“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” -William Butler Yeats

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is home to over 1,400 species of animals and 1,000 species of plants from around the world.  It is also the field trip destination for nearly 100,000 school students, teachers and chaperones every year from as far away as Columbia, SC & Savannah, GA, Orlando & Tallahassee, FL.  Nearly half of those student groups include an on-site Education Program as part of their educational experience.

Programs may be scheduled during the school year at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  Depending on the age of the students and size of the group, programs are 30 or 45-minutes long and include up-close and hands-on encounters with a variety of animals and artifacts.  Life Science, Zoological and Biological programs have been developed for Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grades and in conjunction with FCAT, Sunshine State Standards, NCEE New Standards, and local district performance standards.

Every teacher receives a program packet that contains student objectives, Sunshine State Standards to be addressed, vocabulary lists, background information, suggested non-fiction science reading lists, pre-visit & post-visit activities, and evaluation activity sheets that are central to the topic and at grade level.

The following is a sample list of available programs:

A Touching Experience:  45-minute program for special needs groups that introduce participants to a variety of hands-on experiences with animals and teaches respect for and positive ways to interact with other living things.

Animal Friends:  30-minute PreK & Kindergarten program that teaches the difference between wild and domestic animals.

Animal Life:  30-minute PreK & Kindergarten program that teaches the differences between living and non-living things.

Sensational Life:  45-minute program that teaches the differences between living and non-living things and compares and contrasts animal senses with our own. (Recommended for Duval County Public School Kindergartners)

Animal Adaptations:  45-minute program for 1st through 3rd graders that explores various adaptive features of a variety of animals.

Life Cycles:  45-minute program for 1st graders that explores developmental cycles of insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. (Recommended for Duval County Public School 1st Graders)

Food Chains & Food Webs:   45-minute program for 2nd through 4th graders to investigate the interdependence of living things – producers, consumers, scavengers and decayers.

Florida Habitats:  45-minute program for 2nd, 5th and 7th graders investigates the various dry land, wetland, marine, estuarine and freshwater habitats identified in Florida and examines the animals and their adaptations to the habitats.  (Recommend for Duval County Public School 2nd, 5th & 7th Graders)

Fur, Feathers, Scales and Slime:  45-minute program for 3rd and 4th graders that investigates the basic characteristics of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. (Recommended for Duval County 3rd Graders)

Animal Behavior: 45-minute program for 3rd through 5th graders that delves into the basic science of behavioral research.

Endangered Species:  45-minute program for 3rd through 5th graders that introduces the concept of how species become endangered and explores how students can make a positive impact on their environment.

Rain Forest:  45-minute program for 4th through 12th graders that investigates the layers and dynamics of the rain forest.

Ecosystems:  45-minute program for 5th graders that explores the characteristics of the tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, tropical rain forest, grassland, desert, wetland, freshwater habitat, marine habitat and estuary habitat.  (Recommended for Duval County Public School 5th Graders)

Anatomy & Function:  45-minute program for secondary students that examines animal anatomy as it relates to function.

Captive Care:  45-minute program for secondary students that explores animal husbandry – diet, health, enrichment and breeding.

Zoo Careers:  45-minute program for secondary students that highlights career opportunities in the zoo & aquarium field with particular attention on educational requirements, hands-on experiences that enhance a résumé, and salary expectations.

Don’t see what you are looking for?  Contact the Education Department and make a special request.  With at least six weeks notice, we can design a program to suit your needs and provide a teacher packet to complement the topic.

Program Reservations: Reservations are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.  We strongly recommend that you schedule at least six to eight weeks in advance of your desired field trip date.  Once the calendar fills, we cannot accommodate last minute requests.  If you need to reschedule, it may be difficult to find an opening.  Be sure you have your buses before you make your Zoo reservation.

Fees: The on-site Education Programs are $35 per classroom of students.  Full payment must be received in the Education Department at least two weeks before your reserved date.  We accept checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards.  Checks should be made payable to the Jacksonville Zoo.

ATTENTION DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ONLY - due to an agreement executed between the Duval County School Board and the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, there are no fees for your on-site Education Programs.  Kindergarten, First, Second, Third and Fifth Grade field trips are only approved if participating in the on-site Education Programs. 

Mail the Fee to:

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
Education Department
370 Zoo Parkway
Jacksonville, FL  32218

Hand Deliver the Fee to the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus at the south end of the zoo’s main parking lot Monday – Sunday 9 am – 5 pm.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Staff: All staff educators are screened for excellence in children’s programming.  All have had previous experience with children and have cleared nationwide, state and FBI Level 2 background checks as prescribed by the State of Florida’s Jessica Lunsford Act.

May chaperones accompany students in the classrooms? If space permits.  Classes held in our traditional classrooms are designed to accommodate 30 students and no more than 5 to 6 adults.  At no time are strollers permitted in the classrooms.  The auditorium may accommodate 2 to 3 classrooms of students and up to 20 adults.  There are outdoor bleachers under shade where extra chaperones may wait and network while students participate in class.

Where are the on-site Education Programs held? All programs are held at the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus located at the south end of the zoo’s main parking lot. In your confirmation materials, you will receive a map showing you the location of the campus.

POLICIES

Behavior: To ensure an enjoyable and safe experience for all children, the zoo’s staff manages child behavior.  All children are expected to behave appropriately, and in the event of disruptive behavior, a child may be timed-out and removed from the group.  If the disruptive behavior continues, the teacher or chaperones will be called upon to help find a solution.  If improvement is not realized immediately, the teacher or chaperones may be asked to remove the child early from the program.  In this situation, there will be no refunds for missed programs.

Special Needs: Please let us know at the time of your reservation if your students have any special needs our staff must be made aware of prior to your visit.  Special needs such as physical, academic, social and/or dietary will be accommodated to the best of our ability.  Please note that the zoo does not employ specific individuals certified and trained to handle special needs.

REFUNDS & CANCELLATION: Cancellations received 10 business days or more prior to the reservation date will receive a full refund less a 10% administrative fee.  Cancellations made 9 to 5 business days prior to the reservation date will receive a 75% refund of fees.  No partial refunds will be given for missed reservations except in extraordinary circumstances.  Exceptions to the refund policy will be made on a case by case basis and at the sole discretion of the Director of Education.

No Shows & No Calls: The Zoo’s education staff goes to great lengths to prepare for your program and to make your experience unique and rewarding for your students. Teachers who make reservations and do not show up or call ahead to cancel will generate letters to their principals and possibly school boards informing them of this discourteous behavior.  Repeated incidents from the same school and/or same teacher may also jeopardize field trip opportunities for the rest of the school.