Teacher Resources
Whether you need to prepare your students for a Zoo field trip or need an activity for your homeschooler, we have you covered. Designed to enhance lessons in biology, zoology, and ecology, these resources will help connect your learners to wildlife.
Educator Guides
Connect your learners to popular classroom topics like food webs, habitats, and more through these Exhibit Exploration guides.
The Exhibit Exploration Overview is a great place to start. Exhibits are paired with multiple life science topics so that each stop on your Zoo visit can reinforce your lesson. Once you have familiarized yourself with the topic icons, you’ll be ready to use the Exhibit Exploration guides.
Exhibit Exploration Guides offer suggestions on how to interpret various life science topics while viewing the exhibit. Find out how you can talk about habitats, adaptations, and animal behavior while enjoying the sights and sounds of our boisterous lemurs at the Lipman Lemur Forest, our graceful grazers at the African Savanna, and more.
Zoo Vocabulary offers a handy list of terms to support science and environmental literacy. Supplemental Sources provides suggestions for books and websites we love. Zoo Field Trip FAQs will help you prepare for a visit—from how to reserve a field trip date to where to eat lunch.
School Field Trips and Group Visits
- Field trips occur between the months of September through May, with classroom teacher(s) and chaperone(s) in attendance. Groups are welcome year-round
- SFUSD school field trips are FREE. Students and chaperones within the 1 to 5 ratio are included. Additional adults over the ratio are charged the non-SFUSD rate.
- For non-SFUSD school field trips and groups, the weekday discounted per person rates are:
| Adults, Chaperones, Teachers | $14.50 |
| 9th – 12th Grade | $14.50 |
| Ages 2 years – 8th Grade | $10.00 |
| Senior (ages 65+) | $12.00 |
- Weekend/Holiday rates may be higher
- To accommodate your reservation requests, please contact us 3 weeks prior to your preferred visit date by emailing [email protected] with the following information:
| Contact Name | Date of Visit |
| Name of Group | Type of Group (SFUSD or other) |
| Address | Number of Students 2 years – 8th Grade |
| City | Number of Students 9th – 12th Grade |
| Zip Code | Number of Adults, Chaperones, Teachers |
| Work Phone | Payment (Cash, Credit, or Debit Card ONLY) |
| Cell Phone |
- To receive the school/group rate, you must bring 15 or more people on your field trip or group visit, entering the Zoo together at one time, adhering to the chaperone ratio of 1 adult for every 5 children and other relevant policies.
- San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) school groups adhering to the chaperone ratio of 1 adult for every 5 children receive free admission from September through May. Each additional adult over the ratio is charged the Adults/Chaperones/Teachers rate.
- Payment must be made on the day of your visit. We gladly accept cash and credit/debit card payments. Sorry, we do not accept checks or purchase orders.
For teacher resources, click here.
Activities
These fun, science-based activities will help support your wildlife lessons. Use them as pre-visit excitement-builders, post-visit reminders, fun assessment tools, or as rainy-day fun with your family.
Activities are grouped by grade level, but can be used however you like. Everyone can join in the fun of Zoo Bingo.
Kindergarten: Featuring fun Lesson Plans, Zoo Bingo, My Zoo Notes, and Zoo Syllables
Grades 1 and 2: Featuring engaging worksheets like Group the Vertebrates, Scavenger Hunt, Animals of Africa, and handy Student Explorer Logs
Grade 3: Featuring unique activities like Thumbs Up!, Wonder of Webs, Animath, and Insect Zoo Word Search
Grades 4 and 5: Featuring an Ethology Activity Packet, Animath, and more
Wild About Art & Science
Use these lessons to enhance student learning in science and provide an outlet for artistic creativity. Each lesson is designed to meet Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and provide grade-appropriate lessons and activities that focus on California biodiversity. Each grade focuses on a different animal lesson and is encouraged to create artwork inspired by the animal they studied. The same lessons will be used each year so teachers can plan ahead and work the activities into their lesson plans.
Have a Question? E-mail [email protected] or call (415) 753-8135.
Kindergarten (Desert Tortoise):
“Can You Dig It?” Lesson
Desert Tortoise Fact Sheet
Grade 1 (Barn Owl):
“Heads Down, Owl Sounds” Lesson
Barn Owl Fact Sheet
Grade 2 (Pollinators):
“Powerful Pollinators” Lesson
Pollinators Fact Sheet
Grade 3 (Tiger Salamander):
“Thin Skinned Amphibians” Lesson
Tiger Salamander Fact Sheet
Grade 4 (SF Garter Snake):
“Amazing Adaptations” Lesson
San Francisco Garter Snake Fact Sheet
Grade 5 (Sea Lion):
“Swimming for Food” Lesson
Sea Lions Fact Sheet
Playground Learning Guides
At the San Francisco Zoo we believe in the power of play, and at our one-of-a-kind Friend Family Playground, there are opportunities to learn around every branch, iceberg, and stream.
Have a Question about Teacher Resources?
e-mail [email protected] or call (415) 753-7073