Today we have a high school class connecting to the Columbus Zoo for their program I Want to Work at a Zoo.

This is one of my favorite career programs because of the diversity of careers presented & the interesting way they are presented. For advertising careers, they have a wonderful set of clips of very funny ads for zoos around the U.S. Students also talk to one of the animal trainers and get to ask questions about their work at the zoo. Next the students learn about exhibit design and what needs to be considered when creating an exhibit for an animal. Then they see video from an exhibit and hear about how that exhibit was designed.

Next they learn how Columbus Zoo field researchers work out in the wild. There’s a great hands-on activity where students look at pictures of gorillas snapped by a field camera to try to figure out how many gorillas are in that area in the wild. It’s a tough task for the students.

This is a great program for an overview of careers in all areas, not just animals!