Columbus Zoo educates Ross County elementary students at OHIO Chillicothe

Nearly 300 students from Zane Trace Elementary School and Community Action Head Start got to have a close encounter with animals from the Columbus Zoo at Ohio University Chillicothe on Friday, Nov. 1. The visiting zoo animals included an anteater, armadillo, penguin, tortoise and sloth.

The zoo visit was the culminating experience in Ohio University’s Zoo Fest experience, funded through the Office of Experiential Learning, which allowed junior education majors from OHIO’s regional campuses to visit the Columbus Zoo to learn about planning field trips along with meeting standards through an educational field trip. The same group of students hosted children from local schools for the zoo visit at OHIO Chillicothe. This grant allows Ohio University to reach beyond the classroom walls and engage community partners in fun teaching and learning activities.

Last October, senior education majors from all five Ohio University regional campuses explored the Columbus Zoo from an educator’s perspective, identifying how they can meet curriculum standards in science and social studies through a visit to the zoo.

Assistant Professor of Instruction in Early Childhood and Elementary Education Amy Wolfe said Zoo Fest provided OHIO Chillicothe education students with valuable experience creating tangible lessons they can implement in their schools and communities.

“The zoo visit demonstrates to our teacher candidates how enrichment experiences bring the curriculum to life for prek-5th grade students,” Wolfe said. “Elementary students build background knowledge and vocabulary, and make connections to the real world when they have opportunities like our zoo visit. Providing these experiences in school levels the playing field since home experiences vary widely.”

Kendra Grimm, a third-grade teacher who accompanied her class to the zoo visit, said Zane Trace’s third graders have been engaged in learning about the five types of vertebrates so the zoo experience was a great way to reinforce what they have been learning.

“This field trip was really exciting for them because they got to see in real life, the animals that they've been studying about,” Grimm said.

Ella Clancy, a senior early childhood and elementary education major, said the zoo visit was a useful learning experience as a future educator and a great educational opportunity for the kids who attended.

“I learned that it's important, as an educator, to set boundaries with your students so they know which animals they can touch and which ones not to,” she said. “It was so fun! The kids learned about how these animals use self-defense in the wild and how they can support wildlife conservation efforts.”

Carly Davisson, who earned her education degree at OHIO Chillicothe and teaches 2nd grade at Zane Trace, said her class enjoyed seeing and learning about the animals from the Columbus Zoo.

“I have several students that have not been to the zoo, so the opportunity to see these animals close up was fascinating!” she said, explaining that her students took away new knowledge about the animals they encountered.