Education and Volunteer Initiatives
Education is an integral part
of FONZ ’s
mission. FONZ conducts a variety of educational
programs, many of which are staffed by volunteers who give
more than 80,000 hours of service each year.
- FONZ runs one of the most extensive wildlife education programs of any zoo in the country.
- FONZ provides teachers with curriculum support materials and Zoo resources to help incorporate science and conservation themes in the classroom. In 2001, more than 22,000 educators at public and private schools and daycare centers in the D.C. area received FONZ's How to Zoo Teacher's Resource Guide.
- Thousands of children each year visit the "How Do You Zoo?" exhibit, which allows kids to explore Zoo-related careers—such as animal keeper, veterinarian, and commissary worker—through hands-on activities in a mock Zoo.
- A Zoo on Wheels program visits children in hospitals and seniors in care facilities.
- FONZ hosts more than a dozen special events each year, many of which provide unique, hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to meet and talk to Zoo keepers and scientists.
- FONZ offers a variety of classroom resources for teachers, including Wildlife Explorer kits featuring animal artifacts, books, and videos, and curriculum guides that include a vocabulary list, a list of interdisciplinary activities, and information on how to incorporate Zoo science into their curriculum.
- FONZ also offers many classes and workshops throughout the year for both children and adults. They cover a wide range of fascinating environmental topics, such as: how animals survive winter's chill, the relationship between predator and prey, and what scientists have learned about animal cognition. More than 15,000 people attend FONZ classes and workshops each year.
- Exhibit activity guides and other educational resources are made available to teachers prior to field-trip visits in order to help their students make the most of their Zoo experience.
Friends of the National Zoo boasts by far the largest corps of volunteers supporting any of the Smithsonian Institution bureaus, and one of the largest volunteer programs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Our 1,000-plus volunteers contribute more than 80,000 hours of service to the Zoo each year.
The FONZ Volunteer Program is divided into four different categories:
- Education: Volunteers in the Education program interact with Zoo visitors, answering their questions, offering information, and allowing guests to handle animal artifacts and objects. Education volunteers give interpretive talks and Zoo tours, talk to visitors about the benefits of FONZ membership, and staff the “How Do You Zoo?” and Zoo-On-Wheels program.
- Zoo Support: Zoo Support volunteers work behind-the-scenes, assisting office personnel, horticulturalists, and animal keepers in a variety of jobs, from painting and gardening to collecting behavioral data on some of the Zoo’s animals.
- Special Events: These volunteers are the foundation of the many public events that take place at the Zoo. Duties include helping with event set-up, greeting visitors, assisting with arts and crafts, and supervising an activity.
- Teens: The Teen volunteer program offers opportunities for kids as young as 13. These include: staffing “How Do You Zoo?,” assisting with day-camp classes, assisting day-camp teachers and overseeing class aides, helping the Horticulture department maintain the Zoo’s gardens and landscape areas, and welcoming visitors to the Zoo’s controlled-access buildings.
Behavior-Watch Volunteer Program
Behavior-watch volunteers assist Zoo scientists and staff by collecting vital information about the habits and behavioral patterns of the Zoo's animals.
Data collected during these watches not only help to improve the Zoo's management of its animals, but also contribute to the knowledge of the animals in the broader zoological community. The goal in many cases is to collect scientifically rigorous and reliable data that will eventually be used in a publication or scientific presentation.
Since FONZ’s inception in 1958, FONZ volunteers have assisted Zoo scientists in collecting invaluable data on many different animals, including giraffes, Dorcas gazelles, gorillas, white-cheeked gibbons, and red pandas. Watches are currently being conducted on the following animals: giant pandas, kori bustards, golden lion tamarins, the giant Pacific octopus, and Asian elephant Kandula.
