Brookfield Zoo Teacher Classes

To register please send fees (check payable to Brookfield Zoo) with your name, address, e-mail and phone number to: Teacher Workshops, Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL 60513.

Classes are each 2 days, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. unless noted. Teachers outside the recommended grade ranges are welcome to attend and adapt materials for their own use.

Please note: costs includes a $25 non-refundable registration fee, optional graduate credit ($100 per hour through Aurora University) is available for most classes for an additional fee.

Natural Habitat Series: Grades K-8, $125 per individual 2 day class, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 ceu’s, optional CPS Lane credit. 8:30-a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day. Fee includes materials and AV.

Rainforests January 20 (Chicago Botanic Garden) and 27 (Brookfield Zoo)
What’s the difference between a temperate and a tropical rain forest? Find out the answer to this and information about soils, insects, energy transfer, and the plants and animals that inhabit these lush green ecosystems.

Deserts February 10 Chicago Botanic Garden) and 17 (Brookfield Zoo)
Learn about deserts worldwide and the survival strategies and adaptations that have been developed by desert inhabitants.

Teachers for Tigers: February 2 (4:30- 10:00 p.m.) & 3 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
Grades all grades (curriculum materials emphasize grades 4-6)
$125, 3 CEU’s, 1 optional graduate credit

Receive the beautiful “Teacher for Tigers” curriculum and join with staff from the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo) and Brookfield Zoo as we study the role of predators in ecosystems around the world. Classroom activities range from ideas for young children to High school, with an emphasis on the middle grades. Participants receive pictures and a CD of predators in our animal collection.

Animals of the Night: February 23 (4:30-10:00 p.m.) &24 (8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m.), Grades Pre-K – 4, $125, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s.

Is Halloween your favorite day? Then you need to learn more about bats, owls and the other creatures that fly, swim, slither and crawl through the darkness! Have fun as we focus on animal information and reading / writing activities.

Predator Conference: Lions and Tigers and Bears!!! Saturday March 3 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) and Sunday (noon-4:30 p.m.), All Grades, $125, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s.

Join us for our annual animal conference: a Saturday morning of teacher activities followed by two afternoons of engaging speakers, exploring social structures, nutrition, genetics and husbandry. We will focus on some favorite zoo residents the big cats and bears! Learn about the care that Brookfield Zoo provides for these wonderful animals and how this impacts the conservation of their species.

Animal Colors: Friday, April 13, 4:30-9:30 p.m. and Saturday April 14, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. All grades, $125, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’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 and activities for your classroom.

Marine Mammals and Birds
April 28 at Lincoln Park Zoo & May 5 at Brookfield Zoo, K-8, $125, 1 optional graduate credit, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s.

Two great zoos are right in your city! Explore animal collections at both zoos to find out why marine animals have the same shape and are adapted to life in a salty, wet and often hostile environment. Take home activities and more!

Exploring Nature with Children
May 12 at Brookfield Zoo, May 19 at Spring Valley Nature Center, Schaumburg. K-8, $125, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s. (Please note this class was offered in previous years as Play Zoo Adventures, Aurora #OEDW6374)

You don’t have to be an “expert” to share nature with children through activities ranging from nature yoga, crafts, and games to nature walks, collecting and identifying plants, and guided observations. Discover the fun that you can find in Brookfield Zoo’s Hamill Family Play Zoo or the natural world: in your own back yard and nearby Nature Centers and Forest Preserves.

Animal Communication: Do you hear me now?
May 18 (4:00-10:00 p.m.) & 19 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), $125, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s., recommended for grades 6-12

From the obvious roaring lion to the nearly undetectable infrasound used by elephants, from the bright colors of the male peacock to subtle postures of some species as individuals meet, animal communication is a fascinating topic! Observe animals and experience learning activities for your classroom.

The Secret Life of Dolphins
June 8 (4:00- 10:00 p.m.) and 9 (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.), $130, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s, recommended for grades 6-12.

Explore Brookfield Zoo’s newest CONNECTIONS unit, an inquiry based learning opportunity for middle and High school students. Discover dolphin characteristics, analyze scientific data and learn how our research can be useful in maintaining healthy dolphin communities in the wild and in zoos. Fee includes unit and software. Please bring a laptop computer to this class.

The Good Life: Animal Behavior and Training
June 29 (4:00 – 10:00 p.m.) and 30 (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.), $130, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s

Find out about work done in zoos to ensure quality of life for our animal residents. From the Dolphin Show to training predators to show their teeth on command, training and enrichment programs improve animal husbandry and the environment our animals live in. Participants receive activities for classroom use and the “Training Game” video.

Reading Connections
July 10 and 12 at Fullersburg Nature Center
Grades 3-7, $130.00, 1 optional graduate credit, 3 CEU’s

Staff from Brookfield Zoo, Dupage County Forest Preserves, the Conservation Foundation, Jurica Nature Museum and Fermilab, are collaborating to offer this fun filled class that focuses on teaching reading with non-fiction and teaching science with fiction resources You’ll experience a mix of hands-on, indoor and outdoor, activities for your class. Participants will receive take home activities, posters, and fiction and nonfiction resources. To Register: please contact Sue Sheehan at Fermilab, 630-840-8258.

Animal Senses
July 16-20, Grades K-8, $325, 3 optional graduate credits, 9 CEU’s.

The focus is on the amazing world of animal senses from the echolocation of bats and dolphins to touching and feeling animal fur, skins and scales. Learn stories from keeper staff about some of our special residents such as Leah bald eagle who is blind in one eye and Harley California sea lion who is deaf. The class will work to develop curriculum materials for teaching about the senses.

Photo credit: Amur tiger, Chicago Zoological Soceity @ Brookfield Zoo

http://www.brookfieldzoo.org