Unfortunately the decision has been made to cancel Alphabet Zoop for the foreseeable future.
I would like to thank every person that has contributed to the success of the last three terms and made this program possible in the first place. A big and special thank you to all our Alphabet Zoop children...I feel privilaged to have been able to share the love of nature with you.
Love Ange x
Where in the city of Melbourne can kinder kids connect with nature? At the Zoo of course! I am the designer and a teacher of Alphabet Zoop, a program run by Melbourne Zoo, created to help three and four year olds discover the magic of the zoo and its gorgeous animals. Through this blog, I hope to share with you the adventures of the children of Alphabet Zoop, some of nature's future caretakers. -Ange x
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
We too, love 'meetoo'
During week five of this term, we were very fortunate to have the author of a popular family website and her son visit Alphabet Zoop and find out what it was all about. If you are interested in reading her independent review about the program, please visit her website at 'meetoo'. This website is a fantastic reference for people who are wanting some ideas and information about what they can do as a family in Melbourne. It is highly recommended that you take a few minutes to have a read and discover all there is to do in Melbourne with your children!
Our very own extinction fighters
Melbourne Zoo is committed to Fighting Extinction and so are the children at Alphabet Zoop! This week we dressed up as our favourite superhero. There was Spiderman and woman, Wonderwoman, Supergirl and Batman just to name a few (and there was also a princess named Sophie!) One of the less well known heroes was the Leadbeater's Possum (which is what I dressed up as though I'm not sure that anyone could tell who I was trying to be). This species of Possum is one of Melbourne Zoo's 20 local threatened species that we are committed to saving (and also Zooperman's side-kick at the Zoo). Click here to find out more.
Melbourne Zoo is probably best known for its work with the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, which was once considered to be extinct. Sir David Attenborough even stopped by the Zoo on his Australian tour last year to find out more about our work with this amazing invertebrate. Click here to find out more.
Although we couldn't have an encounter with this stick insect as it is nocturnal, we were lucky enough to see and touch a Spiny Leaf Stick Insect instead which helped the children make a connection. We also made our very own stick insects to take care of at home.
As this was the last week of Alphabet Zoop it was time to say goodbye to everyone who had participated in Term 1, 2013. I had such a fun time with the children and parents and I know that the other staff members feel the same too. We hope that you all had just as much fun as we did and we hope to see you again at Melbourne Zoo. Ange x
Melbourne Zoo is probably best known for its work with the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, which was once considered to be extinct. Sir David Attenborough even stopped by the Zoo on his Australian tour last year to find out more about our work with this amazing invertebrate. Click here to find out more.
Although we couldn't have an encounter with this stick insect as it is nocturnal, we were lucky enough to see and touch a Spiny Leaf Stick Insect instead which helped the children make a connection. We also made our very own stick insects to take care of at home.
As this was the last week of Alphabet Zoop it was time to say goodbye to everyone who had participated in Term 1, 2013. I had such a fun time with the children and parents and I know that the other staff members feel the same too. We hope that you all had just as much fun as we did and we hope to see you again at Melbourne Zoo. Ange x
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
They have the whole world in their hands
If you're looking for an amazing song to inspire your children or students to take action and make a change in the world, I suggest listening to the song below. It's an adaption of 'He's got the whole world in his hands' and has been produced by barefoot books. Click here to listen to the 'Whole World'. Let me know what you think!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Pachyderm Prints
I wonder what a Pachyderm is?
Our newest pachyderm at the Zoo arrived on the 17th of January 2013 and last week was officially named 'Sanook' which means fun-loving and cheerful in Thai. A pachyderm is a large, thick skinned mammal with hoofed feet or nails, just like the Elephant.
To celebrate the birth of our newest baby Elephant, we made mummy and baby Elephants using our handprints. What better way to do this, than to use our own mums and bubs from the group. Naturally the parents' handprints became the mother Elephants and the childrens' handprints became the baby Elephants. After turning the handprints upside down, the children added brown sequins for their eyes and pink, semi-circles for their ears.
Can you think of any other animals that might be a pachyderm? If you can, please add your answers to the comments section.
Our newest pachyderm at the Zoo arrived on the 17th of January 2013 and last week was officially named 'Sanook' which means fun-loving and cheerful in Thai. A pachyderm is a large, thick skinned mammal with hoofed feet or nails, just like the Elephant.
To celebrate the birth of our newest baby Elephant, we made mummy and baby Elephants using our handprints. What better way to do this, than to use our own mums and bubs from the group. Naturally the parents' handprints became the mother Elephants and the childrens' handprints became the baby Elephants. After turning the handprints upside down, the children added brown sequins for their eyes and pink, semi-circles for their ears.
OH MY WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE!
Have you ever wondered how many teeth an Elephant has or what it would feel like to touch them?
Today we learnt that Elephants have 4 molar teeth at one time and replace their teeth up to 6 times in their life. They also have 2 incisors which are their tusks. Elephants have ridges on the top of their teeth which are used to grind up their food.
Can you find the Elephant tooth in the photo? It looks a little bit like the sole of a shoe!
Today we learnt that Elephants have 4 molar teeth at one time and replace their teeth up to 6 times in their life. They also have 2 incisors which are their tusks. Elephants have ridges on the top of their teeth which are used to grind up their food.
Can you find the Elephant tooth in the photo? It looks a little bit like the sole of a shoe!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Pelican's Party
We met the lovely Bec today, who was the keeper rostered on to care for the Pelicans. Bec gave us two special viewings of the Pelicans being fed their daily amount of fish. When they weren't quick enough, the opportunistic cormorants would gulp down the fish instead. Yum!
During the feed we found out that Pelicans turn the fish around in their bill so they can swallow them headfirst and this makes it easier for them as the fish's scales slide down smoothly. When we made our craft Pelican, this was a good teaching point to help the children position their own fish in the Pelican's over sized bill. Although our craft example had the fish facing the other way, some of the children turned their fish headfirst so that their Pelican could eat it properly.
During the feed we found out that Pelicans turn the fish around in their bill so they can swallow them headfirst and this makes it easier for them as the fish's scales slide down smoothly. When we made our craft Pelican, this was a good teaching point to help the children position their own fish in the Pelican's over sized bill. Although our craft example had the fish facing the other way, some of the children turned their fish headfirst so that their Pelican could eat it properly.
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| Our example - A Pelican eating fish |
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