what we feed them here at the zoo.

Who Has a Backbone?

Grades Recommended: 2nd - 8th

Without our bones we would not be able to move, so how can invertebrates operate while they wear their bones on the outside? Here we will compare animals who are covered by their bones versus those whose bones are enclosed within their bodies.

Zoo Careers

Grades Recommended: 6th - 12th

What does a Zookeeper do in a typical day? What classes do they take to learn about animals? Together we will look into the many jobs and lives that go into making a zoo function, and how those people got their jobs.