Junior Zookeeping

Non-Members: $84/child
EARTH Members: $69/child

Note to members: To receive your member discount, click “enter promotional code” when you register. Your code is the first 5 letters of your last name + the first 2 letters of your first name. Example: John Smith’s code would be SMITHJO. If your last name is fewer than 5 letters, just use your full last name + the first 2 letters of your first name, Jane Doe’s code would be DOEJA.
*Must be a current EARTH member at the time of registration to receive the member discount. Discounts cannot be applied retroactively.

• Children must be registered online at least 24 hours in advance. Full payment is due at the time of registration.
• Each session has a limited number of spots available. The registration page will show the remaining spaces for each date.
• Please read carefully and make sure you are registering your child for the appropriate age group. Each session is for a specific age group. If you register a child for the incorrect age group, your registration will be canceled and refunded.
  
• We recommend that children participating wear appropriate footwear, such as sneakers, for walking around the zoo.
• Children should bring a small backpack or other bag to carry a water bottle and snack.
• Pick up and drop off for Junior Zookeeping will be by the picnic tables near the parking lot.
• Please remember that this is a program for children, and parents do not accompany and participate during sessions. Junior Zookeeping does not include zoo admission or early entry into the zoo for parents/guardians of participating children, however parents are welcome to explore the zoo as a paid guest after the zoo opens at 10:00am.

Herbivores

What does a rhino eat? How do you care for a giraffe? What is the softest herbivore in the world? What does a porcupine like to play with? Come learn about our plant-eating pals and help plan their diet, make them some enrichment, and get an up-close and personal hands on experience with some of our favorite herbivores!

Reptiles

Slither, crawl, and stick to a wall! This program gives young explorers an exclusive hands-on learning experience with the reptiles at Southwick’s Zoo! Junior Zookeepers will have the chance to learn all about reptiles including how snakes smell with their tongues, how long tortoises can live, and much more! Dive into the remarkable world of reptiles in this program while giving tortoises back scratches, meeting snakes, making paintings with a lizard and other exciting enrichment activities.

Primates

Help us make enrichment for our monkeys to monkey around with. Pick out produce for our Patas monkeys. Primates are our closest relatives, learn how much they are like us and how they are different.

Birds

Birds are some of the smartest animals in the Animal Kingdom, so what exactly does it take to care for the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs? Why don’t they fly away? How can they talk? What can we tell about a bird by its beak? Break out of your shell and help us care for our fascinating feathered friends.