Potter Park Zoo is excited to offer a program for Homeschool groups and families!
During our two hour drop-off discovery sessions, students will have an opportunity to learn about exciting topics in animal science through lessons, activities, and zoo exploration. Sessions are organized into 6 week units, but each session will have a unique theme that can act as a standalone lesson on the selected topic. This allows you to register for one session, all six, or somewhere in between, as it fits your schedule. All sessions are designed around/aligned with NGSS standards for the selected age group.
Sessions will alternate each week between two different age groups – ages 5-8 and 9-12. This means each age group will meet once every two weeks. (See Schedule below for dates.)
Times
Morning sessions will run Wednesdays 9:45-11:45 AM. Please note, there is another class in the room until 9:30 so we will not be able to accept students until 9:35. There is also a class in the room starting at 12:00 PM so please be sure to pick up students promptly at 11:45.
Afternoon session will run Wednesdays 2:30-4:30 PM. The content for the afternoon session will be identical to that in the morning session, so please only sign your student up for one session or the other. Drop-off for the afternoon session will start at 2:20.
Price
The cost to register for each session is:
$15/child, member
$20/child, non-member
Scholarships are available, please call (517) 342-2713 for more information.
Class Size
Classes are capped at 16 students. There will be a waitlist available in case seats open up as the session gets closer.
Special Needs/Accommodations
Potter Park Zoo is happy to accommodate your child’s needs within our means. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide extended individual support during the class due to staffing restrictions, but we are happy to work with you to allow a paraprofessional or parent/guardian to assist with children requiring individual support. Please call us at (517) 342-2772 if you would like to discuss your child’s needs or would like to meet with the instructor prior to registering.
Inclement Weather Policy
If the Eaton RESA Career Prep Center or Lansing Public Schools are cancelled due to inclement weather or Potter Park Zoo is closed/Ingham County Operations are suspended, we will not hold Zoo Crew. We will attempt to reschedule any sessions that are missed due to weather. If we are unable to reschedule and/or your child is not able to attend on the new date, registration fees for that week will be refunded.
Schedule
Fall 2025 dates and topics will be posted in Mid-August for a late September start.
Ages 5-8
Fall 2025: Animal Grossology
Sep 24, 2025
Barf-o-rama
This week we’ll be exploring vomiting and regurgitation and how (and why!) they are used in unique ways in the animal kingdom.
Oct 8, 2025
Stinky smelly science
Animals can be really smelly! This week we’ll be exploring some of the stinky ways that animals use smells to communicate, ward off predators, and more!
Oct 22, 2025
Whose scat is that?
This week we’ll be exploring animal scat (poop!) and what it can tell us about an animal.
Nov 5, 2025
Guess I’ll go eat worms
Ever munched on a mealworm? Slurped up a centipede? This week we’ll be looking at some of the interesting (and gross!) things animals eat.
Nov 19, 2025
It’s not slime… it’s mucus!
Eeew, it’s slimy! This week we’ll be exploring the slippery squishy world of slime and mucus.
Dec 3, 2025
I could just spit!
Animals use saliva in a lot of unique ways. This week we’ll explore some of the spittiest species in the animal kingdom.
Registration is scheduled to open on Wednesday, August 20th for Fall 2025.
Ages 9-12
Fall 2025: Animal Health
Oct 1, 2025
The Veterinary Team
Who are the people at the vet clinic? What do they do? Join us this week as we learn about the different roles in the clinic. We’ll also learn about some other animal health careers outside of veterinary clinics.
Oct 15, 2025
Intro to Anatomy and Physiology
A solid knowledge of animal anatomy is critical for any animal health professional. This week we’ll be learning about some of the parts of the body and how they work together to keep animals alive and healthy.
Oct 29, 205
Nutrition
Good nutrition is the foundation on which animal health is built. Without a healthy diet, our animals’ bodies would not be able to function properly. This week we will learn about animal nutrition and how the members of our animal care team work together to meet the unique nutritional needs of the animals in their care.
Nov 12, 2025
Preventative Medicine
A key component of modern veterinary medicine is prevention. It’s better for everyone if we can keep our animals healthy rather than having to treat illnesses and injuries as they arise. This week we will learn about some of the main forms of preventative medicine used with animals today.
Nov 26, 2025
Investigation
One of the challenges of working in animal health is that your patients can’t tell you what’s wrong with them! So veterinarians have to use investigative techniques – lab tests, xrays, etc – to try to figure out what’s wrong when an animal is sick or injured. This week we’ll be learning about some of these techniques and how they are used to help us provide the best care for our animals.
Dec 10, 2025
Diagnosis
Once an animal health professional has gathered information from exams and lab tests, they have to put all of that information together to come to a diagnosis – an informed guess about what the problem is – and treatment plan. This week we will be working through a sample case to try to figure out what might be wrong with our patient.
