Heritage Park Zoo hosting Zoo Camp, ZooLittles designed to teach young people about animals

Heritage Park Zoo Education Coordinator Leah Wacks holds a fake tiger’s skull. A tiger can generate around 1,000 pounds per square inch of force with a single bite, according to National Geographic. (George Johnston/Courier)

Heritage Park Zoo Education Coordinator Leah Wacks holds a fake tiger’s skull. A tiger can generate around 1,000 pounds per square inch of force with a single bite, according to National Geographic. (George Johnston/Courier)

In an effort to educate the public, Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary has two educational programs, Zoo Camp and ZooLittles, designed specifically to teach young people about animals.

Zoo Camp is one of the longest-running programs at Heritage Park, Education Coordinator Leah Wacks said. The day camp runs Monday through Friday during the spring, summer and fall seasons. The theme for this spring’s camp, beginning on March 11 and ending on March 15, is extreme animals.

The age range for Zoo Camp is 6 to 12 years old. The kids are broken into age groups. Usually, there are three groups, but that depends on how many children sign up for Zoo Camp, Wacks said.

At Zoo Camp, the kids do games and activities like nature hikes, being up close to the animals, learning about them, and getting a behind the scenes tour of the zoo.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Wacks said. “We do a lot of things like a traditional camp, but we do things that you only be able to do at the zoo.”

ZooLittles is a preschool aged program for kids ages 3 to 5 years old. It is a two-hour program. For most of the program during the summer, it takes place on Wednesdays and every other Saturday. There are special Saturday classes in May and September when school is going on, Wacks said.

The kids also get to play in the dirt and plant seeds while every class has a different theme.

“Kids learn about nature by being in it, especially at those early ages,” Wacks said. “It is an opportunities to get kids excited about nature.”

Usually, Zoo Camp has 200 campers and the program is continuing to grow. Wacks estimates the Zoo Littles program has around 150 kids.

“The education programs are our ‘link’ to the community in providing the opportunities to talk about our mission, conservation and what we can all do for wildlife welfare,” Heritage Park Zoo Executive Director Pam McLaren said.

These programs, McLaren said, offer a view and understanding of the outside world they may not have the opportunity to see otherwise.

“These opportunities help to build stronger independence, confidence, a sense of wonder, sensory development, speech development, motor skills, and group development,” McLaren said. “It’s amazing to see young children learn that they can make a difference.”

WANT TO SIGN UP?

For more information on both the Zoo Camp and ZooLittles, Contact Wacks at 928-778-4242, ext. 18, or email lwacks@heritageparkzoo.org. Those interested can also visit the zoo’s website at heritageparkzoo.org.

George Johnston is a reporter for The Daily Courier. Follow him on Twitter at @GeorgeSJohnston. Reach him by email at gjohnston@prescottaz.com, or call 928-445-3333, ext. 2038.


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