In-School Educational Workshops + Events
In-School Workshops
We visit your school or learning centre with all our pets and exotic creatures, or Zoom sessions direct to your classroom.
(ZooVentures is Auckland based)
In the words of David Attenborough:
"Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it."
From pet care workshops through to animal career days for senior secondary, we'll tailor a topic to your area of interest or pick one of ours. Sessions are structured with clear learning outcomes and a high level of engagement and participation. Students will be able to touch the animals and interact with them in a respectful way. Hands on learning at it's best!
With both popular pets and exotic animals, students love learning with us! Curriculum friendly, interactive, and fun!
What do teachers say?
Thank you so much for today. The children were buzzing about all of the animals when we got back to class!
Holly Skipper – Baverstock Oaks School
Thank you so much for your amazing visit. As always, the children loved it!
We look forward to having you back next year.
Nicky Heyns Kingsway
More comments from teachers:
“I’ve never seen the children so engrossed and delighted!”
“Well organised sessions – the students were highly engaged”
“Informative and fun and the facilitator managed the class really well”
“Spot on! Just the right amount of hands-on and information”
Choose one of the following topics or send us your theme or study unit and we'll design a class for you.
Take a trip through the animal kingdom from invertebrates through fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, all with real 'live' representatives. Learn about animal adaptations and survival strategies. Look, touch, and learn!
Introduction to Pets and Pet Care - Suitable for Year 0-10
Students create animal habitats meeting the needs of pets and consider the challenges of captivity. Hands-on fun and learning with traditional pets as well as lizards, tortoises, chinchillas and more. Includes dog safety message and training demonstration with our talented pups.
Endangered Animals - Suitable for Year 0-10
Learn why animals become endangered, how to play your part and what's being done to protect animals worldwide. See and touch examples of animals that are endangered in the wild. An informative workshop taught age appropriately at all levels with lots of animal involvement from our creatures.
Creative Writing and Art Classes - all ages and levels
Animals are inspiring! From stories and reflections to works of art, we bring a range of pets and exotic creatures to bring out every child's creativity.
Pricing:
We operate from the school hall or a spare classroom and run an hour session with consecutive classes (up to 25 children). Just $225 + gst per session with a minimum of 3 classes (+ travel). This is considerably more cost effective than offsite trips and there is no extra logistics or supervision to organise.
Introduction to Animal Care and Careers 'STAR' Workshop - Suitable for Year 10-13
An overview of career options working with animals and practical activities around care and handling of a number of species. Guest speakers regularly attend such as the NZ Police Dog Section, Unitech, NZ Customs Dogs, Veterinary professionals and more.
Government funding may be available through your school Careers office.
Please contact your school careers advisor to register your interest, however questions about the course itself may be directed to ZooVentures.
"Any animal lover will get a lot out of this course in the form of both knowledge and pure enjoyment" Freddy - Auckland Grammar Student
Early Childhood - Onsite Visits, or Live and Interactive Zoom Sessions
ZooVentures visits early childhood centres on the Hibiscus Coast and North Shore with fun and engaging workshops for children. Kindness, empathy, and respect for animals is our central theme for EC visits. We are sometimes available for EC visits in other districts - just ask.
Small pets and exotic creatures can be easily hurt by squeezing or dropping and for this reason we cater for your 3 years and up, with no under or 'almost' 3s. This is a strict rule for animal welfare reasons.
Early Childhood Zoom Sessions available all locations and for all ages!
Holiday Programmes
If you run a holiday program, we can come to you! No travel to organise and hands-on learning and fun for the children.
We visit many community-based holiday programmes, and shopping centres where there is a quiet area for the animal display and activities.
Functions and Events
From family gatherings through to corporate fun days, store openings, and community events, we provide a fascinating animal display, and the opportunity for visitors to your event to get up close with an amazing range of weird and wonderful creatures. (Please note that vehicle access close to the set-up area is essential, and we may require a staff member or security officier onsite during set-up and pack-down for large events and shopping centres).
"What a fab day and it was made all the better for having you along! You made it all very easy for us, it was an absolute pleasure having you there.
Retirement Village Visits
We love bringing or animal collection to retirement villages. Residents are able to handle many of the animals and we share their stories and what makes each one special. We normally visit for an hour and can operate indoors or out.
ZooVentures is also a great drawcard for family days.
Please contact us for pricing info.
TV / Advertising / Media
Our animals have appeared on Good Morning, Breakfast, The Cafe, Chinese Television and in print and film advertising. Please contact us for more information.
Sally has written extensively on a range of animal topics for magazines, online publications, and the NZ Herald, and is available for editorial contributions and opinion pieces.
.