 Family Travel Files Ezine Family Vacations Resource |
Missouri: St. Louis, Zoomagination Station –Create, Pretend and Play.  The St. Louis Zoo’s new discovery room, ZOOmagination Station, invites young children and their adult caregivers to explore the animal world together. Families may investigate animal biofacts up close, design their own zoo exhibits and create creature crafts to take home. Puppets, costumes, discovery boxes, a playhouse and a variety of play areas encourage children to investigate the world of animals – and to have fun!
Located in The Living World, the experience is designed for children ages 3-7, though all ages are welcome. Children may choose their own brand of fun at these stations:
At Backyard Wildlife Experience, kids can explore an interactive playhouse and its habitat. Children use binoculars, magnifiers and field guides to identify native wildlife. Animal clues help identify scat, bird songs and more. Kids can fill birdfeeders, care for native plants and find out how to attract wildlife to their own backyard.
With Discovery Boxes, kids investigate amazing animal adaptations in simple hands-on experiments. Children and their caregivers can compare feathers, tell a story with animal tracks, and learn how apes go fishing for termites. There's much to explore with more than 15 different activity kits. Need to know: Cubs & Pups Pad is just for the wee ones! Ages 2 and under can play with puppets, plush animals and giant pillows on a soft turtle mat. Their caregivers help them explore the animal world through books and manipulatives which simulate how animals, move, act and sound.
At Animal Care Corner,  kids investigate the jobs of zookeepers and veterinarians with costumes, pretend Zoo animals and tools of the trade. They discover how zookeepers care for the animals as they sift scat, squeegee aquariums and hook snakes. They can also examine X-rays, bandage bears and listen to the heart of a hippo, just like a real veterinarian.
At Animal Explorations, kids create an underwater adventure with amazing ocean animal models in the water sensory table. They can build a polar paradise in moon sand for a whole colony of penguins. Imagine your own creature creations and animal art experiences at the creation station They will learn how animals communicate by listening to real animal calls and matching them to pictures.
At Build-A-Habitat, kids can create their own animal habitat with realistic animal replicas and natural elements. Plants, logs, caves, fences, waterways and more are there to build wild animal habitats or design zoo homes.
At ZOOmagination Theater, kids can create wacky wildlife adventures with a diverse cast of animal puppets, or tell a story with the forest finger puppets in their giant tree stump homes.
Admission is free.  One adult (18+) is required for every four children. Timed tickets will be available beginning at 9 a.m. at the entrance to ZOOmagination Station located on the upper level of The Living World at the Zoo's North Entrance. ZOOmagination Station is open every day. Hours vary from season to season. Check the St. Louis Zoo’s website at www.stlzoo.org or call (314) 646-4544 for information.
Information and /images/ezine provided by St. Louis Zoo. Copyright 2009.
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