Social Story (Part III) Visiting KidZooU
I know I have arrived at KidZooU because I will see a large sign at the front entrance KidZooU: Hamilton Family Children s Zoo and Faris Family Education Center.
There is a goat bridge that goes over the entrance of KidZooU.
Sometimes there will be goats walking on the bridge. I cannot touch these goats, but I can look at them.
After the goat bridge there is a pigeon loft.
After the pigeon loft there are restrooms. This is a good time to use the bathroom.
If I need a longer break or am upset, I can go behind the bathroom to the quiet space.
There is a big pond that ducks swim in. I can walk over the bridge to get food to feed the ducks.
It is good to throw the food into the water so the ducks can eat it. Sometimes ducks quack and flap their wings but they are just excited to be at the zoo.
There is a playground for children after the duck pond. Sometimes it will be crowded. I should wait until it is my turn to go down the slide.
The other playground is only for goats. The goats can travel through the tunnels above us to get to the goat bridge.
Everyone likes to have fun at the zoo!
At KidZooU there will also be a petting zoo.
To get to the petting zoo I will pass big sinks where I can wash my hands after petting the animals.
In the petting area there will be goats and sheep. Sometimes there will be mini horses walking around.
There might be a lot of other people wanting to pet the animals. If there is a line, I can watch the animals while I wait patiently.
It is good to take turns while petting the animals so that everyone can enjoy them.
On the other side of the barnyard there is a chicken coop. This is where the chickens live and some of them look really funny!
I can watch them walk around.
Next to the chicken coop there is a building. The entrance to the building is by the duck pond.
When I first walk in the building, there will be a big window with a lot of plants. This is the home of the butterflies.
Sometimes there can be butterflies with big colorful wings. They could be flying around or resting on the plants.
After I walk through the butterfly display, there will be a colorful bird. He might be chirping or flying around his display or in a special tunnel.
The special tunnel leads into the Animal Action Lab. This is where I can learn about saving energy to help save animals.
A big blue truck is on the wall next to the bird s display. This is a good area to learn about recycling. I can separate the trash from the recyclables on two different conveyer belts. The recycling truck is fun!
A small kitchen is set up next to the recycling truck. This is where I can help save the polar bears and fish by practicing conserving energy. It is good to take turns with other kids who want to play.
Sometimes, there might be a line. That is ok, I can look at the colorful fish while I wait.
The bathrooms are in the hallway. If I need to use the bathroom, I can ask can I go to the bathroom or say, I need a bathroom break.
The barn across from the bathroom has a lot of fun things inside! It is mostly for kids ages 1-3 years old, but sometimes big kids can go in to play, too.
Inside the barn, there are sculptures of animals to look at and touch. There are also areas where I can hear different sounds the animals make.
Outside of the barn is a great big ant. He is on top of a tunnel that I can crawl through.
The ant can be kind of scary. It is very large and has big eyes. It is important to know that it is not a real ant. If I am scared, I can stay away it. It can t move or touch me.
Near the cave, there are foam eggs. I can move these foam eggs across the room to their nesting place. This will help me learn about how ants nest their eggs.
Along the wall, there is a large colorful exhibit for the rats. It has lots of wheels, ropes and toys for the rats to play with.
There is also an area where different kinds of insects live. They are kept in a yellow house with a blue roof. It is dark in the house, but that s ok. If I am nervous I can say I don t want to go in the house.
A giant egg will have a lot of little eggs inside it. Sometimes, the eggs will be just sitting and staying warm. Other times you may see a chick hatching from the egg!
Behind the chick hatchery is the Wildlife Workshop. I can spin the Eco Job Wheel to see how I can help animals.
KidsZooU is a lot of fun! There are so many things I can learn about animals!