Related Resources
Classes are available to FONZ Household members (and higher levels) only. 
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Home Education
A 75-percent refund will be issued if notification is received by the FONZ membership office via email, fax, or mail at least two weeks prior to the start of the class. No refunds or changes will be made thereafter.
Animal Habitats
From their habitats, animals require water, food, shelter, and a place to have their young. In this series, we'll look at deserts, grasslands, rainforests, oceans, and mountains and build miniature habitat boxes each week for each habitat.
Ages: 5-8
Time: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: $140
Dates: January 25; February 1, 8, 15, 22
Four Seasons
Hot. Cold. Wet. Dry. Extremes of weather can be hard on wildlife. Learn about how emperor penguin dads shelter their young from the cold Antarctic winter, why the caribou gets a coat of a different color every spring, how the fennec fox keeps cool in the desert summer, and how many animals store up a feast each fall.
Ages: 5-8
Time: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: $112
Dates: March 7, 14, 21, 28
Registration
email us.
You need a minimum of six students to register for these home education classes. Only one has to be from a family with a current FONZ membership. Choose a class from the list below. They vary in length from one to six sessions and are offered for different ages and academic abilities. Select a day (Monday through Friday) and a time (10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. or 1:30-4 p.m.). Be sure to select an alternate day and time in case your first choice is not available.
Fees are per group and for the registration of six students. Additional children may be added (up to 12) at $20 per child. The person registering will be responsible for collecting each family's portion and turning in one payment.
Class Descriptions
Cats
Soft, furry, cuddly; wild, ruthless, cunning. All are adjectives that humans use to describe felines. This class will focus on what makes cats the perfect hunter and, for millions of humans, the perfect companion.
One session
Ages: 5-8 and 8-11 or lower elementary (K-3) and upper elementary (3-6)
Fee: $180
Birds
What is the largest living bird that can fly? Why is the toucan bill so big and colorful? Which bird lays the largest egg for its size? Get answers to these questions, and many, many more while studying the Zoo’s fantastic avian collection.
One session
Ages: 5-8 and 8-11 or lower elementary (K-3) and upper elementary (3-6)
Fee: $180
Amphibians
This remarkable group of animals has roamed the Earth for more than 360 million years, but today many species are vanishing at an alarming rate. Students will learn about the unique characteristics of amphibians and why those traits make them so vulnerable to pollution and climate change.
One session
Ages: 5-8 and 8-11 or lower elementary (K-3) and upper elementary (3-6)
Fee: $180
Primates
Our closest cousins come in many sizes and shapes, live in a variety of habitats, and have diverse lifestyles. Students will learn all about monkeys, apes, and prosimians and find out why most of them are endangered.
One session
Ages: 5-8 and 8-11 or lower elementary (K-3) and upper elementary (3-6)
Fee: $180
Invertebrates
Ninety-five percent of all animal species do not have a backbone. This class is an introduction to the myriad of under-appreciated creatures that dominate the animal kingdom.
One session
Ages: 5-8 and 8-11 or lower elementary (K-3) and upper elementary (3-6)
Fee: $180
Carnivores
What does it take to sit at the top of the food chain? Students will study the adaptations of meat-eating animals and why many of them have been persecuted—and admired—by humans for thousands of years.
One session
Ages: 5-8 and 8-11 or lower elementary (K-3) and upper elementary (3-6)
Fee: $180
Symbiosis
Many plants and animals live together in extremely close relationships with other species. Students will explore many of these connections and how they drive the evolution of life on Earth.
Three sessions
Ages: 9 and up
Fee:
$425
Ancient Trails: The Miracle of Migration
From bugs to birds, wildebeest to whales, animals undertake long journeys. Find out why they travel and how human activities help or harm them. Meet animals that migrate and find out how the Zoo protects them.
Four sessions
Ages: 6-9 or 8-11
Fee:
$575
Animal Architects
Humans have lots of company when it comes to construction! Students will study the amazing variety of structures found across the animal kingdom, from spider webs to beaver dams, and termite mounds to bird bowers.
Four sessions
Ages: 6-9 or 8-11
Fee:
$575
Wildlife Conservation
What is the Zoo doing to help save wildlife? Students will learn about conservation science and meet experts on the cutting edge of saving endangered species.
Five sessions
Ages: 11 and up
Fee:
$725
Executive Zoo
Modern zoos are very different from animal collections of the past. Students will learn how 21st-century zoos care for their animals—and visitors—by meeting Zoo professionals and designing their own "ideal" zoo.
Five sessions
Ages: 11 and up
Fee:
$725
Animal Movement: How Animals Run, Jump, Fly, Swim, and Climb Through Life
This series explores the many ways animals move: What adaptations make the cheetah the fastest land animal and the peregrine falcon the speediest flyer? Are there any animals that don’t move at all? Do millipedes really have a thousand legs? Besides teaching students about animal locomotion, each class will focus on conservation issues related to each week’s topic.
Six sessions
Ages: 6-9 or 8-11
Fee:
$875
Teacher Bio
Sydney Jacobs has been a FONZ teacher since 2000. She has worked for years as a Summer Safari Day Camp instructor and started the Zoo’s classes for home educators. She was a park naturalist at Olympic National Park in 1980. Five years later she moved to Washington, D.C., to earn her master's degree in museum education at George Washington University. After earning her degree, she became the director of Watkins Nature Center in Prince George’s County. Sydney and her family joined the home education community in 1996 and home schooled her two children for 12 years.
