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June is National Zoo & Aquarium Month!

Zoos and Aquariums bring pieces of the natural world closer to home. While many of us aren’t able to physically visit them yet this summer, you can use these resources to take a virtual trip to zoos and aquariums around the world while learning about animals, the environment, and conservation. 

Grades 4-12

Smithsonian Learning Lab

Find, create, and share digital resources from museums, the National Zoo, and other Smithsonian research centers. Sign up to create your own collections from both content found on the site and your own resources (such as photos).

Grades K-12

The Florida Aquarium

Take a virtual field trip to the Florida Aquarium. Find teaching materials in PDF format, videos, and kids’ activities, like building a hydrometer or creating a mangrove tree. Click on Education and then Digital Resources to find more materials!

Grades K-12

Seaview

Dive into the ocean and view life among the world’s coral reefs. Discover different fish and other organisms who call the reef their home. Learn the characteristics of the ecosystem and click Science to learn more.

Engage Young Learners

Discover resources for young students to help them learn more about the ocean and animals. Even students who are unable to read on their own will find something to explore on these sites! 

Grades K-3

ZooBorns

View and share amazing photos of newborn animals born in zoos around the world. See the baby animals that students may not be able to see in person and read information snippets. The videos offer an especially neat perspective!

Grades K-1

Shutterbugs Wiggle and Stomp

Be on the lookout for animals swimming, running, wiggling, and stomping. This site from The Smithsonian helps young students learn how to describe movement and motion. You can also take virtual photos or print coloring pages for each animal.

Grades K-4

Eco Zoo

Engage your youngest students as they click on the critter icons along the top to learn how to live in an environmentally friendly way. Each critter has a pop-up book to learn new habits. View the site in both English and Japanese!

Game-Based Learning in the Zoo

Share these fun and informational tools with your students. Each resource includes games to help students learn about animals, the zoo, and much more as they play. 

Grades K-9

SwitchZoo

Click on Make and Play to find engaging activities, games, and puzzles. Use this free, realistic virtual zoo to create hybrid and unique organisms, play sliding and jigsaw puzzles, or watch and listen to critters.

Grades 3-8

Zoo Games

Liven up your science lessons with this site created by the Minnesota Zoo, featuring some familiar games with an animal twist: Penguin Quest, Zoodoku, Super Trivia, Crossword, Bedazzled, and Matching. Don't miss the links for teachers under Education.

Grades 2-6

Elephant Odyssey

The elephants need your help! Keep your prehistoric elephant alive by finding food and avoiding dangers like saber tooth tigers. Teach your students all about elephants through this engaging interactive that takes you back to the time of mammoths!

This Week at TeachersFirst

Use our blog post about virtual field trips to find some zoos or aquariums to “visit” this summer. Now is also a great time to save your spot for our summer book study or our OK2Ask® virtual workshops, which return in early July! For the teenagers in your life, check out Sync, a summer audiobook program for teens! And finally, we kindly ask for your input in our weekly poll.