Lincoln Children's Zoo

Directions
Site Link

Sunday, October 12, 12:00-4:00 AND

Monday, October 13, 10:00-3:00

The Lincoln Public Schools High School Science Focus Program/Zoo School, the Lincoln Children¹s Zoo, and State Farm Insurance Company have joined together to create an educational program designed for elementary students, teachers, and families.

High school science students will be sharing their knowledge and excitement about science with elementary students through hands-on activities that demonstrate scientific principles and skills.

At the stations, students will investigate how scientists:

·     Make predictions and draw conclusions

·     Use microscopes to examine natural materials

·     Predict and prepare for natural disasters

·     Differentiate between acids and bases

·     Diagnose insect borne diseases

·     and Much More!

While this event is open to the public on both Sunday and Monday, it may be of special interest to upper elementary teachers (4th, 5th, and 6th grades) who would like to bring their students as a school sponsored field trip.

The cost is $3.25 per student or adult in your group. The money should be collected from the group participants and paid in a lump sum at the gate as you arrive.

The Zoo will have students available to greet guests and get them started on a great science adventure. Zoo guests will receive a list of activities and stations with locations and demonstration starting times. From this guest can plan their participation in the activities, either visiting just those of special interest or visiting all of the Science Day activities as well as enjoying a visit to the Zoo before it closes for the season.

If you are interested in participating as a group, please call Susan Musick, the Science Focus Program secretary, at 436-1780, to receive additional information and to let us know how many students you are bringing. You may also request a Science Day guide at that time if you wish.

We look forward to your attendance at Science Day!

BAT COLLEGE BY DOANE

Also, on October 12, Doane College personnel will turn the small animal kingdom building into a bat campus and share up-close and personal facts about the three different kinds of bats, living at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.  Hours will be noon to 4 p.m.

Doane College students and faculty did a study on bats this summer, examining the theory “You are what you eat.” 

This “college day” will prove to be fun and interesting.  Everyone is intrigued by bats and their importance in our world.  The college “professors” that day will be handing out fact sheets and other goodies pertaining to bats.

Doane College students are invited to share in the activities of the day by showing their college identification for a special admission price.

 The Lincoln Children’s Zoo was established  43 years ago. One of only four children’s zoos in the country, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo’s mission is “to enrich lives through firsthand interaction with living things.” The Zoo continues to create an engaging environment for children in community, while receiving no financial support from the city, county or the state. For more information on membership, weekly events, parties and giving opportunities, visit www.lincolnzoo.org

• Sunday, September 7 - Grandparents' Day - All Day - Free admission and train ride for grandparents.
• Starting Monday, Sept. 8 and every Monday in September - Senior Monday.  Seniors get in free.
• Sunday, September 14 - Monarch butterfly tag and release.  Noon - 2 PM: Dan the Butterfly Man will tag Monarch butterflies brought into the Zoo, as well as other Monarchs and release them for the season.  This is a program to track how far the butterflies fly, whether it be just in Nebraska or miles away.
• September 18 - Final Day for the Butterfly Pavilion -this season.  
• Wednesday, September 17 - Sensory Safari -  10:00 AM – Noon and 1:00 – 3:00 PM at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. Do you know someone who is visually impaired?  The zoo is hosting a special event for children and adults, of all ages, with visual disabilities.  Sensory Safari will offer the opportunity for those who cannot see our animals to experience them in a special way. Dozens of volunteers will be on hand to introduce the participants to mounts of animals that can be touched to determine texture, shape, and relative size. Animal recordings will provide the opportunity to hear the animal’s vocalization and identify its various moods as demonstrated through sound. Today IS THE day that guests are encouraged to touch, hear, feel and smell the exhibits at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.Call Zoo for details. 

  This event is sponsored by and planned with the help of the Nebraska Chapter of Safari Club International, the Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, Nebraska Sables, Pierson Wildlife Museum and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will provide tactile, auditory, and olfactory opportunities to meet the animals at the Zoo.

  Sensory Safari – guest must pre-register to attend. Contact Candace Rehmeier to register at1-800-826-4355.

•  

  The Zoo is opened daily 10-5.

Do you know someone who is visually impaired?  The zoo is hosting a special event for children and adults, of all ages, with visual disabilities.  Sensory Safari will offer the opportunity for those who cannot see our animals to experience them in a special way. Dozens of volunteers will be on hand to introduce the participants to mounts of animals that can be touched to determine texture, shape, and relative size. Animal recordings will provide the opportunity to hear the animal’s vocalization and identify its various moods as demonstrated through sound. Today IS THE day that guests are encouraged to touch, hear, feel and smell the exhibits at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.Call Zoo for details.

This event is sponsored by and planned with the help of the Nebraska Chapter of Safari Club International, the Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, Nebraska Sables, Pierson Wildlife Museum and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will provide tactile, auditory, and olfactory opportunities to meet the animals at the Zoo.

September 17 Sensory Safari – guest must pre-register to attend. Contact Candace Rehmeier to register at1-800-826-4355.

Wild Wednesday - 5-8 PM - Butterfly Bungalows"
*
o Learn about butterfly houses and habitats at this Wild Wednesday
o Participate in bouncy caterpillar crafts
o Make a beautiful butterfly bungalow in the Zoo's meadow
o Dig into butterfly gardening with Master Gardener Sharon Stibal   
o SPECIAL GUESTS - Lincoln's own STRING BEANS -  http://www.thestringbeans.net/
o Check out a butterfly, bug or beast book at the Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM 

    August 14 - Kiwanis Zoo Day - All Day
* Free admission for all children ages 11 and under.
* Free admission for seniors 60-plus.
* This annual event is sponsored by the Lincoln Center Kiwanis Club of Lincoln - http://www.kiwanislincoln.org/

    August 16 - "Hug A Bug" 10 - Noon
* For more information, contact the Girl Scout Council  - http://www.homesteadgsc.org/Calendar/calendardetail.php3?EventID=1584

    August 18 - "Sundae Monday" - All Day
* Are sundaes only for Sunday? And mundaes only for Monday? No - sundaes can be for Mondays and we have them today!

    August 20 - "Wen Dee" Wednesday - All Day
* We love "Wen Dee", our little red panda so much we named a day after her.
* She may be having a "bad hair day" or she may be out lounging.
* Learn more about red pandas today. Also check out the zoo web site at: http://www.lincolnzoo.org/animals/red_panda.php
* The Keeper Chat will be at Wen Dee's exhibit.
* Safari Cafe specials 

      August 20, 2008 - Wild Wednesday - 5-8 PM - "Jurassic Journey"
o Dinosaurs are BIG and so is the fun at this Wild Wednesday event!
o Play "Pin the TOOTH on the T-Rex"
o Build your very own Triceratops and take it home
o Get "Egg"-cited as you participate in the dinosaur egg hunt
o Tap your toes and get on stage with Lincoln's Jim King while he plays music on the Stego Stage - 6:30-7:15
o Check out a T-Rex, dinosaur or any book at the Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM 

    August 25 - Plush Animal Day - All Day
* Zoo Guests are invited to bring their favorite plush animal pet to the Zoo today
* $1 off admission; plus your plush "animals" get in free.
* Buy one train ticket; get one free! Again, your "animal" will ride the train free.
   
August 27, 2008 - Wild Wednesday Wrap Up! 5-8 PM
* It's a wrap!
* Enjoy this last evening that the Zoo is open until 8 PM
* Add your handprints or footprints to the "Wild Wednesday 2008 Mural"
* Sing-a-long or tap your toes with the Kiwanis Quartet at the Stego Stage - 6:30 - 7:15.
 
For a complete calendar of events at the Lincoln Children's Zoo log on to: http://www.lincolnzoo.org/calendar.php
 

 About the Lincoln Children’s Zoo:
The Lincoln Children’s Zoo was established 43 years ago. One of only four children’s zoos in the country, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo’s mission is “to enrich lives through firsthand interaction with living things.” The Zoo continues to create an engaging environment for children in our community, while receiving no financial support from the city, county or the state. For more information on membership, weekly events, parties and giving opportunities, visit www.lincolnzoo.org. 
General Information - http://www.lincolnzoo.org/visitor.php
Official Zoo season: April 15 - October 15
Operating Hours: Daily 10 - 5 p.m.
Wild Wednesdays: June, July, and August - The Zoo is open until 8:00 p.m.
Location
The Zoo is located on 27th street between Capital Parkway and A Street. (27th & B Street)
Official address: 1222 S 27th Street, Lincoln, NE 68502.
Phone Number: 402.475.6741
 

• Beetles and other insects sport amazing colors and patterns.
• Leave your mark on the Zoo! - Draw your way through the Zoo using sidewalk chalk
• Build your own bug - and take him home
• 6:00 PM - Club Kicks will perform on the Stego Stage
• Enjoy the Bug Matching Game in MyYard!
• Create crazy crawler fingerprint crafts
• Participate in "Ladybug, Ladybug Fly Away Home activity in MyYard
• Check out a butterfly, bug or beast book at the Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM  

   

  August 13, 2008 -  "Butterfly Bungalows"

  • Learn about butterfly houses and habitats at this Wild Wednesday
  • Participate in bouncy caterpillar crafts
  • Make a beautiful butterfly bungalow in the Zoo's meadow
  • Dig into butterfly gardening with Master Gardener Sharon Stibal
  • SPECIAL GUESTS - Lincoln's own STRING BEANS -  http://www.thestringbeans.net/
  • Check out a butterfly, bug or beast book at the Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM  
     
  • Snap some photos of your favorite Zoo animal and enter the 2008 Zoo Photo Contest. Check out details at:  http://www.lincolnzoo.org/photo_contest.php 
     

   

  August 20, 2008 -  "Jurassic Journey" 

  • Dinosaurs are BIG and so is the fun at this Wild Wednesday event!
  • Play "Pin the TOOTH on the T-Rex"
  • Build your very own Triceratops and take him home
  • Get "Egg"-cited as you participate in the dinosaur egg hunt
  • Tap your toes and get on stage with Lincoln's Jim King while he plays music on the Stego Stage - 6:30-7:15
  • Check out a T-Rex, dinosaur or any book at the Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM 

     

    August 27, 2008 - Wild Wednesday Wrap Up!

    • It's a wrap!
    • Enjoy this last evening that the Zoo is open until 8 PM
    • Add your handprints or footprints to the "Wild Wednesday 2008 Mural"
    • Sing-a-long or tap your toes with the Kiwanis Quartet at the Stego Stage - 6:30 - 7:15.

       

      For a complete calendar of events at the Lincoln Children's Zoo log on to: http://www.lincolnzoo.org/calendar.php

       
    • Snap some photos of your favorite Zoo animal and enter the 2008 Zoo Photo Contest. Check out details at:  http://www.lincolnzoo.org/photo_contest.php 
       

• Prizes will be given to ALL children wearing a dinosaur party hat and/or dinosaur costume.
• Create your very own Stegosaurus
• Learn how to do your very own Dino Foot craft at home
• Check out a dinosaur book at the The Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM
• Tap your toes to the Kiwanis Quartet on the Zooville stage from 6:30 – 7:30    
• Snap some photos of your favorite Zoo animal and enter the 2008 Zoo Photo Contest. Check out details at:  http://www.lincolnzoo.org/photo_contest.php 
• Top off the Prehistoric Party with a $1 dish of ice cream at the Safari Cafe'.

* Saturday, July 12, 11:30-12:30 - Live  Violin Music  On the Stego Stage in Zooville Square
* "Wild Hair Day" - All Day Monday, July 14th - Long, straight, curly, fuzzy, shaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty, oily, greasy, fleecy, shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen, knotted, polka-dotted, twisted, beaded, braided, powdered, flowered ...* Whatever color or style will get you $1 off  Zoo  admission; $1   off a  train ride .
* "Tiny Touchable Tenrec Tuesday" - All Day Tuesday - July 15 - Learn more about these cute, little animals at  Critter Encounter. Hold one and get to know it - up close and personal. Safari Cafe special - what do tenrecs eat? We'll have "it" at the cafe.
* "Wild Wednesday" - Wednesday - July 16, 5-8 PM 
    July 16, 2008 - "Crawling, Climbing Critters"
* "Catch the "bug" about bugs tonight!
* Create a spider using your handprint as a guide
* Cheer on the roaches as they race on the ZooVille stage
* Capture bugs in the MyYard area of the Zoo
* Hear and meet Lincoln's Salt Creek Tiger Beetle and Butterfly expert, Dr. Steve Spomer
* Enjoy the silly songs of Jim King as he asks you to sing along on the ZooVille stage from 6:30-7
For a complete calendar of events at the Lincoln Children's Zoo log on to: http://www.lincolnzoo.org/calendar.php

Do you find yourself bringing your camera to the Zoo every time you visit? Do you like to share that great 'shot' with family and friends? Would you like to visit with an expert about techniques? If so, you should enter your pictures in the Lincoln Children’s Zoo photo contest and show us your talent. Whether you’re a young enthusiast or a seasonal shooter, this is your chance to take your best shot.
The experts, Lincoln Camera Club, are here every Wednesday night in July and August to answer your questions about capturing the perfect picture. They have a booth set up each Wednesday from 5-8 pm, weather permitting.

By taking part in the 2008 Photo Contest, this is what you can expect:

You will....

Have Fun!
Enjoy the Zoo!
Check out the new additions!
Take lots of pictures!
Learn from the Experts!
Win cool stuff!

Visit www.lincolnzoo.org/photo_contest.php to learn more!

Photo Contest Rules:

• Obey all rules of the Zoo.

• All entries must be taken at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and during 2008.

• Adults (12 and older) enter as many photos as you like. Entry contribution is $4 for each submission. Entries must be 8”x10” prints (color or black & white), not mounted or matted. See entry form for official entry guidelines.

• Children (11 and under) may enter up to three photos, no entry fee; entries must be 4”x6” prints (color or black & white) not mounted or matted. See entry form for official entry guidelines.

• All entries must include: a completed entry form and the entry fee as it applies to the age group.

• Entries will not be returned. Photos remain the copyrighted property of the photographer. However, the Lincoln Children's Zoo reserves the right to use the images submitted to the contest for publicity, advertising, promotional, educational, and other purposes without obtaining further permission and/or compensation. Signature on Official Entry Form constitutes acceptance of these terms.

• Deadline: All photos must be submitted by September 15, 2008.

• Winners will be notified and prizes awarded by September 30. Photos will be on display until October 15 at the Zoo. Free viewing with Zoo membership.

• Must follow official entry guidelines or photos may be disqualified.

• Contest is not open to professional photographers.

Open Categories (Any one can win)

Best of Show : Prize - Behind the Scenes Tour and a one year membership to The Lincoln Camera Club
Animal In Action : Prize - 30 Minute Keeper Chat
Keeper’s Choice : Prize - 30 Minute Keeper Chat
Adult Categories (12 & Older)

Best Color : Prize - 2009 Zoo Membership + 10 Z.O. & O. Train Passes
Most Humorous : Prize - Family Fun Pack for Four
Child Categories (11 & Under)

Best Color : Prize - Animal Adoption + $50 cash
Most Creative : Prize - 10 Punch Train Pass + $ 30 cash
www.LincolnZoo.org

 

Head to the Lincoln Children's Zoo any day, even on the 4th of July. Visit our national symbol the beautiful and majestic Bald Eagle, ride a pony just like the pony express riders of the old west and even ride on a replica C. P. Huntington train while you circle the zoo on the Z. O. & O. Railroad.
 
All of your favorite animals will be here and there will be a 11 AM and a 3 PM Harbor seal performance.
 
The Zoo is open daily 10-5, however on this 4th of July the Zoo will be closing at 4 PM.

·         Invite your family and friends to play in the red, white and blue obstacle course

·         Learn how to fish from the professionals at the Shramm Aquarium.

• The Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile will be here 6:30-8:00 PM
• Enjoy patriotic tunes from The Shrine Band who will perform on the stage next to Stego's Big Dig 6:30 - 7:30 PM.  

• Discover just how BIG "big" is with our drawn to scale dinosaur bones
• Create your very own Ankylosaurus
• Dig into "Stego's Big Dig" and unearth real bones, just like a paleontologist.
• Check out a book at the The Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM
• Tap your toes to the tunes of Lance Schupbach as he entertains on the stage just next to Stego's Big Dig from 6:30-7:15

• "Catch the "bug" about bugs tonight!
• Create a spider using your handprint as a guide
• Cheer on the roaches as they race on the ZooVille stage
• Capture bugs in the MyYard area of the Zoo
• Hear and meet Lincoln's Salt Creek Tiger Beetle and Butterfly expert, Dr. Steve Spomer
• Listen to Roger German entertain you from 5:45-6:30 on the Zooville Stage
• Enjoy the silly songs of Jim King as he asks you to sing along on the ZooVille stage from 6:30-7:15.

• Learn and experience the amazing transformation of - egg - caterpillar - chrysalis - BUTTERFLY!
• Create your very own pom pom caterpillar
• Make a thumbprint butterfly
• Learn firsthand about the Zoo's butterfly pavilion butterflies from the Lincoln Children's Zoo very own Dan the Butterfly Man
• Enjoy the rich knowledge of moths, butterflies and more from entomologist, Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss
• Enjoy the silly songs and antics of Lance Schupbach in his return visit to the Zoo from 6:30-7:15
• Check out a butterfly book at the The Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM

• Prizes will be given to ALL children wearing a dinosaur party hat and/or dinosaur costume.
• Create your very own Stegosaurus
• Learn how to do your very own Dino Foot craft at home
• Check out a dinosaur book at the The Lincoln Public Library Bookmobile 6:30-8:00 PM
• Tap your toes to the Kiwanis Quartet on the Zooville stage from 6:30 – 7:30

Summer Fun is this weeks theme for Wild Wednesday. Head on over to the Zoo this Wednesday, June 25 and from 5-8 PM Zoo guests will:

• Participate in outdoor games in the My Yard area including an obstacle course involving sprinklers
• Fingerprint a tree in the meadow
• Make bubble wands and blow bubbles in the My Yard area
• Enjoy YMCA dancers 5:30-6:15 in Zooville Square
• Attend the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” Clinic with the Lincoln Fire Department 6:30-7:00

17      Tamarin Tuesday – What is a Tamarin and where do they live in the Zoo? See if you can find them and read about these interesting and beautiful animals. Ask for the Tamarin special at the Safari Café.

18      Wild Wednesday – Zoo open until 8 Theme: Dig Those Dinosaurs – activities include raptor craft, jaws of a t-rex, coffee ground fossils and be a paleontologist. String Beans rescheduled from last stormy Wild Wednesday.

 Spend this day with your Dad and make it one he will never forget. Every dad who visits the Zoo on Sunday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. will be treated like a king with a free ice cream sundae. 

Plus every dad will receive a free train on the Z.O. & O train.

The weather will be perfect and what a great way for families to celebrate their dad.

Every Wednesday in June, July and August the Zoo is open until 8 PM, and every Wednesday night from 5-8 PM is a WILD WEDNESDAY with a different theme

for each Wednesday night.

• Midwest Recycler's - Recycle interactive fun and education trailer
• Groundwater Foundation - will have hands on fun activities for children
• Keep Lincoln & Lancaster Country Beautiful will have information and take home items to share
• Special appearance by Lincoln's own STRING BEANS - they will perform from 6:30-7:15 on the new Stego Stage

http://www.thestringbeans.net/

The Milk Mustache Mobile Tour visits the Zoo in search of America's first-ever "Chief Health Officer" or the lucky mom who keeps her family healthy and fit. Mothers have always had a lot on their plate. From carpool coordinator to coach, counselor to chef, she’s charged with many roles for her family. But with the ongoing concerns over childhood obesity and inadequate nutrition, many moms have taken on another important role, that of Chief Health Officer.

To recognize moms, the nation’s milk processors and the Milk Mustache Mobile Tour are joining forces with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Project M.O.M. on a cross country search for America’s Chief Health Officer.

Calling for “Mom-inations”

For the first time ever, the famed-Milk Mustache Mobile Tour is hosting the Chief Health Officer Contest which invites local Lincoln and Omaha  and surrounding area  residents to record a 30-second “mom-ination” video explaining why their mom – or a mom they know – is  the best Chief Health Officer.  The local Chief Health Officer will then have a chance to be crowned America’s Chief Health Officer and receive the chance to appear in her very own Milk Mustache ad, a year supply of milk, a three month membership to Curves International and a year subscription to Redbook magazine. And as an added bonus, you can also enter into  the Chief Health Officer sweepstakes, which also will reward a mom a $100,000 salary she “richly” deserves! If you can’t make it to the event, you can also enter the sweepstakes online at whymilk.com.

Events at the Zoo include:

·                     Don a milk mustache and pose for a souvenir photo

·                     Sample some tasty milk  

·                     enter the national sweepstakes

·                     Learn all about the healthy benefits of milk

It’s a simple thing, really. Dip your finger in a little nectar and wait a few seconds. . . For the last seven years children have done just that, in a canvas tent, in the middle of the Lincoln Children’s Zoo. They flocked to this simple exhibit to see, touch and otherwise interact with one of nature’s most elegant creatures – the butterfly. This year, that experience will be even more exciting and interactive in an all-new, permanent exhibit called Laura’s Butterfly Pavilion. The grand opening of this exhibit will be held at 10:15 a.m. on May 24.

 According to John Chapo, Zoo President/CEO, “Our mission is to enhance the interaction between children and the creatures in nature. What better way to accomplish that than with a new exhibit with no walls separating the children and the animals with which they can interact.”

 Laura’s Butterfly Pavilion has emerged at the site of the Zoo’s temporary butterfly display, and has increased in size by 30 percent to 1,800 square feet. The vast majority of the new exhibit, which is 15’ tall at its peak, is covered in a see-through mesh that allows sunlight and warm breezes in, without letting the butterflies out. This type of structure, along with a pond and the natural flora growing within, creates a unique experience that you don’t get in a canvas or windowed building. 

 The free-flight aviary will contain 300-500 live butterflies native to North America, including monarchs, painted ladies, red admirals, queens and swallowtails. “Gentle touching is encouraged,” Chapo said. “That’s not the case in many other butterfly exhibits.” A glass-enclosed “emergence room,” at one end of the building, will allow children to experience all life stages of the butterfly. From caterpillar to chrysalis butterfly, Laura’s Butterfly Pavilion is as certain to put a smile on the faces of Lincoln children as it would its namesake.

 “Laura” Francke lived through the dustbowl on a farm in Nebraska. She never married, and yet during the depression of the 1930s, she was a foster mother to over 40 children. She rented out most of her land, but always kept a garden and a few chickens and cows, along with the farmhouse she shared with children far less fortunate than you and me. When Eleanor Francke – a former LPS educator – decided to present a gift to the children of Lincoln in memory of her late husband G. Harry Francke, she decided to also honor Harry’s Aunt Laura with the Pavilion’s name.

 “Eleanor’s generous donation has allowed the Zoo to create a perfect compliment to the Bug Buddy Exhibit, located in the Discovery Center of Zooville Square,” Chapo explained. “It will encourage learning and interaction for many years to come.”

 For more information on Laura’s Butterfly Pavilion or any of the other exhibits featured at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, visit www.lincolnzoo.org or call 402-475-6741.