Happy Hollow Park & Zoo

Topics by grade level

All Happy Hollow education programs target Next Generation Science Standards.

Pre-Kinder

Happy Habitats

Plants & animals adapt themselves or their homes to find what they need to survive.

What animals need to survive
How animals change their environment to meet their needs
Habitat/Ecosystem/Adaptation

1st Grade

Baby Beasts

Ready-to-run or just cracking out of an egg, ready or not, here they come. Baby animals emerge in different ways.

Parent and offspring patterns of behavior to help offspring survive
Young plants and animals are similar, but not exactly like their parents
Vocabulary: Offspring/Predator/Nocturnal

Nature’s Problem Solvers

Who inspired the invention of airplanes, wet suits & LED lights? It is not who you think.

Biomimicry-humans copying nature
Adaptations to copy
Vocabulary: Biomimicry/Adaptations

2nd Grade

Adaptation Adventure

Plants & animals find or grow the things they need to help them thrive and sometimes even help each other.

Animals find their food while dispersing seeds and pollinating plants along the way.
Habitats where adaptations match their environment
Pollination/Seed dispersal/Nutrients/Scat/Apiary

Animal Defenses

Animals grow, wear or claim what they need to defend themselves against the elements & other wild creatures.

Defensive properties & providing their intended purpose
Matching defenses to the habitat
Vocabulary: Defense/Adaptation/Ecosystem/Diversity

Diving into Biodiversity

In the depths of each ecosystem, a variety of life can be discovered.

The variety of life in different ecosystems
There is a pattern of biodiversity on the planet
Vocabulary: Diversity/Ecosystem/Biodiversity/Equator

3rd Grade

Habitat Hunting with Trait Tools

Location, location, location that matches the clothes.

Animals choose homes that match their needs & abilities. [optional 2-part series]

Matching adaptations to habitats
Adaptation traits inherited [part 1]
Adaptation traits chosen to enhance survival [part 2]
Animals group for enhancing survival
Vocabulary: Environment/Habitat/Traits/Resources/Detrimental

Life Cycle Loop

All animals emerge, grow, live, thrive and die in a never-ending revolution but not always in the same way.

The variety of animal life cycles
Variation can provide advantages
Vocabulary: Precocial/Altricial/ 3 & 4-stage cycles

4th Grade

Waves of Wildlife

Experiments with erosion & waves caused by wildlife agents of change

Burrows as a tool of erosion
Wildlife Wavelength experiments; agents of change
Vocabulary: Erosion/Burrow/Wavelength/Amplitude/Experiment

Sensational Adaptations

Animals have secret abilities too. Some superpowers are hidden.

Animal adaptations include enhanced senses
Adaptations can be internal
Vocabulary: Senses/Physical adaptations/Behavioral adaptations

5th Grade

Fabulous Food Chains

Om, nom-nivores are the ultimate energy recyclers.

Energy cycles from the sun, to plants, to animals & then to decomposers & back again
Categorizing animals by what they eat
Vocabulary:Herbivore/Carnivore/Omnivor/Decomposer/Photosynthesis

The Water All Around Us

What can wildlife tell us about the water all around?

The water cycle
Wildlife as a water indicator
Vocabulary: Precipitation/Runoff/Watershed/Indicator species

Sixth Grade

Hand Me Down Genes

Nature and nurture – parents and the environment determine how life grows.

Environmental & genetic factors influence species growth
Vocabulary: Genetic factors/Environmental factors/Climate change/Hybrid

Animal Attraction

When it comes to a mate, animals also look for the best-dressed dancer.

Plants & animals use reproductive success strategies to continue their “family tree”
Attractive appearances & beneficial behaviors
Vocabulary: Reproductive success/Resource availability

FOR EVERYBODY

(up to 20 participants)

Animal Pop In Program 20-minutes for $100

Informational animal presentation featuring a single animal ambassador.
[Pre-school and older] Focusing on colors, counting, textures & basic animal trivia for kids
[Any age] This program can be catered for adults as a business meeting highlight.

Click here to view flyer.

CLASSROOM PROGRAMS

(up to 35 participants)

45 – 60 minutes for $140 (1^st program) & $125 for each additional/same day program

Click here to download flyer.

ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS

(up to 100 participants)

45 – 60 minutes for $325 (1^st program) & $275 for each additional/same day program