Self Guided Materials (Biofact Bags and Pond Dipping Equipment Rentals)

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Tours & On-site Education Programs

Meet at the Affinity Learning Centre (education centre)

Note: The School Bus drop-off and pick-up point for Tours and On-site Education Programs is at the Affinity Learning Centre (formerly the education centre). Take the first left-hand turn along the long drive into the Forestry Farm Park. Follow the signs to “Administration”. The Affinity Learning Centre is located beside the Administration Building.

Click here for a MAP to the Affinity Learning Centre

Discovery Programs

Zoo Tours and Presentations are designed to compliment your classroom studies. Zoo Society staff and volunteers are available year round to conduct educational programs at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park Zoo. The content of school tours has been developed along Saskatchewan curriculum guidelines. Call the Zoo Society at (306) 975-3395 for details and to book your program. Please note: our programming staff are regularly out of the office conducting education programs. Please leave a brief message on the answering machine, including your phone number, grade, and requested tour theme.

Discovery Programs are $2.00 per person (Minimum charge $50.00) unless otherwise noted.

Zoo admission and parking fees are not included. No parking charge for school busses.
Saskatoon Zoo admission: Please note there is a group rate which is $0.50 off the following prices.

Adult: $7.90

Youth (6-18 years): $4.75

Children 5 years and younger are free.

(Prices subject to change).

All Public and Catholic School Board schools within the City of Saskatoon enter the zoo at no charge as part of the “Joint Use Agreement”.

Please note: On a Discovery Program participants will visit specific enclosures. There is no opportunity to see the entire zoo on a tour. Allow your class extra time to see the entire zoo. We recommend spending time sight-seeing after the program. Younger students may wish to visit the playground and have a snack after the program.

Discovery Programs

Programs are $2.00 per participant (minimum charge $50.00) per group and does not include zoo admission. Programs are designed for an average classroom of 25 students. Special arrangements can be made for larger groups.

The Carnivores:

Meet the meat-eaters! On this special tour we’ll meet our raptor birds and mammal carnivores and explore their adaptations for hunting and eating their prey. Find out why and how some owls hunt at night, and what they eat! The Carnivore Tour takes approximately 50 minutes.

Hoofed Stock:

What’s the difference between horns and antlers? How many species deer live in Saskatchewan? We use concept of niche to understand how so many plant eaters can survive in one area, and we’ll explore what happens when habitats are altered. The Hoofed Stock tour takes approximately 1 hour.

Species at Risk:

What do Lions from Africa share with Saskatchewan’s Swift Fox? We’ll discuss the importance of a healthy environment and human health as we discover why Saskatchewan has so many species at risk and what we can do to help. The presentation looks at the changes in the Saskatchewan landscape and how human interaction has affected our wildlife. The Species at Risk indoor program takes approximately 50 minutes. Add 1 hour for outdoor program. Call the Zoo Society for other options available with this program.

Meet the Creature:

This year-round program takes place in the new Affinity Learning Centre at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo. Creatures with fur, feathers, scales, and slime. How do scientists classify vertebrate animals? Find out in this hands-on exploration animal life. The second part of the program is a presentation on predators and prey with emphasis on the carnivores and birds of prey. In this presentation the class will meet one of our birds of prey up close and personal. Meet the Creature Program takes approximately 90 minutes. Groups larger than 15 participants will be split into two groups.

Owls and Owl Pellets:

With the help of Spirt (Spirit), our Great Horned Owl, we look at the ecology of owls and other raptors in Saskatchewan. Unlike other birds of prey, owls cannot digest bones. What is left behind is known as an owl pellet. Owl pellets are used by scientists to study the biodiversity of the owl’s habitat. Want to know how the scientists do this? We’ll dissect some owl pellets to discover what is inside. Owls and Owl Pellets takes approximately 90 minutes. Please note this program is $3.00 per student. Call the Saskatoon Zoo Society at 975-3395 for details.

Pond Dipping 2010: Available May through October

In this two-part program we’ll explore our prairie marsh to discover what invertebrates call Saskatchewan home. The second part of the program is your choice of either a carnivore & bird of prey tour OR an indoor “meet the creature” program. Pond dipping takes approximately 1.5 hours. Groups larger than 15 participants will be split into two groups.

The Reptiles

We’ll explore the fascinating world of reptiles and discover how they survive in their various ecosystems. Can a snake “smell” with its tongue? Are snakes slimy? Meet our Common Garter Snake from Saskatchewan or Royal Python from Africa, or Central Bearded Dragon, a lizard from Australia, and find out!

North American Porcupine

Take a close up look at the life of Saskatchewan’s Porcupine and how this unique rodent survives a life high in the trees.

Tours of the Forestry Farm Park National Historic Site

are available from the Friends of the Forestry Farm House. ATTENTION GRADE 3-4 TEACHERS. . . TAKE YOUR STUDENTS BACK IN TIME! The Friends of the Forestry Farm Park invite you to experience a bit of Saskatchewan history. Come to the Superintendent's Residence in the Forestry Farm Park for a lesson in conservation, a historical tour of the Forestry Farm House and Park, and information on the trees that shaped our province.

Our trained volunteers will lead you and your students in a tour which includes information on the day-to-day operations and life at the Dominion Forestry Farm in the early part of the 20th century. The tour and activities can be tailored to a one, two or three hour time period and may include a walking tour, a poster made with tree rubbings, and a shelterbelt model and demo. There is plenty of space and a kitchen available for snacks, if you wish to bring them.

Spring is the perfect time to visit this National Historic Site. It makes a wonderful compliment to a visit to the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo.

Cost is $1.00 per student. For more information or to book your visit, please call Cyndi at 343-0425 or e-mail The Cunanan's.

2010 Saskatoon Public Schools Grade One Program:

Click here for more information Note: Due to construction of the new education centre at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo the Grade One program is cancelled for the Fall of 2009. Watch for our new year-round Grade One Program starting in January 2010.

Self Guided Materials

Besides the guided Zoo Society Discovery Programs we also offer self guided information:

Zoo Scavenger Hunt Quiz (Adobe PDF format) Scavenger Hunt answers (Adobe PDF format).

We also rent Biofact Bags and Pond Dipping Kits. These bags and kits are ideal for classes who missed out on booking one of the Saskatoon Zoo Society’s excellent guided tour programs. These kits and bags are rented on a first come - first served basis. Rental fee is $25.00 which includes a $20.00 deposit (that’s right…it is only $5.00 to rent a biofact bag or kit). There are three bags or kits to choose from. Call 97-3395 for more information or to rent.

Carnivore & Bird of Prey (Raptor) Biofact Bag. Hoofed Animals Biofact Bag. Pond Dipping Kit.

CERT Community, Experiences, Resources, and Tours

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