Day 6

Full day 9-5 today of camp prep. I spent a good amount of time spelling out several details for our camp week on water. One of our goals for the week is to get the kids around to all the different exhibits of the zoo that are up and running. So, it's really cool to think about how to tie all the different animals and habitats together.

We met one of the zookeepers that takes care of the lions, tigers, snow leopard, and servals today. She talked to us specifically about the lions today. It's interesting to hear the keepers talk about the training that they conduct with the animals. None of it really is for show, it's all for medical purposes. For example, they train the lions for having their blood drawn for check-ups and such. Most of the training is done in the morning before the lions are let out into the exhibit for the day. I also learned that they are allowed to be left outside as long as it is at least 20 degrees out. The rocks in the exhibit area are also heated for the big cats. Both females are fed about 4.5 lbs of meat each day, and the male is fed about 8 lbs.

All of the lions at the Blank Park Zoo, one male and two females, currently are getting up in numbers for lions raised in captivity. In the wild, a male generally is in charge, but it's pretty evident in this little clan of three lions that one of the females is in charge.

Toward the end of the day, we went and watched the Magellan Penguins being fed by their keeper. I really enjoyed watching them swallow the fish whole and then shake a bit, and it made me want to go look up on specific information on their behavior. This exhibit also really reminds me of the Galapagos penguins that I saw one day while snorkeling around Bartalome Island in the Galapagos archipelago back in May of 2009. I definitely think I will include some information about the Galapagos Islands when planning my camp week about animals of the World.

Here's a photo of part of Bartalome Island that I took way back in May of 2009 that we snorkeled around for a while: (I thought it was fun to reminisce and tie back to this amazing trip I went on in this blog; it seems to fit well)

Here's a photo that my good friend Kelsey Prosser, who I really got to know on that trp, took with her camera in water-proof casing while we were snorkeling of the penguins we saw. We were literally this close to them. It was an unforgettable sight:

One cool thing about the Galapagos Penguins is that they are the only species of penguins that live in an area where there's lava. The Magellan Penguins that we have at the Blank Park Zoo obviously do not live in the arctic regions like the penguins most people think about. The Magellan Penguins actually call parts of the southern edge of South America home.

I haven't taken my own camera around to take photos of all the different animals yet, but here is a photo of the Magellan penguins from the Zoo website:

After work today, I went on a wog (walk/jog) on the Neal Smith Trail south of where I'm currently living in Ankeny. There were a lot of bicyclists on the trail, and after I went about half a mile, I found some spots that I want to go back to and bring my trusty camera with me. Then, it was nice to just come sit out on the deck for a while to cool down a bit before going in for the night.

Day 5

Started at 9 this morning. I worked on lesson planning for our camp on water, which is first conducted during the second week of camp. I first came up with topics for each day: Mnday - Freshwater, Tuesday - Oceans, Wednesday - Arctic waters, Thursday - Turtles vs. Tortoises, Friday - Water Importance and Conservation. Then, I came up with some lesson ideas, zoo tours, crafts, games, and zoo activities within each of those topics. It is so much fun planning out activities and lessons for the kids. My partner focused on lesson planning for our week on Animobility, adaptations, and exercise.

We interns were invited to come attend an educational program that was put on for a first grade class today in the zoo. Cristina, a worker in the educational department, put on this presentation. She actually graduated from college with a degree in journalism. After working in public relations for a few years, she wanted to change careers and got her job at the zoo. I found it cool that it's not all just biology and related majors working at the zoo. Cristina showed three animals to the students: a bearded dragon, a marine toad, and a blue-tongued skink.

This is a photo of Cristina with the bearded dragon:

This was one of the funnest parts of the day for me. It really reminded me of the Creature Outreach Program that I have particpated in at Morningside. I've actually helped show Luna, who  was our bearded dragon, to several second grade students in Sioux City. It is so cool that there are people that do that sort of thing all the time for their job. I'm jealous right now :-) This internship is such a great experience for me already, and I think it is just going to get better.

We also become a bit more official employees today... we got our Blank Park Zoo nametags. They're pretty legit:

One cool feature is that these are actually what we use to clock in everyday. There's a magnet on the back, which you can see below. All you have to do is get your nametag close to the timecard, and it beeps, your name pops up on the screen, and a voice says "thank you" for real haha We all felt pretty special.



That wraps up the first week of my internship at the Blank Park Zoo. Then, I did a little shopping back in Ankeny after work for fun.

Day 4

Worked from 10-4:30 today after sleeping in a bit this morning. Today seemed to go by really quick. We had the day to pretty much work on lesson planning in whatever fashion we seemed fit. We all discussed a few things, first. Averee, my co-lead for the 5-6 year olds, put together our general schedule for the Prehistoric Pals camp, which is the first one we host. I really got into looking up craft projects. I love them. As I found different ones we could incorporate, I started jotting them down in my notebook with supplies needed and a little sketch of what it looks like.

I think I filled up about 5 pages of crafts for dinosaurs and aquatic animals today. Here's a couple of  them:

My partner and I also went on a walk around the zoo to get some ideas for how we want to organize our Zoo Tours during camp. We also rode the train, which goes around one side of the zoo.

This is Averee and I on the train:

After our little trek around the zoo, we tried out some of our craft ideas. Here's a couple that we tried today:

After work today, I went back to Ankeny for dinner. Kari made chicken, mushrooms, and potatoes. Since it was decently nice out today, I decided to go out exploring. I ended up down by Saylorville Lake, which is pretty close to Kari and Jeremy's place. I hiked around a bit there and took some photos.

I drove across the dam and checked out the campground, which is at the bottom of the dam, on the Johnston side of the lake before heading back to Ankeny for the night.

Day 3

Didn't have to go to the zoo until after lunch again, so this morning was about a little adventure. Kari took me to a walking trail along the river not too far from the house, and she and the girls joined me for a little jaunt.

The girls played along and did the Lewis and Clark pose for me:

It was a fun little trip, and walking around taking photos is always relaxing for me. I love walking around outdoors, and it was actually a bit cooler this morning than it has been the past couple of days.

The girls kept picking up different leaves and plants:

Then on our walk back to the car, we stumbled upon a bunch of snails on the trail. Hannah was brave and held one just like me :-)

Next, we made a little trip to the Johnston Public Library before lunch, where the girls found some books, and I perused through the magazine Outdoor Photographer.

On to the zoo in the afternoon. Main project for the day was going through all the closets in our classrooms and taking an inventory of supplies. Here's just a shot of one set of things that we went through:

Then we did a little more brainstorming on ideas for our camps, and finished up by Kira coming and talking to us about some policies and an overview of ordering supplies. It's been kinda rainy all afternoon and gotten chillier throughout the day, so it was a good afternoon to spend inside.

Day 2

Didn't have to work until after lunch today. Kari showed me around a bit of the main parts of Ankeny this morning, which was cool.

First part of the afternoon at the zoo was time to search and get ideas for lessons, crafts, and games for our camps. It was fun to start brainstorming a little and get an idea of how the typical camp day runs. Next, Daniela took us out and showed us to the different classrooms we will be working in. The camp I am with (5-6 yr old) will have home base in what is known as the Dove Room in the Discovery Center.

Then, she took us to the Service Building, where all the education animals live. Since the zoo does so many outreach presentations, the animals all have at least one day off a week, where they are not used for presentations. One animal we saw that is sticking out in my mind right now is the porcupine named Daphne. I've never seen a porcupine up close before, and we actually were able to pet her. The quils felt different than I imagined, and her fur underneath is yellow. It was cool to get to see a bunch of the animals that our camp kids will get to learn about this summer. We also worked together on a camp t-shirt inventory, today.

Finally, our other boss, Kira, came and spoke to us a bit about lesson planning and basic objectives of the camp. The key components for a day at camp include intro/recap, lesson, snack, craft, game, animal presentation, memory book, and review.

All of the interns are really great. We've all been getting along really well these first couple of days. They're all real easy to talk to, and it's going to be fun getting to collaborate ideas and work with them this summer.

After work, I went on a little walk around the neighborhood I'm currently living in, and then took a few photos of the girls playing outside and some of the fauna behind the house. I'm posting a few of the shots below:

My First Day at the Zoo

Today was the first day of my summer internship. We started at 9am with some basic paperwork and orientation first. I learned that so many of the full-time staff at the Blank Park Zoo started out right where I am today, as a summer safari intern. It was really fun getting to listen to some of the current education staff talk about the programs they conduct off site. Definitely reminds me of the Creature Outreach Program I was able to be involved with my first 3 years at Morningside. Right now they have 130 programs planned at local libraries in 2 months!

After lunch, one of the volunteers took us on a great tour of the whole zoo. This was my first time ever at this zoo. There are a couple exhibits that are currently under construction, so it will be intersting to see the finished products. Kathy, who gave us interns the tour, knew so much about so many of the exhibits, and I really enjoyed our 3 hour tour :-)

Can I just say that I am sooooo going to love my job this summer. I can't wait to start putting lesson plans together with my partner, learning more about the animals and their habitats, and spending time with kids and teaching them about Biology. I am REALLY excited. There's probably a lot more I could already write about things I learned today, but I think this covers the main points; plus there will undeniably be lots to write about every day. So excited!

Moved into Ankeny

Well, I moved into my cousin Kari's house in Ankeny today, where I will be staying for a while. I'm loving all the trees around Ankeny as I drove in today. Kari and her husband Jeremy have two daughers Hannah, age 5, and Rylee, age 3. I'm excited to be staying here with them.

This is the outside of the house:

This is the room they are letting me call my own in their basement:

Hannah is on the left and Rylee on the Right:

Starting my blog

Hey everyone!

I am really excited to start my internship with the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, IA. I have been chosen to work with the 5-6 year old Summer Safari educational camp. I plan on posting regularly on my experiences at the zoo.

 

Here is a link to the  Blank Park Zoo if you're interested. I'll be moving next week, so be looking for updates. Hope you all have a great summer. Hasta luego.