Core Education Topics
John Ball Zoo’s Wild Encounter and Traveling Zoo programs are designed
to teach the following science topics to your students. Other, more customized
programs are also available upon request.
Body Coverings: Experience the furry, feathery and scaly
side of the animal world and learn why the animals are covered the way they
are.
Physical Adaptations: We’ll explore how animals’
physical traits (sharp teeth or claws, color for camouflage, etc.) help
them survive in their environments.
Behavior Adaptations: How animals behave can help them
survive in their environment too. We’ll explore how instinct, learning
and habit can make a difference.
Life Cycles: When it comes to animals, they are all born
different ways – some are born live while others hatch out of eggs.
This topic lets us explore animals from the very beginning to the end of
their life.
Connections: A whole world of possibilities exists on how
living and non-living things are connected and how each animal has their
own “job” or purpose in the web of life. We will discuss food
chains, food webs and other animal interactions.
Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations
To learn about how our core education topics address Michigan grade level
content expectations for science and social studies, click here.
