Minnesota Zoo Professional Development Opportunities

This hands-on training is geared towards new teachers curious about joining the ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge or returning ZOOMS teachers looking for more support on how to better facilitate classroom and field trip supporting activities to lead students through the enrichment or exhibit design process. Participants will leave this training with a deeper understanding of how STEM is used at the Zoo in animal enrichment, exhibit design, and wildlife conservation as well as how to incorporate activities that integrate STEM concepts into their curriculum, based on the Minnesota State Science Standards.

The ZOOMS STEM Design Challenge presented by Flint Hills Resources offers students a chance to develop a solution to a ‘real’ problem faced by Zookeepers and staff at the Minnesota Zoo. From designing an enrichment, to building a model of a renovated animal exhibit, the problem will challenge students to use STEM to best solve the problem and present a solution. Registered teachers will receive access to this free Zoo training to learn about the design challenge background and animals (virtual or in-person options), challenge supporting curriculum resources for both in-person and digital learning, and ongoing implementation support throughout the school year from Zoo education staff. You can sign up for the training date of your choice when you register for the design challenge.

I Speak for Mussels!
An interdisciplinary project, Show Us Your Mussels Challenge offers students, grades 6–12, an opportunity to learn about the real problems facing our endangered native freshwater mussel populations and what community members can do to help. Students first learn how local water quality affects these important species, and the role of mussels in maintaining a healthy aquatic system. Students then create digital media campaigns to highlight what they have learned and encourage community members to act.

With its 10,000+ lakes and variety of wetlands, Minnesota is a paradise for freshwater turtles and many other wetland wildlife species. There are nine species of freshwater turtles that call Minnesota home, but unfortunately, freshwater turtles and their wetland ecosystems today face a variety of threats that are putting their future in Minnesota at risk.

Join Minnesota Zoo naturalists to find out how to guide your students outdoors in exploring their local wetland and take on a real conservation action project centered on helping MN freshwater turtles and wetland wildlife, engaging their community, raise Awareness, and preserve their wetland.

In this training, teachers will participate in hands on activities focused on wetland and turtle conservation science, how to lead students outdoors, using nature journaling as a tool to explore and gather data about wetland phenomena, and guiding a student-driven culminating conservation project near school. Teachers will also get to hear about the conservation efforts that are being taken to save wetland species from the Minnesota Zoo’s Turtle and Mussel Conservation Biologists. All workshop participants will be receive support from Zoo naturalists throughout the school year as needed and will be given access to a collection of digital wetland and turtle education resources.