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Our Now/Next mats lets pupils choose how to interact!

NEW FOR 2024

A SEND student working on a ZooLab social story

WE'RE WILD ABOUT INCLUSION!

Animals are a great way to engage young people – especially those with special educational needs or disabilities.


Our Educational Animal Presenter will tailor your session to any specific educational needs or physical requirements of the children in your class. They have aids to help ensure everyone can join in whilst learning. 

 

Our inclusive ASN | SEND | ALN workshops can be adapted to suit the learning style within your class and cater for any pupils with sensory issues. 

 

We understand for some children with special educational needs and disabilities that new experiences can be challenging. For children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), we use Makaton animal signs, and tangible items to ensure every pupil is catered for.

Our ZooLab animals are diverse in size, shape and texture, so we know that every person is unique too!

Giant African Land Snail
A smiling SEND boy

WHAT IS A ZOOLAB ASN | SEND | ALN SESSION IS LIKE?

Middle Field School in Glasgow opened its doors to ZooLab and let us film with their amazing pupils.

ZooLab ranger Eilidh
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Rat

"Jack was fantastic in his delivery to our SEN children. He explained each of the animals clearly and with fascinating details so that all children were engaged and could access the workshops." 
CHAFFINCH BROOKE SCHOOL

A SEND child and adult working together on a ZooLab social story
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LIFE CAN BE CONFUSING - OUR SOCIAL STORY CAN HELP CLEAR THINGS UP

Our Social Story clarifies the social understanding around your ZooLab visit and aims to help address any anxiety participants may have.

A group of children holding signs with ZooLab makaton symbols on them
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OUR RANGERS USE MAKATON SIGNS & PECS ANIMAL FLASH CARDS

We use Makaton signs for animals and PECS Animal flash cards to converse more effectively with people with communication and learning difficulties. 

A child holding a ZooLab Now Next card
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PUPILS CAN CHOOSE HOW TO ENGAGE USING OUR NOW NEXT CARDS

Our Now Next boards have animal tiles you can cut out. This lets participants anticipate what animal is coming up and the level of interaction they’d prefer.

ZooLab printed resources that have been completed and coloured in by a child
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OUR FREE FUN RESOURCE PACKS ARE DESIGNED TO SUIT ALL ABILITIES

The fun doesn’t end after your session! Our fun, inclusive resource packs come with games, colouring, arts and crafts!

"As always our ZooLab experience was exceptional! Lily was amazing, she adapted to meet the differing needs of our learners She was knowledgeable and patient and engaged all of our learners."
DACORUM EDUCATION SUPPORT CENTRE

White's tree frog
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OUR WORKSHOPS:

SEND WORKSHOPS
hero image for ZooLab Workshop ANIMAL EXPLORER

DURATION: 45 - 55 mins


OVERVIEW: How slimy is a snail? What does a snake feel like? How far can a frog jump? Get up-close and hands-on with our unique Animal Explorer workshop. 

Guided by your expert ZooLab Ranger, your class will meet a menagerie of reptiles, mammals, inverts, amphibians and arachnids whilst hitting curriculum outcomes. 

This fun and interactive workshop perfectly exemplifies why ZooLab is WILD about animals.

Animal Explorer
All ages and abilities

hero image for ZooLab Workshop HABITATS

DURATION: 45 - 55 mins


OVERVIEW: 

What is a habitat? What types of habitat are there? Why do habitats matter? So many questions answered!

​ZooLab’s Habitat workshop introduces pupils to different habitats from around the world: including tropical rainforests, deserts, polar regions and oceans. This hands-on workshop looks at three great survivors; rats, cockroaches and humans and considers how and why they have survived.

Habitats
All ages and abilities

hero image for ZooLab Workshop MINIBEASTS

DURATION: 45 - 55 mins


OVERVIEW: Minibeasts have existed for around 550 million years and make up approximately 97% of creatures on Earth! In fact, the UK alone is home to 25,000 different species - these little creatures are quite a big deal. Let’s look at Minibeasts together!

 

During ZooLab’s workshop, children get a fun introduction to invertebrates and classification. They get to question, investigate and learn about scientific discovery.

 

This workshop answers all the big questions such as - What do Minibeasts have inside them? Are there any similarities with our bodies?

Minibeasts
All ages and abilities

hero image for ZooLab WorkshopSENSES & TEXTURES

DURATION: 45 - 55 mins


OVERVIEW: We’re going to use our senses to meet our animal friends (except taste (yuck!)) and find out how they use their senses.  How do they look, sound, smell and what they feel like?

Children learn how animals use their senses within their habitats. How do animals perceive their surroundings and how well are their senses adapted to them? Children make hands-on discoveries of textures and senses in an animal handling experience that is suitable for everyone from new intake to SEN classes.

Senses and Textures
All ages and abilities

hero image for ZooLab Workshop PREDATORS, PREY & FOOD CHAINS

DURATION: 45 - 55 mins


OVERVIEW: Food chains are a very delicate balance -  each species is dependent on the others around it. If something upsets that balance then drastic things can happen!

This workshop looks at feeding connections (what-eats-what) in an ecological community. We examine herbivores, carnivores and omnivores and learn how to classify non-living and living things. Discover where energy comes from and what  can cause the disruption of a food web.

Predators, Prey and Food Chains
All ages and abilities

hero image for ZooLab Workshop CARING FOR LIVING THINGS

DURATION: 45 - 55 mins


OVERVIEW: 

A very important rule for living things is that they need to stay alive (or else they wouldn’t be living things)!

This workshop emphasises what we need to do to look after animals, plants and the planet. Exploring the diverse requirements of a range of ZooLab animals, we discover that often creatures need the same core things to survive; food, water, oxygen and protection/shelter.

 

Using active learning techniques and building on prior knowledge this value driven show in teaches respect for all living things.

Caring for Living Things
All ages and abilities

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WE CHANGE OUR PRESENTING STLYE BASED ON YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS

We all know that too much information can be overwhelming! Our presenters cater to the audience and will break down the information into small chunks to suit all learning abilities.

MEET THE ANIMALS

GIANT AFRICAN LAND SNAIL

Get in the know before getting up-close and hands-on

MEET THE RANGERS

We've got the best bunch! Which Ranger will visit you?

ZooLab ranger Eleanor
ZooLab ranger Domanique
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WE WORK WITH YOU TO DETERMINE YOUR CLASSES NEEDS

We ensure our session sizes are small (max 15) to allow us to cater for all levels of learning and physical disabilities. If you need smaller group sizes, let us know  what would work best for you.

CHECK OUT OUR WORKSHOPS

Our educational workshops hit curriculum outcomes

White's tree frog

MEET THE GANG!

A young girl smiling surrounded by the cartoon ZooLab characters

Our ZooLab characters are excited to meet you!

Animal Trivia
NEW!
VALUE RANGE
All ages.

We’ve stripped things back to basics with our new Animal Trivia workshop. 

 

This workshop is all about getting up-close, hands-on with our ZooLab animals whilst learning fun and interesting Trivia Facts. 

Our new value range workshop does not include lesson plans, educational resources or learning outcomes - just some amazing animal encounters with our ZooLab team. 

hero image for ZooLab Workshop ANIMAL TRIVIA
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