Welcome Homeschool Families
The Minnesota Zoo offers a variety of programs for homeschool students and families to enrich your teaching year. Click below to learn all we have to offer.
Homeschool Day, Coming Fall 2018. Check back for details.
Homeschool Day
Homeschool families, come spend a day at the Minnesota Zoo! Check back in the summer of 2018 for more details.
Time: Zoo opens at 9:00 a.m. Education stations open from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost:
| PARTICIPANTS | NON MEMBERS | MEMBERS |
| preK-5th grade students | $10.00 | $4.00 |
| 6-12th grade students | $12.00 | $4.00 |
| Adult | 1 free / family | Free |
| Additional Adults | $12.00 | |
| Children 2 years and under | Free | Free |
| Vehicle parking | $7.00 | Free |
You will receive a confirmation and payment is made when you arrive at the Zoo. If purchasing a membership you might want to purchase on-line in advance at www.mnzoo.org.
How to Register
Registration taken though Monday October 1, 2018.
To register online for Homeschool Day, click the button below to begin. The first page will take you to a log in page where you will need to create an account or sign in to an existing account, payment will be taken at time of registration.
To email a request send an email to [email protected] with the following information, parent name, email address, address, city, state, zip, number of PK-5th grade attending, number of 6-12th grade attending and number of car(s) parking. Payment for admission for email-in requests will be paid the day of the event when you arrive at the Zoo. You will be sent a confirmation of your reservation.
If you have any questions Email Us, Fax: 952-997-4838, or call 952-431-9218.
Lunch:
Families are welcome to purchase lunch at the Call of the Wild food court or bring your lunch and eat at any of the indoor or outdoor picnic areas. There are school lunch storage shelves located by the school lunch tables at the Tropics Trail plaza for use on this day.
Don’t forget IMAX THEATRE!
Add the IMAX Classroom to your day at the Minnesota Zoo! No pre-registration required. Pay at the box office prior to your movie. Call IMAX for shows and times at 952-997-9714.
Homeschool Academy: Winter Session – The Science of Conservation
Homeschool Academy: Winter Session – The Science of Conservation.
Join us at the Zoo and explore more deeply the Minnesota Zoo’s conservation efforts with this hands-on, inquiry based six-week program. Through stories, guided tours and classroom activities, students gain a deeper understanding of what the Zoo is doing to protect wildlife and how they can get involved and take action. We encourage parents to drop students off.
WHEN: Mondays, January 22 – March 5, 2018 (6 sessions- no session February 19th) Each week can be an independent lesson but all 6 weeks make a complete program.
TIME: 10:00am -12:00pm
WHERE: MN Zoo, Apple Valley, MN
WHO: Homeschool students ages 9-12
COST:
SINGLE SESSION COST: $25 ($20 MN Zoo Members) per session. Pre-registration and pre-payment required.
PACKAGE DISCOUNT COST: Register for all six sessions for the same student in a single order and receive $3.50 off each session. $129 ($99 MN Zoo members) per student for all 6 sessions. Please select continue shopping to add sessions, discount will be applied on the checkout page.
Inquiries can be made to [email protected] or 952-431-9218
How to Register
January 22, 2018 Tiger Tales
Amur tigers were one of the first animal conservation programs started at the MN Zoo. Come learn more about these large predators while engaging in radio tracking, and learning about the science behind saving these large predators from further decline.
January 29, 2018 Mighty Minnesota Moose
Despite being a symbol of Northern Minnesota, moose populations are quickly diminishing. After meeting the mighty creature, we will role play parts of the Zoo research team. Through careful observations and analyzing data collected in the field, we will try to hypothesize reasons why moose are disappearing.
February 5, 2018 Bison Bouncing Back
As settlers moved westward, bison were often bred with cattle to produce an offspring mix who could better tolerate harsh winters. Today bioengineers and Zoo scientists are trying to bring back the purebred bison. We will try our hand at breeding a fictitious bison herd to better understand the process.
February 12, 2018 Monk Seal Mystery
In the most remote Hawaiian Islands, marine mammal researchers are trying to solve the mystery of the declining monk seal populations. Learn more about this rare animals as we practice scientific observations and population count strategies to simulate how NOAA field scientists are trying to save the last of these animals.
February 26, 2018 Building Strong Mussels
Everyone needs mussels. These freshwater organisms clean water, a necessity for all plants and animals. Through dissection we will learn how their anatomy has the ability to filter water with such efficiency. We will then test different filtration methods for comparison.
March 5, 2018 The Pollinator Connection.
Pollinators are quite the ‘buzz’ lately. Butterflies and bees create and maintain vital plant habitat connecting animals to food and shelter but we are not creating and maintaining vital habitat for them. We will classify common pollinators and their plants and create ways to meet their need for food and shelter.
