Auckland Zoo’s School Holiday Survival Guide!

Kia ora tātou, it’s school holiday time again at Auckland Zoo! If you are enjoying these school holidays at home with some rowdy animals (children) of your own, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up a bunch of our amazing activities and resources for the whole family to enjoy - so while you may not be able to visit us at the zoo right now, we can bring the zoo to you!

1. Get them drawing ngā kararehe (some animals) using our downloadable guide, or in our Zoo Learning tutorials!

Need something a bit more? Check out our Creative Kaitiaki video below! This will not only help your tamariki draw or create their own kākāpō, but teach them about this taonga (precious) species as well. 

2. Get them exploring outside with our scavenger hunts and bingo games! From cloud spotting, to taking a rainbow walk, or going on a backyard scavenger hunt, these activities will encourage tamariki of all ages to get out in nature and learn some new things that they could share with you too!

They could even spend some time collecting materials from the garden to create their own nature based insects or maybe some nature frames - such great ways to spend time exploring the outdoors .

3. Use our entertaining and educational videos to keep them busy while you’re in a meeting - we have a playlist of our amazing animal focused series Tipi Nuku for those wanting to pick up some more te reo Māori, our virtual Tamariki Time sessions for those younger audiences wanting a bit of dancing, story time and crafting, or you could put on our hours of animal cam footage for them to get lost in!

And for our budding young vets, Dr James can show you how to do an all-important teddy bear check-up!

4. Play a game together! Take some time to stretch like the animals do, challenge each other to a game of bingo (try playing wharewhare in te reo to challenge yourselves!), print out and play one of our animal related board games, or get your tamariki to create an outdoor obstacle course using chalk that the rest of the family can test out!

5. Explore our Auckland Zoo Kids page to find even more exciting activities, from colouring in pages to print off for them, quizzes to test their knowledge, or even some calming mindfulness activities to help them slow down (and maybe get nice and quiet) for a moment! 

Don’t forget you can share any of your tamariki’s amazing creations with us by using the tag #createwithaucklandzoo on Instagram or uploading your creations here. 

 

6.  Download our enriching learning packs! Our conservation learning team have created easy to use lesson plans and learning resources to support teachers in online classrooms and parents facilitating learning at home. 

These learning at home resources are filled to the brim with engaging curriculum-based content for learners at every age. Journey into the Sumatran rainforest to learn about the incredible animals that live there, or take a dive into the hidden wonders of Aotearoa New Zealand. There are so many packs to choose from! Learn more here.