Parents: Bring Your Child to the Zoo

JBZ's Education programs are available to your children. Please read through the following options to decide which might be best for you.

Summer Discovery Classes - Summer Day Camps

John Ball Zoo’s Summer Discovery Program is a unique, fun, hands-on learning experience for children, ages 3 years to those entering 8th grade! Each class follows its particular theme and uses a variety of methods to stimulate the learning process (role-playing, behind the scenes tours, games, stories, songs, and more).

JBZS Member Registration begins 3/29/2010
Non-member Registration begins 4/12/2010
here are the details...

Connecting Families with Nature Passport Program

Nature is all around us in Kent County and getting out to enjoy it as a family has been made even easier with the new Connecting Families with Nature Passport Program. Made possible by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. This passport program is designed to get families outside experiencing nature. Learn more about how you can get a FREE passport to the outdoors and fill your passport throughout the upcoming year. Connecting Families

Twilight Tours

Experience the zoo in a new 'light'. Bring your family, flashlight and a sense of adventure for this guided tour of the zoo as the sun goes down. Learn how to use your senses at night and how animals are adapted to life in the dark. Program includes animal encounters, hands-on activities for all ages and guided tour. Twilight Tours

Z's Zoofari Classes (Spring, Fall, and Winter Educational Classes)

Join the John Ball Zoo Society for a fun-filled encounter at the Zoo. Each encounter is designed to provide children, ages 3 to 10, with a unique look at the animals and part of the Zoo. Z's page

Overnight Adventures

See the zoo in a new light and have a fun-filled, nocturnal learning adventure! Come to the zoo after hours and enjoy a variety of activities – sneak a peak on a guided behind the scenes tour, get an up-close look at an animal demonstration, enjoy hands-on activities and even make a little something for the animals to eat the following morning. Overnight Adventures

Self-Guided Tours and Scavenger Hunts

Click here to create a fun, interactive experience for you and your children by utilizing our self-guided tours and scavenger hunts.

Teen Volunteer Program

Have a WILD summer at John Ball Zoo... become a teen volunteer! We look for teens ages 14-17 years old by June 1, 2010 who have a passion for carrying out the education and conservation mission of the Zoo. Through their experiences, our teen volunteers gain knowledge and skills in a unique and rewarding environment.

Applications for Summer 2010 are closed. Next year's program applications will be posted in late winter or early spring 2011.

Questions should be directed to Jim Swarts by phone (616) 336-4317 or email.