Wildlife Explorer
Kits
Grades pre-K to 4
Turn your young learners into wildlife explorers with the National Zoo's school loan kits. Hands-on activities, a variety of real animal objects, books, games, videos, and a teacher's guide are included in each kit.
Please make
reservations at least three weeks in advance to allow
time for coordination. If you need additional
assistance,
email us.
Availability
Teachers may borrow these kits for classroom use for
two
weeks.
They must be picked up and returned to the Zoo's Visitor Center.
Reserve
a kit
Cost
$30 per kit due with
reservation
$50 security deposit for each kit due at time of pickup
Themes include:
Birds (pre-K to
4)
Help your class find out more about our feathered friends
and their amazing array of adaptations to different
habitats and feeding strategies. Activities include
"What’s in a Nest?", "It Takes
Feathers to Fly", "What Does It Eat?",
and "Bird Songs". Pre- and post-lesson materials
include a real (mounted) duck, two videos, bird flash
cards, and equipment for bird watching.
Songbird Kit (K
to 5)
Designed to motivate all types of learners, the kit
includes lesson plans and interdisciplinary activities
that foster knowledge and appreciation of migratory
songbirds and an awareness of the need to conserve and
protect birds and their habitats. Please
note that the user fee, deposit, and reservation form
are different from other kits. more
information and registration form
Coverings
(pre-K to 4)
Scales, feathers, or hair? Students will explore animal
body coverings using the kit's real specimens, animal
photos, a video, and class activities.
Giant Pandas (pre-K
to 4)
Giant pandas are one of the world's best known endangered
species. This kit uses giant pandas to learn about endangered
species, temperate forest habitats, and the giant panda
itself. The kit includes a model skull, an endangered
species game set, books, and videos.
Invertebrates (pre-K
to 4)
There's more to small creatures than meets the
eye! Investigate with your students the unusual animals
that are part of the invertebrate group. Activities
include "What’s an Invertebrate?", "Where
Do I Live?", "Worms and You", "The
Honey-Bee Hop", and "Bug Creations".
Post-lesson activities include a cricket call game,
an art activity, and two books to read aloud.
Mammals (pre-K to
4)
A variety of real specimens will help your students
discover mammal diversity. Activities include "Mammal
Lotto Game", "Teeth Are for Chewing",
"Take a Bite!", and "All Shapes and Sizes".
Pre- and post-lesson materials include two videos, the
game "Hair, Hair, Hair", and a book to read
aloud.
Reptiles
(pre-K to 4)
Real eggs, sheds, and skulls reveal to your students
the amazing adaptations of reptiles. Activities include
"Scales R Us", "Eggs and Hatching",
"The Turtle and You", "Be a Herpetologist!",
and "Read a Snake!" Pre- and post-lesson materials
include slides, a video, and a book to read aloud.
Schoolyard Naturalist
(pre-K to 4)
Study the natural world right outside your classroom
window! Activities include "Let’s Be Naturalists!",
"From the Ground Up", "Plant Parts",
"Squirrel Watch", and "Ants up Close".
Post-lesson materials include the game "Name That
Sound", and two books to read aloud.
Suitcase for
Survival
Grades 6 to 12
Using wildlife products that have been seized by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors, the Suitcase for Survival educates young people and adults about illegal wildlife trade. Each suitcase contains a variety of wildlife products and the Wildlife for Sale module. Wildlife for Sale is designed to help students explore the social, political, scientific, economic, and ethical issues surrounding biodiversity and to give them the knowledge and skills they need to help build a more sustainable future. These suitcases can be powerful tools for educating people of all ages about the significant threats that unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade pose to biodiversity.
Availability
Year-round. Teachers may borrow these suitcases for
classroom use for two
weeks.
They must be picked up and returned to the Zoo's Visitor Center.
Reserve
a kit
Cost
$30 per suitcase due
with reservation
$50 security deposit for each suitcase due at time of
pickup
