Over 1000 Students Reached During Adopt-A-Pond’s School Visits!
Adopt-A-Pond is wrapping up another great year of school programing, which engaged youth throughout Toronto and the GTA! Students learn about the frog, turtle and salamander species found in their neighbourhood, the threats they face, and how kids like them can help these amazing creatures!
This unique classroom experience educates students with interactive presentations, life-size species models, learning worksheets, creative contests, games, take home resources, and sometimes….. when the weather is nice… a special visit from Captain Sunshine, our fun and friendly outreach Blanding’s turtle! It’s a great program that links nicely to the ecological and environmental components found in the Science and Technology curriculum, as well as, providing an introduction to our native reptiles and amphibians that few students have ever encountered. A real highlight of the program is having students touch a live turtle or a real turtle shell! For many students, especially in urbanized areas of the GTA, it may be their first time ever encountering a real, and highly recognizable, native Ontario turtle.
With generous funding provided by the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Adopt-A-Pond Wetland Conservation Programme has been able to visit over 35 classrooms, engaging over 1000 students in local reptile and amphibian education and conservation.
For more information about an Adopt-A-Pond school visit please contact aap@torontozoo.ca
Other unique school programs hosted by the Toronto Zoo include:
Toronto Zoo’s Great Lakes Outreach Program for grades 1, 2, 7 and 11, is a FREE, curriculum-based education program that encourages students, educators and families to “Keep our Great Lakes Great” while learning about five local fish species at risk:
- Atlantic salmon Lake Ontario population (extirpated)
- Redside dace (endangered)
- Eastern sand darter (threatened)
- American eel (endangered)
- Lake sturgeon (threatened)
Aqua-Links is a FREE program that engages grade 7 students in a hands-on experience raising Atlantic salmon right in their class, followed by a field-trip to release the fry (baby fish) in the spring.
School Visits to the Toronto Zoo
There are also a number of amazing opportunities to have your school visit the Toronto Zoo with programming to make your experience more engaging and enriching for students! Visit the Toronto Zoo’s School Visits and Programs page for a complete guide to tours, workshops and free resource material for all grade levels!
Funding for Adopt-A-Pond Has Been Provided By:
For more information about Toronto Zoo conservation programs visit:http://www.torontozoo.com/conservation/
