Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family
Animal Action Adventure
PECO Smart Ideas Challenge
Chaperone Guide
Welcome to the Philadelphia Zoo and the PECO Smart Ideas Challenge
Thank you for volunteering to help chaperone your students’ field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo.
The PECO Smart Ideas Challenge will help your students explore and better understand how
they can make an impact by saving energy to save wildlife.
When you arrive at the Zoo
Action Chats
When you arrive at the Zoo your bus will be greeted
by a Zoo staff member. They will provide you with:
Action chats are interactive 10-minute drop-in lessons.
They are not on a schedule, so just stop by
and we will be happy to chat with your students.
• The PECO Smart Ideas booklet
•Golf pencils for your students
to fill in their answers
While in the Zoo
Your students can find the answers to the PECO
Smart Ideas challenge in the Reptile and Amphibian
House, KidZooU and PECO Primate Reserve.
Answers can be found by reading the signage
and attending the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel
Action Chats.
Your students must complete at least six (6)
answers to get their thank you gift.
©2014, Philadelphia Zoo
EDU/15/0032
•Where can you find Action Chats? We have
three areas where you can find Action Chats —
The Reptile and Amphibian House, KidZooU
and PECO Primate Reserve.
Leaving the Zoo
As you are leaving the Zoo be sure to stop by the
PECO Smart Ideas Challenge table by the Main
Entrance. There your students will receive a thank you
gift. Please note only one thank you gift is given to each
student and the student must be present to receive it.
Remember, they must complete at least
six (6) questions to receive a gift!
Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family
Animal Action Adventure
Engage your students with these tips
The Reptile and Amphibian House
All of the animals in this building are members of
the reptile or amphibian families. Some breathe
through their skin, some have hard shells, some shed
their skin but they all share one thing in common,
they are all cold blooded.
Fun facts: Panamanian golden frogs can be seen
waving their hands to each other. They seem to be
saying “Stop, don’t get any closer! This is my place.”
This behavior is known as semaphoring. These frogs
are considered signs of good luck and prosperity in
Panama, much like a four-leaf clover here.
Focus animal: Panamanian golden frog
Ask your students —
Q. What body language do these frogs
use to communicate?
A. Frogs wave their hands in the air.
Where are they from? This type of frog is found
in the rainforests of Panama in Central America.
Ask your students —
Q. Where can you find frogs in
your neighborhood?
A. near water in parks, forests and even backyards
What do these frogs eat? Small insects
Ask your students —
Q. What helps them catch insects?
A. long sticky tongues
What is their conservation status? They are
considered Critically Endangered.
Ask your students —
Q. What does critically endangered mean?
A. There are only a very few left.
©2014, Philadelphia Zoo
EDU/15/0032
What can you do to help? Many amphibians
suffer habitat loss/changes due to climate change.
You can help by using less energy.
Ask your students —
Q. What’s one way to reduce energy?
A. PECO Smart Ideas tip: The lights in your
house and your television use electrical energy,
so when you leave the room, turn them off.
Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family
Animal Action Adventure
KidZooU: Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo
& Faris Family Education Center
Did you know rats are ticklish? That goats have
regional accents? And that ants have a queen?
Be sure to visit all these surprising animals
and more in KidZooU.
Focus animal: Budgie
Fun facts: Like other parrots, budgies have zygodactyl
feet. This means they have two toes pointing forward
and two toes pointing backward. This helps them to
get a better grip when perching, climbing and even
hanging upside down.
Ask your students — What do budgies use
to keep their balance?
Where are budgies from? They are native to Australia. What can you do to help? Many birds suffer habitat
loss/changes due to climate change. You can help by
Ask your students —
Q. What kinds of birds are in your neighborhood? using less energy.
A. pigeons, robins, crows, sparrows, cardinals, hawks, Ask your students —
owls and more
Q. What’s one way to reduce energy and
What do budgies eat? These birds eat seeds,
fruit and nectar.
Ask your students —
Q. What helps budgies eat seeds?
A. They have strong beaks that can crack seeds.
What is their conservation status? They are
considered of Least Concern.
Ask your students —
Q. Does that mean we shouldn’t worry
about budgies?
A. No! They may be of Least Concern now but unless
we are careful, they could become Endangered one day.
©2014, Philadelphia Zoo
EDU/15/0032
create habitat for birds?
A. PECO Smart Ideas tip: Plant trees
and shrubs around your house for shade.
Deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves)
block the sun in the summer and keep your house
cool. When the leaves fall, the sunshine helps to
warm your house all winter.
Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family
Animal Action Adventure
Focus animal: Zebra long-wing butterflies
Where are they from? They range from the
United States to South America
Fun facts: Many butterflies can taste with their feet
to find out whether a leaf they sit on is good to
lay eggs on. They want to make sure the leaf would
make good caterpillar food.
Ask your students —
Q. What do you like best about seeing a butterfly? Ask your students — What do you use to taste?
What are your favorite flavors?
What do butterflies eat? Nectar and pollen
from flowers.
Ask your students —
Q. How do you think how butterflies
get the nectar?
A. Instead of eating, butterflies get their nourishment
from drinking. Each has a long narrow tube in
its mouth called a proboscis, that acts as a straw.
What is their conservation status? Many butterfly
species are in trouble. For example over the last
20 years, monarch butterflies have lost 165 million
acres of habitat and their population has plummeted
by 90%.
Ask your students —
Q. Why do you think butterflies are losing
their habitat?
A. Trees are being cut down for farming, building,
mining, ranching and lumber. Their habitats are also
affected by climate change.
©2014, Philadelphia Zoo
EDU/15/0032
What can you do to help butterflies? Many
butterflies suffer habitat loss/changes due to climate
change. You can help by using less energy.
Ask your students —
Q. What’s one way you could use less energy
and create habitat for butterflies?
A. PECO Smart Ideas tip: Don’t leave
a faucet dripping water. Make sure you
turn it off.
Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family
Animal Action Adventure
PECO Primate Reserve
In this building you will find many endangered
primates, from small monkeys to great apes. You can
tell them apart because monkeys have tails and apes
do not. Be sure to observe the different ways all the
primates move around their exhibits.
Focus animal: Western lowland gorilla
Where are they from? Gorillas are found in lowland
tropical forests of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial
Guinea, Congo and Central African Republic.
Ask your students —
Q. What other animals are from Africa?
What do gorillas eat? In the wild, gorillas eat mostly
fruit, leaves and other plant parts.
Ask your students —
Q. What plants do you eat?
A: Lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas and celery
What is their conservation status? Critically
Endangered. Gorillas are threatened by human
population growth, expansion of agriculture,
logging, mining and cattle ranching.
Ask your students —
Q. Why do gorillas need forests to live?
A: Gorillas use forests for many reasons including food,
shade, shelter, nests and protection from the weather.
Fun facts: Gorillas move through the forest on the
ground, by “knuckle walking,” moving on their feet
and knuckles. Some days they move less than a mile,
whereas other days they move more than eight miles.
Ask your students —
Q. What would it be like if you walked on
your knuckles? Why is it easier for gorillas?
A: Long arms
What can you do to help? Many primates like gorillas
suffer habitat loss/changes do to climate change. You
can help by using less energy.
PECO Smart Ideas tip: Don’t leave
the refrigerator door open. Decide what
you want to eat BEFORE you open the door.
©2014, Philadelphia Zoo
EDU/15/0032
Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family
Animal Action Adventure
Focus animal: Sumatran orangutan
Where are they from? Orangutans are only found
in Indonesia, on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
Our orangutans are from Sumatra.
What is their conservation status? Critically
Endangered. An estimated 80% of orangutan habitat
has been destroyed in the last 20 years and there are
only an estimated 6,600 individuals left in the wild,
with numbers continuing to drop at an alarming rate.
Ask your students —
Q. What would it be like to live only on an island? Ask your students —
A: You would not be able to replace resources when
Q. What would it look like if 80% of your class
they ran out.
disappeared?
A: estimate 80% of your class and show the results.
What do orangutans eat? In the wild, orangutans
consume mainly fruit when it’s available, but also
regularly eat insects and flowers.
Ask your students —
Q. What is your favorite fruit and where does
it come from?
A: Some answers: apples, peaches, plums from
orchards, and strawberries from farms that grow
strawberry bushes, and bananas from trees in
tropical areas.
©2014, Philadelphia Zoo
EDU/15/0032
Fun facts: The highly-intelligent orangutan is the
largest tree-dwelling mammal in the world. The
Philadelphia Zoo has three Sumatran orangutans:
Sugi, our 19 year old male; Tua, our 22 year old female,
and Batu who is 5 years old.
What can you do to help? Many primates like
orangutans suffer habitat loss/changes do to climate
change. You can help by using less energy.
PECO Smart Ideas tip: During the day, when it
is brighter outside, open the curtains and use the
sunlight instead of turning on the lights.