Teacher’s Handbook
2016 -2017
Programs and field trips available at the BC
Wildlife Park or at your school!
E
“Conservation through Education”
Education at the
Park
The BC Wildlife Park was first established in 1965, and for the past 51 years we
have been promoting our motto “Conservation through Education”. By booking an
Educational Program with the Park, you will not only have the opportunity to meet
wildlife up close and personal, but your students will be learning more about the world
around them and you will be helping them become ambassadors for their planet.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR 2016-2017
In response to the new curriculum guide, we have completely restructured our programs to
be grade specific as mandated by the Ministry of Education. For those schools wanting a
more general, non curriculum based program, we will also offer several classes and an
educational tour to meet those needs.
OUTREACH PROGRAMS
We are able to deliver some of our educational programs at your school! Imagine learning
about BC’s wild creatures in the comfort of your own classroom. We offer our outreach
programs to you from September until the end of April on Mondays, Wednesday or
Thursdays.
EDUCATION PROGRAM FEES:
$5.00 PER STUDENT – SEPTEMBER TO APRIL
-MINIMUM $80.00 + 5% GST
$6.00 PER STUDENT – MAY & JUNE
- MINIMUM $100.00 + 5% GST
TEACHERS ARE ALWAYS FREE!
*For every 3 students, 1 parent chaperone is admitted free of charge. Extra chaperones will
receive 20% off admission rates. Please note that annual passes are not applicable to
education programs for students.
OUTREACH PROGRAM FEES
$100.00 PER PROGRAM PLUS THE COST OF MILEAGE TO YOUR SCHOOL (+ 5% GST)
HOW TO BOOK A
PROGRAM
BOOKING PROCESS & GUIDELINES
ALL EDUCATION PROGRAMS MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE!
 To book a program, first fill out a program booking form which
can be found at the end of this booklet or on our website at
www.bcwildlife.org/makeabooking.htm
 Once your booking form is complete, please email it to
[email protected] or fax it to 250-573-2406. When your
program has been booked we will send you confirmation of your
booking. Your reservation is not complete until you have received
a confirmation!
 Booking requests will be processed in the order they are
received.
CANCELLATIONS AND CHANGES
If you must cancel or postpone an education program, please contact
us at 250-573-3242 ext.226 or email [email protected]
EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
2016-2017
KINDERGARTEN & GRADE 1 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 30 MINUTES
Turtle Tales – NEW (Only available from October to March)
Discover the lives of turtles through interactive story time and art! Meet a turtle up close and
colour your very own painted turtle picture!
Bees and Me
Meet Betty Bee and learn about the most important pollinator of the world! Experience the life of a
bee through interactive story time! Students will learn about what bees need to survive, their
important jobs and how they are different from us!
Furs, Feathers and Scales
An interactive, hands on experience for students to examine different types of furs, feathers and
scales. Learn where different animals live and what they like to eat! This program includes a snake
encounter!
The Bear Necessities
Learn about bears interactively! Discover the different colours bears can be, what they eat and why
they den for the winter! Play along by acting out how bears use their claws and learn the essentials
of bear safety!
GRADE 2 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 45 MINUTES
Wise about Water
Every living thing needs water to survive! Learn about the water cycle and how to keep our water
bodies clean for us and the creatures that live there! See a snake and a turtle up close and learn
about how they depend on water for survival!
Wild Life Cycles – NEW (starting in October 2016)
Learn about the life cycles of owls and snakes! Did you know that not all snakes lay eggs and that
birds are full grown in only a few months? See an owl and a snake up close!
GRADE 3 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 45 MINUTES
Balancing Biodiversity - NEW (starting in October 2016)
The Earth is a very diverse place! Learn how we can protect the biodiversity in British Columbia’s
ecosystems and how the BC Wildlife Park is keeping our grassland ecosystem more diverse and
balanced by breeding burrowing owls!
Animals in their Environment
Learn how animals interact in their habitat and how everything is connected! This program focuses
on food chains and the important links among species in their habitats. See two animals up close and
learn where they fit on the food chain.
GRADE 4 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 45 MINUTES
The Grassland Biome – NEW (starting in October 2016)
Did you know that grasslands cover less than 1% of British Columbia? Learn about the grassland
climate and see two animals up close that call the grassland ecosystems home and how they survive!
Awesome Adaptations
How do animals survive in different environments? What kind of adaptations do they have to hunt
and hide? Learn how snakes and owls have adapted to survive!
Raptor Researcher – Owls
Meet two owls up close and learn how they sense their surroundings! How are they able to hunt and
survive? What do raptors have that other birds don’t and why are they so successful?
.
GRADE 5 & 6 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 45 MINUTES
The Snakes of BC
Did you know that there are 9 different snake species in British Columbia? Learn all about their
body systems and how they interact with the environment around them! See two snake species up
close!
Radical Reptiles
Reptiles are fascinating creatures! Learn about their body systems, survival adaptations and get an
up close look at two reptiles!
Raptor Researcher – Owls
Meet two owls up close and learn about their body systems! How are they able to hunt and survive?
What do raptors have that other birds don’t and why are they so successful?
GRADE 7 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 45 MINUTES
.British Columbia’s Threatened Species
What do animals need to survive and what happens when they can’t find these things? This program
covers what factors are causing populations of species in British Columbia to decline and what we
can do to help save them! See two animals up close!
GRADE 8-12 PROGRAMS – LENGTH: 45 MINUTES
British
Columbia’s Threatened Species
.
What do animals need to survive and what happens when they can’t find these things? This program
covers what factors are causing populations of species in British Columbia to decline and what we
can do to help save them! See two animals up close!
The Snakes of BC
Did you know that there are 9 different snake species in British Columbia? Learn all about their
body systems and how they interact with the environment around them! See two snake species up
close!
Raptor Researcher – Owls
Meet two owls up close and learn about their body systems! How are they able to hunt and survive?
What do raptors have that other birds don’t and why are they so successful?
.
NON CURRICULUM BASED PROGRAMS – AVAILABLE TO GRADES 2 -12
Encountering Wildlife
Meet three exciting animals up close and gain a better understanding and appreciation of the nature
of these fascinating creatures!
Educational Park Tour
Tour the Park with one of our friendly interpreters. Learn the stories of some of our resident
animals and how they survive in their habitats!
The Truth about Bears
Bears are curious and smart animals! Learn how to identify grizzly and black bears and how they are
different. Learn about what they eat and when they eat it, that they are not true hibernators and
how to keep them out of our communities.
Colour Crazy
Animals have adapted to use colour in many ways! Learn about how certain animals use colour for
mimicry, warning, confusion and camouflaging! See two animals up close!
.
Come check out the Park’s new grey wolves! They arrived at the
Park during summer 2016!!