Close observation is at the heart of what keeps zoo animals healthy and happy, and scouts will practice this skill like a real zookeeper would. Girls will sketch animal prints, test their instincts with a game of animal camouflage, and get an up-close encounter with one of our zoo residents. Along the way, scouts will record field notes like a scientist, learning what careful observation can tell us about an animal's well-being.

Get an up-close look at the tiny creatures that do so much for our world. Scouts will consult with a bug specialist to create a bug poster by sketching their subject and digging into where it lives, what it eats, and how it fits into its ecosystem. Girls will search the park to spot bugs in the wild, then wrap up with a hands-on bug field trip, meeting our resident cockroaches and millipedes and getting a look at our pinned insect collection. By the end of the program, your troop will be expert entomologists!

What does it take for an animal to survive in the wild? Scouts will explore an animal's niche in nature by observing wildlife and taking notes on what they see before diving deeper into a few local animals, learning why they live where they do, what they eat, and how they interact with the world around them. Scouts will also explore a zoo habitat up close, researching how different animals are adapted to their environment, and get hands-on by building their own animal shelter. The day wraps up with a chance to give back, helping clean up habitat space on a hike or at the beach.