Pre-School

Many of our preschools have us visit their individual classes once or twice a month. We start by learning about the characteristics that fit an animal into a group as well as those that distinguish them as individuals. As the year progresses, we explore the ways that each creature fits into a particular habitat, where these places are, and the skills/adaptations each animal has to succeed in their natural environment.

Our Director travels around the globe photographing wildlife in their natural habitats, while discovering diverse cultures. Photography, stories and artifacts from these adventures are often utilized in our programs. In the interest of exploration and connecting children with animals in their natural settings, the culminating experience for many of our schools is a field trip to the forest, pond or coast.

All programs can be presented independently, or as part of a series. We are happy to tailor a class or series to dovetail with your curriculum and schedule. Many of these classes can be adapted for “Mommy and Me” and other preschool oriented classes.
* We typically start with two-year old classes in the second half of the year.

Please click and/or select from the following menu of programs currently available:

“Animal Rescuers”	“Creepy Crawly”
“Fabulous Frogs”	“Terrific Turtles”
“Leapin’ Lizards”	“Snakes of the World”
“Amazing Mammals”	“Birds of a Feather”
“Tools for the Job”	“Where do you live?”
“What are you good at?”	“In the Wild”
Land Vs Water	“How do We Get There?
“Life in the Forest”	“Life Under the Surface”
“Life in the Trees”	“Life in the Desert”
“Life in the Rain Forest”	“Can You See Me”
“Meta What???”	“What Would You Eat”
“Five Senses”	“What’s the Occasion”

“Animal Rescuers” Children will meet some of our animal ambassadors and learn about our jobs as animal rescuers. Learn the difference between a pet and animals they might find outside. Children will learn the importance of being gentle, kind and caring, and understand why wild animals should live in the wild instead of in a house.
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“Creepy Crawly” We don’t think so. Discover why all animals are beautiful in their uniqueness. All creatures are different; this allows them to survive the challenges in their natural environments. Celebrate this diversity with us and look at all animals in the same way. This program is great for Halloween; explore the differences between fear and respect.
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“Fabulous Frogs” This lesson will introduce the children to a variety of frogs from around the world. It is designed to help them to understand diversity as they discover the many colors, shapes and sizes of frogs. They will also learn that frogs speak many different languages and can do far more than hop, as they hold Australian tree frogs and meet a giant African bullfrog.
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"Terrific Turtles
From land to sea, children will learn the difference between a tortoise and a turtle and discover that some animals can live on land and water. This will further their understanding of habitats, diversity and different strategies of land based and aquatic animals. Among the turtles, students will meet Big Red, a banana eating tortoise from S. America, and her babies, born at Animal Embassy.

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Leapin’ Lizards Whether walking up walls, swimming, climbing trees and leaping from place to place, these enigmatic creatures come in many forms. Children will meet a variety of lizards from around the world as we learn that animals eat a variety of things. Discover what makes a balanced diet for them and what helps each one to deal with the challenges they face in their natural habitat.
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"Snakes of the World"

These often misunderstood creatures come in an incredible diversity of colors and sizes. With this lesson, children will learn to respect these amazing animals and understand that looking different is not a bad thing and that all animals have a “job” and are important in the habitats where they live. Children will learn that like many other creatures, snakes are on their own at birth. With no need for an education, these animals are born with what they need to take care of themselves.

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"Amazing Mammals" For the softer side of nature, students will meet a variety of mammals including: ferrets, chinchillas, rabbits and sugar gliders. Whether fur, feathers, fins or scales, animals have a variety of things they “wear.” Children will learn that like us, our furry friends take care of their offspring to teach them all the things they need to know to succeed.
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“Birds of a Feather” These winged marvels capture the hearts and imaginations of most children. Animals have many means of locomotion; birds have one of the most amazing of all, flight. With nests, feathers, eggs and live birds, children will come to know these winged marvels.
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“Tools for the Job”

All animals are unique and have characteristics that help them to get the things they need to survive: food, shelter, water, oxygen and space. Teeth, claws, quills, shells, suction cups, we all need the right tools for the job. Children will become familiar with some of the tools we use on the job and compare with what animals have in their “tool box.” We use pictures to identify different professionals: fire safety, police, nurse, doctor, mail man or woman.

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“Where do you Live?”

With this lesson children will learn a little geography and come to understand that like the animals, we all come from some place and we all live somewhere. Where do we live? In a house, on a street, in a town, a state, a country, the Earth. Are any of us from far away places? Now that we have learned about the diversity of life on Earth, we will meet examples of animals from a variety of habitats from around the world. Some live underground, in a tree, on the land or in the water.

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“What are you good at?” Through individual characteristics, animals survive in myriad places. Meet camouflage “artists,” and amazing animal “gymnasts.” From preying mantids to sugar gliders, we will meet some of the most amazing creatures of them all. Learn about some of our own best skills and attributes. We are all good at different things.
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“In the Wild” Life in nature is full of challenges. Each animal is fine-tuned to survive and thrive in his or her natural habitats. Discover the difference between life in the desert, rainforest, and mountains. Learn the difference between dry vs. wet, cold vs. hot, sand vs. mud.
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Land Vs Water Meet a variety of animals that live on land and their relatives that live very different lives under water. Children are introduced to the idea of having gills, see who can hold their breath the longest, floating vs. sinking, and discover other adaptations that help these creatures to live beneath the surface or on dry land.
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“How do We Get There? Children will identify pictures depicting human means of transportation. Animals like people use a variety of means to get where they are going. Children will meet a bird that flies, a frog that climbs, a fish that swims, a slow-walking turtle, and a rabbit that hops. End with a discussion of how we each get where we are going: swimming, climbing, walking, and running.
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“Life in the Forest” Meet a ground-dwelling salamander, a tortoise from the forest floor, a tree frog and a bird. Each animal has its place and its own way to live their “Life in the Forest.”
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“Life Under the Surface”

It’s another world down there. Sink or swim, an underwater life is full of challenges and sure to produce some surprises. Turtles, sea stars, sea urchins, crustaceans, and fish are just some of the creatures you may see in this popular class. Webbed feet, flippers, fins and tails are just some of the tools of the trade when you live a “Life Under the Surface.”

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“Life in the Trees” It’s the arboreal life for some. Meet a lizard that changes color, a frog with suction cups, a marsupial that can glide, an insect that looks like a stick and a snake with a prehensile tail. “Life in the Trees” helps children to understand the value, beauty and diversity of all creatures.
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“Life in the Desert”

Discover the amazing creatures of one of the harshest places on Earth. To the animals that live there its home. Meet a prickly hedgehog, a frog that can sleep for over a year, a snake with a nose for digging, and Millie, a giant African millipede. This is a great lesson to help children appreciate the difference between hot and cold, wet and dry. With an unusual line-up of animals, this class provides a great lesson in diversity.

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“Life in the Rain Forest” With four distinct layers to the forest, and trees three times our largest the rainforests of the world are host to the majority of life on this planet. This mystical place comes to life with our live rainforest ambassadors. Meet a small parrot, tree frog, Rain a beautiful green iguana, and other amazing rainforest creatures.
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“Can You See Me” Some creatures hide under rocks and logs, some have great disguises; others can change their colors. Like a game of hide and seek these animals blend into their environment any way they can. Preying mantids, tree frogs, chinchillas, tortoise, and geckos will help us to explore this fascinating hidden world.
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“Meta What???” This class focuses on the amazing transformation of frogs, salamanders and toads. We typically present this in the spring so that we can bring amphibian eggs as well as the larval stages. This is a nice way to reinforce lessons learned about butterflies.
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“What Would You Eat”

Animals come in many shapes and sizes, they live in the driest, wettest, hottest and coldest of places, but they all share some of the same basic needs: food, shelter, water, oxygen and space. Discover that we are not the only ones with picky tastes. Meet a lizard with a taste for melon, a banana-eating tortoise, a hedgehog with a taste for crickets and a chinchilla with a craving for raisins. We will also learn to distinguish a number of fruits and vegetables while making a salad for the turtle and lizard.

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“Five Senses”

With a curious group of animal ambassadors, children will discover that there are some similarities and distinct differences between the way we “see” the world and the way our animal neighbors do. Hashbrown the Flemish Giant rabbit will help us to learn about our ears. Stanley the Stinkpot turtle will help us to learn about our noses. Argentina the chinchilla will help us to learn about whiskers and a sensitive touch. The king of taste, Leche the milk snake, will help us to learn about our tongues, and the nocturnal leopard geckos will help us to learn about the beauty and value of eyes.

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“What’s the Occasion” With a series of pictures, students will guess where the person is going or who the person is by looking at the way that they are dressed, Meet an animal with fur, feathers, fins and scales and decide where they should be: underwater, on the land, in a tree or in the sea.
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