EDUCATION
Preschool programs
Preschool
Winter in the Woods - 2022/23
This winter, register your 3 and 4 year olds for Winter in the Woods. If you bring the warm, dry clothing, we’ll supply the hours of outdoor exploration, fun, and hands-on learning in John Ball Park’s wooded hillside and natural spaces.
All participants must be self-sufficient in the bathroom. Diapers/pull-ups are not permitted.Â
Members – $30/class  Non-Members – $35/class
About the Program
For young children, play is the natural and primary method of learning about themselves, other people, and the world around them. Snow can be the best toy a child will ever know. And we believe there is no such thing as an, âindoor kid.â When kids are dressed appropriately for the weather, their natural learning style emerges and we see active, happy, creative kids who, when allowed the opportunity, will have an awesome time outdoors for an hour or more! Even when the wind blows and snow piles up, children who are wearing warm, dry layers can play and play! Each week has a theme but each day is a new exploration so you are welcome to sign your explorer up for more than one session in a week!
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Program Themes
Themes we may be exploring may vary from the schedule. These experiences will be largely based on the unpredictable, teachable moments that occur in nature with young children. With this in mind, please know that if you sign your child up for a specific date based on the theme that week, it is entirely possible that the actual content may change based on the real-life experiences the kids are having outside! Stories, activities, and animal encounters may be more centered on the theme.
Schedule
Registration for Winter in the Woods will open November 29 at 12pm
- December Dates: December 1 & 2 December 8 & 9 December 15 & 16
- January Dates: January 5 & 6 January 12 & 13 January 19 & 20 January 26 & 27
- February Dates: February 2 & 3 February 9 &10 February 16 & 17 February 23 & 24
- March Dates: March 2 & 3 March 9 &10 March 16 & 17 March 23 & 24
Sprouts - Spring 2023
Sensational Senses – join us this spring for playful learning about and through the use of our first, five senses. Your Sprout will have the opportunity to explore the Zoo, meet animals with super senses, and engage in play-and-nature-based learning throughout our park’s wild spaces. Sign your little one up for as many sensational sense sessions as you like! John Ball Zoo’s early childhood educators will support your child’s developmentally appropriate learning by helping to attach language to those sensory experiences. Each session will include outdoor time, read-aloud, a snack, and an up-close animal encounter in our classroom.Â
Spring Sessions are Mondays & Tuesdays 9:00am-11:30am and Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:30pm
**IMPORTANT – if you did NOT receive a confirmation packet via a registration confirmation please call 616-336-4302 to confirm you are in fact registered.Â
We highly recommend using a desktop to register.
April
- April 10, 11, 12: Tactile Touch
We will slow down to fully appreciate each and all of our senses, but this week we will focus our attention on our sense of touch through the use of our hands and our feet! - April 17, 18, 19: What's that smell?
This week your Sprout will be encouraged to explore and notice their sense of smell and we will learn about how different animals use their own senses of smell to survive. - April 24, 25, 26: Tiny Tastebuds
As spring unfolds and more food becomes available for animals in the wild, we will turn our attention to our own sense of taste while learning about some animals for whom taste matters, as we as those with no sense of taste at all.
May
- May 1, 2, 3: Here's to Hearing!
By now we expect more wildlife to have come out of hibernation and/or migrated back to Michigan's wild spaces. Who can we hear? We will be sure to tune our ears toward the sounds of spring, both inside the Zoo and near the small stream flowing through John Ball Zoo's wooded hillside. - May 8, 9, 10: Observe
Look UP! Look Down! We will use our wonderful eyes and take notice of all that catches our interest. That which becomes ordinary to adults is often new and fascinating for young children. We will attach language to experiences this week as we use words to describe where we notice things with our eyes! - May 15, 16, 17: Sensory Tools
Imagine you have the hearing of an owl and the keen eyesight of a hawk! This week we will utilize some special tools to enhance our senses of sight and hearing. Paper cups to capture sounds, and binoculars or magnifiers to see far away and up close! - May 22, 23, 24: Sensory Soup
This week we will observe our world using (and noticing) the power of all our sensational senses, paying attention to one at a time and all at once as we playfully visit some of our favorite animal friends for our last week of Sprouts.
Preschool
Meet the Teacher: Tahlia Hoogerland
Tahlia is a certified teacher with two degrees in Early Childhood Development and 20 years’ teaching experience. She has been an instructor here at John Ball Zoo since 2017, primarily teaching Sprouts and Winter in the Woods classes and facilitating Travel Zoos and Wild Encounters for school groups. Additionally, Tahlia has designed and facilitated outdoor education experiences with elementary school age children since 2009.
Please direct questions to [email protected] or 616-336-4302