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!
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.
"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
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.
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.
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.
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
OUR WORKSHOPS:
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.
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Guided by your expert ZooLab Ranger, your class will meet a menagerie of reptiles, mammals, inverts, amphibians and arachnids whilst hitting curriculum outcomes.
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This fun and interactive workshop perfectly exemplifies why ZooLab is WILD about animals.
Animal Explorer
All ages and abilities
DURATION: 45 - 55 mins
OVERVIEW:
What is a habitat? What types of habitat are there? Why do habitats matter? So many questions answered!
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​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
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
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?
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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
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!
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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
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)!
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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
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.
Get in the know before getting up-close and hands-on
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.
