Bring The Zoo To Your Classroom
For a limited time, during the months of October through February, the El Paso Zoo provides FREE Educational Outreach Opportunities to local area schools. We are wild about education and want to help others rediscover their connections to nature! What better way to do this than to bring zoo adventures to you?
Offsite programs are only available from October through February, to account for the increased patronage here at the zoo during our spring and summer months.
Who qualifies?
- Any LICENSED primary, secondary, high school, or El Paso Universities/Community Colleges within El Paso city limits.
General Information:
- Offsite curriculum programs are only offered from October through February.
- Staff is only available for offsite programs on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. (The zoo is closed on Monday and Tuesday; education staff is unavailable on the weekends).
- The maximum time we can spend at your school is 3 hours.
- Programs are approximately 30 to 45 minutes in length.
- All program curriculum is aligned to TEKS, STEAM, and national standards.
- All classes are fun and interactive with opportunities for encounters with our education animal ambassadors!
- Limit: 2 free programs per school per month.
- Please reserve your program at least 2-3 weeks in advance.
- Please choose up to 3 potential dates on the reservation form; education staff will do their best to accommodate your preferred schedule. If staff is unavailable on the requested dates, education staff will provide alternate dates to choose from for your program.
- For the safety of our animals, the presentation area or classroom must be in a climate-controlled, indoor space (no lower than 70-75 °F).
- Offsite programs are curriculum-based; zoo staff is not available for informal education encounters or other “tabled” events.
- If zoo staff cannot obtain verbal confirmation regarding your scheduled program at least 24 hours in advance, your program will automatically be canceled.
Offsite Details
Educational curriculum outreach allows the El Paso Zoo to bring the animal kingdom to your facility with a variety of live animals, biofacts, and great information! You’ll be able to choose any of our listed curriculum programs below for a unique educational experience like no other – right in the comfort of your own campus classroom!
Animals of the Chihuahuan Desert (Grades: 3 – 12)
Students will discover the uniqueness and diversity of the Chihuahuan Desert and learn about the adaptations of animals and plants that enable them to survive in our desert home!
Animal Wrappers (Grades: Pre-K, K – 3)
Your students will discover how scientists classify animals based on the different coverings of mammals, birds, and reptiles! They will also learn about how these coverings help the animals survive in their habitats.
Careers at the Zoo (Grades: 4 – 12)
Zoos provide several career options! Students will learn about many of these zoo careers such as zookeeper, exotic animal veterinarian, education specialist, zoo director, and so much more!
Creature Features (Grades: 4 – 12)
In this lesson, students must listen carefully to the mystery speaker - the animal itself - to figure out who the mystery animal is! (**Hint: It is a critically endangered mammal found in the Chihuahuan Desert and less than 250 individuals can be found in the wild today).
Our World Our Friend (Grades: K – 12)
This program gives students a look at how animals depend on each other and their environment by exploring the different layers of the rainforest.
The Yucca Mystery (Grades: 4 – 8)
Students unravel a mystery to learn about a mutualistic relationship found right here in our Chihuahuan Desert home!
Venomous Animals (Grades: 3 – 12)
Students will learn how to identify venomous animals of the El Paso area. They will also learn the importance of these animals and how they help balance our ecosystems.
Register Today
Field trips are available Wednesday – Friday, except for designated Zoo event blackout dates and City of El Paso holidays. Reservations must be made 2 to 3 weeks in advance.
For animal safety reasons, we cannot guarantee any individual animal or class of animals.
For curriculum, TEKS, or STEAM-related questions, please contact an education specialist at [email protected].
We are currently not taking Offsite Requests