ZooReach
Scholarships
ZooReach Scholarships
ZooReach Scholarships for the 2023-2024 school year are available starting September 5
Through generous donations from local individuals, corporations and foundations, the Phoenix Zoo is able to offer some of our educational opportunities at no cost to the school (or free to the school) under our ZooReach Scholarship Program.
ZooReach Scholarships are available for Arizona Department of Education designated Title I schools (grades K – 12) that have 50 percent or more of their enrollment on a free or reduced lunch program.
Our scholarship fund is limited and at this time we are only able to allow one free program per qualifying school.
Scholarships are available to qualifying schools on a first-come-first-served basis while funds last.
| Project Orangutan | Scholarship Value: $175 |
| Live on Location | Scholarship Value: $200 |
| Virtual Field Trip | Scholarship Value: $50 |
| Virtual Outreach | Scholarship Value: $125 |
| Overnight Night Camp | Scholarship Value: $2,664 |
| Twilight Night Camp | Scholarship Value: $2,124 |
If you’d like to book a free program with us, please click on your selected program below to complete the online booking form. If you have questions prior to completing the form, please email outreach@phoenixzoo.org.
Program Descriptions
Experience a unique, project-based learning program that brings the Phoenix Zoo to you! Self-paced curriculum includes lessons for 60 minutes per week for
9 weeks. Designed to be flexible to fit the needs of classrooms doing virtual learning, in-person learning or a combination of both.
Project Orangutan is fun, fascinating and promotes hands-on, authentic problem-solving.
What is included in the program?
- In-depth Teacher Guide with:
- Arizona State Standards Alignment (Science, ELA, Math, Educational Technology)
- Detailed content outlines and lesson plans
- Comprehensive materials list
- Assessment rubrics
- Student Guide that outlines the overall project timeline, key vocabulary and assessment criteria
- Pre-post assessment and formative assessments
- Student Research Notebook PDF
- Support materials for each lesson including pre-recorded videos, recommended research sources and activity worksheets
- A live, virtual 30-minute Q&A session with a Phoenix Zoo educator during Week 5 of the curriculum **
**Optional Add-ons:
- Add a second 30-minute live, virtual check-in with a Zoo educator
- Add a virtual, live encounter with ambassador animals to your session
- Add-on Program Fee: $50 per add-on
Program Details
- Grades: 3 – 6
- Group Size: Maximum of 40 attendees
- Platforms for the Virtual Q&A Session: Zoom and Google Meets
- Program Length: 9 weeks self-paced, with a 30-minute live virtual Q&A during week 5
- Scholarship Value: $175
Available starting at 9 a.m. on September 5.
Guide-led, walking field trip tours happen in conjunction with your daytime field trip to enhance your students’ experience. All our programs are designed to support academic standards, are grade-level appropriate and include a variety of inquiry-based techniques. Your Zoo instructor will encourage critical thinking and deductive reasoning as your students explore their surroundings using multiple senses, including actively viewing animals on exhibit. Choose from one of the topics below, each covering a wide span of animal and conservation sciences. Each guided field trip is 45 minutes in length.
Subject to availability. Does not include behind the scenes viewing areas.
Duration: 45 minutes
Cost: $2 per person (Zoo admission not included)
Group Size: 15 minimum (groups larger than 25 may be split into multiple groups)
How to Book: Call 602.914.4333 (two weeks advance notice required for scheduling)
Guided Field Trip Topics
Crazy Classification: Exploring Animals (K-2)
Mammal, bird or reptile? How do you know what kind of animal you’re looking at? Through the Exploring Animals Guided Tour, students discover the major traits that scientists use to categorize animals. A Phoenix Zoo instructor leads students on a tour of the Zoo’s Arizona Trail, classifying vertebrate species. The instructor challenges students with interactives and inquiry to improve their observation and critical thinking skills.
Desert Discoveries: Exploring Arizona (Grades 3-4)
Food, water and shelter are hard to find in the Sonoran Desert. Avoiding predators and scorching temperatures are just some of the challenges living organisms must face. Through the Exploring Arizona Guided Tour, students explore and learn about several desert animals along the Phoenix Zoo’s Arizona Trail by comparing and contrasting their habitats and adaptations. Utilizing manipulatives, a Zoo instructor will guide discussion groups to uncover how various Arizona animals survive in the harsh extremes of our local ecosystem.
Nature’s Niche: Exploring the Rainforest (Grades 3-6)
More than half of all the plant and animal species call tropical rainforests home. Just how do so many unique and valuable organisms manage to coexist in such tight quarters? By carving their own niche, finding their “job” to minimize competition and actually benefit one another and their environment. A Phoenix Zoo instructor leads students on a tour of the Zoo’s Forest of Uco Trail to explore some of the many interesting inhabitants of a tropical rainforest and determine just which niche they fill in their environment. Through observations and discussions, students are challenged to identify various components of a balanced ecosystem, including biotic and abiotic elements, as well as producers and consumers, and discover how valuable each one is to the other.
Tropical Treasures (Grades 6-12+)
Tropical rainforests are fragile ecosystems requiring a delicate balance for sustainability. So just what happens when you lose a rainforest? Through the Tropical Treasures Guided Tour, students explore the Forest of Uco at the Phoenix Zoo, discovering the importance of rainforests, the resources acquired from them and the interdependence of the inhabitants found therein. While a Zoo instructor facilitates a group examination and discussion of real-life conservation projects, students gain an appreciation for the challenges we face in attempting to maintain a stable and diverse ecosystem and uncover the value of rainforests around the world.
Enriching Experiences: Exploring Behavioral Enrichment (7-12+)
Movies, music and video games provide us with hours of entertainment, but what does a zoo do to keep a monkey from getting bored or a zebra from being stressed? Behavioral Enrichment! By providing mental and physical stimulation through naturalistic settings and environmental enhancements, managed setting animals’ lives are greatly improved. The benefits include increased natural behaviors and healthy, stress-free individuals. The Enriching Experiences Guided Tour provides students with the opportunity to explore and learn about seven types of behavioral enrichment used by the Phoenix Zoo through comparing and contrasting a variety of exhibits and species. Utilizing manipulatives, a Zoo instructor will facilitate observations and discussions to discover some of the intricacies involved in the behavioral management of managed setting animals — making life more stimulating for the Zoo’s animals and guests alike!
Science in Zoos (9+)
How many scientists does it take to run a zoo? There’s a lot of science happening every day at the Phoenix Zoo that many never even notice. Throughout the Sciences in Zoos Guided Tour, students will view the Zoo from a different perspective. A Zoo instructor will lead the group in discussions and activities, while exploring many of the science disciplines necessary to run a successful zoo and conservation program. Students will discover the importance of the Phoenix Zoo’s role in conservation while uncovering many STEM career opportunities along the way.
Custom Guided Field Trips
Custom Guided Tours are designed based on your specific interests and needs. Our trained Zoo staff works with you to create a completely customizable 60-minute educational walking tour of one of our Zoo trails – covering the exhibits and topics you are interested in.
Subject to availability. Does not include behind-the-scenes viewing areas.
Guided Tours are popular programs for school groups, so teachers and schools are encouraged to make reservations early. When making your reservation, please inform us of any cultural or religious aversions to any animal species or type of animal. We can adjust the tour to fit your needs. Please be sure to arrive early for your program, as extended time cannot be guaranteed past 10 minutes.
Duration: 60 minutes
Cost: $5 per person (Zoo admission not included)
Group Size: 10 minimum (groups larger than 25 may be split into multiple groups)
How to Book: Call 602.914.4333 (two weeks advance notice required for scheduling)
All tours occur in any weather condition.
Available starting at 9 a.m. on September 5.
Visit the Phoenix Zoo from the comfort of your home or classroom! Virtual Field Trips include pre-recorded guided tours with three different animals, a review activity, accompanying worksheet and challenge activity, PLUS a 15-minute live, virtual Q&A session with a Zoo Educator*. All virtual field trip themes are aligned to Arizona State Standards.
**Optional Add-on:
- An additional 15-minute virtual, live encounter that includes ambassador animals to your Q&A session for an added fee.
Themes:
K-2: Food Webs: Who Eats Whom?: Fangs, beaks, and tusks, oh my! Did you know that animals have different types of teeth? Come join us as we visit some of our animals at the Zoo to uncover what their teeth can tell us about what they eat and where they get their energy.
K-2: Survival: Animal Features: Why are some birds colorful? How do monkeys use their tails? Observe three astounding animals at the Phoenix Zoo as we consider why they have certain features and how these features help them survive in the wild.
3-5: Food Webs: Energy Flow: Have you ever wondered how energy moves within an ecosystem? Explore the Tropics Trail with us and have an up-close encounter with three animals who play important and unique roles in the rainforest!
3-5: Survival: Adaptations: How do animals survive and thrive in the harsh climate of the desert? Discover the amazing adaptations of three exceptional animal species on the Africa Trail.
6-8: Food Webs: Human Impact: How do humans affect wildlife and ecosystems? Assume the role of a wildlife manager while we explore the Arizona Trail to discuss and observe three extraordinary species that we can directly impact!
6-8: Survival: Genetics and Inherited Traits: Why are some species endangered while others thrive? Investigate the genetic and environmental factors affecting three rare species at the Phoenix Zoo!
Program Details
- Grades: Kindergarten – Eighth Grade
- Group Size: Maximum of 40 attendees per field trip
- Platforms for the Virtual Q&A Session: Zoom and Google Meets
- Program Length: 30 – 60 minutes
- Scholarship Value: $50
Available starting at 9 a.m. on September 5.
With Virtual Programs, Phoenix Zoo educators broadcast into your home or classroom with live animals, engaging activities and inquiry-based programs – the same quality programming you expect from the Phoenix Zoo, just virtual. All you need is a computer, and an internet connection, although we recommend a projector for larger groups.
Our interactive presentations are designed to meet Arizona State Academic Standards and may include a mix of live discussions and demonstrations, pre-recorded videos, interactive quizzes and questions, as well as live animal presentations.
- Animal Kingdom:Ideal for grades K-3, but can be adapted to suit any age learner. From fur to feathers, scales to exoskeletons, discover the characteristics of the animal world. Identify and learn about the similarities and differences that help us categorize animals into distinct scientific groups
- Ask a Zoo Expert:Ideal for all learners. Customize your program to fit your needs! Tell us what you’re studying or interested in, and we will design a program just for your group. Some topic examples are nocturnal creatures, desert adaptations, and rainforests. After you’ve booked your program, a member of our education team will contact you to discuss your needs.
Duration: 45 – 60 minutes (PreK 30 – 45 minutes)
Cost: $125 schools | $175 non-school
Group Size: 40 maximum
Available starting at 9 a.m. on September 5.
Our Phoenix Zoo Outreach Team will deliver exciting educational programs directly to your school! The Live on Location program is for locations within the Phoenix Metro area. Our Outreach Specialists will engage your students by providing up-close animal experiences with a select group of invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. We strive to inspire students about the wonders of our earth and the animals with whom we share it. Use a Live on Location program to introduce, reinforce or culminate your classroom curriculum. Choose from one of our exciting program topics or we can create a custom program to fit your needs.
Live on Location presentations can be either a booth setting (demonstration table with one-on-one discussion) or an interactive program with audience participation.
Topics
Animal Kingdom (Grades K – 1)
From fur to feathers, scales to exoskeletons, discover the amazing characteristics of the animal world. Identify and learn about the similarities and differences that help us categorize animals into distinct scientific groups.
Ask a Zoo Expert (Grades K – 12)
Bring a Zoo Expert to your classroom or group gathering via video conferencing! Whether you have students working on projects about animals or investigating Zoo careers, or your group simply has an interest in learning more about Zoo topics, this flexible Q&A/interview style program is the perfect way to tap into the knowledge of a Zoo Expert. Each one-hour session includes animal ambassadors and biofacts presented by a Zoo Expert who will help your group gain a deeper understanding of the topics they choose.
Once your program is booked, we will contact you to gather information about your group’s focus so we can choose appropriate animal ambassadors and prepare for potential questions from the group.
Program Details:
- A 45 – 60 minute program live in your classroom for up to 75 people. Some COVID-19 restrictions may apply.
- Program includes live animal ambassadors presented by engaging and knowledgeable instructors.
- Live On Location scholarship programs can be booked on Monday – Friday with both morning and late afternoon sessions available.
Available starting at 9 a.m. on September 5.
Experience the Zoo from dusk till dawn! Overnight Night Camps include guided trail hikes, animal encounters, engaging activities, games, a delicious pizza dinner, late-night snack and a continental breakfast. Best for campers ages 7 and up. You will have the unique opportunity to experience the Zoo when the nocturnal animals are waking up at night and the diurnal animals are waking up in the morning. The only question is: will your campers wake up to the sounds of the coyotes yipping or the lions roaring?!
Duration:
- Standard Overnight Camps (6:15 p.m. – 9 a.m.)
- Twilight Camp (6:15 p.m – 10:00 p.m.)
When: Wednesday – Saturday, October –May
Scholarship Total:
- Standard Night Camp: $2,664. A value of $74 per participant.
- Twilight Night Camp: $2,124. A vale of $54 per participant.
- Scholarship includes 36 campers and 4 adults.
- Price represented includes one free chaperone for every 10 campers and pizza dinner for all participants.
Food: Hungry Howie’s Pizza dinner, a snack and a light breakfast are all included in camp.
Group Size: 35 – 75 people per night (additional participants beyond the 36 campers and 4 adults included in the scholarship may attend at school pricing)
Optional Additions
- Stingray Bay: $1.50 per participant (Not included in scholarship)
Scholarships available starting at 9 a.m. on September 5.
Check out more about Night Camp here!