Adventure camps, wildlife interactions: A first look at Mandai's ZooSchool, opening in June, Lifestyle News
Come June, it will welcome yet another addition: ZooSchool—a new initiative developed in partnership with NTUC First Campus that aims to bring nature into the hearts of children's learning.
ZooSchool offers programmes — taking place across the wildlife parks at Mandai Wildlife Reserve — for children from preschool to 12 years of age.
Its curriculum, comprising a variety of programmes that vary in length, taps into children's curiosity and sense of adventure through experiential learning and outdoor play.
They will be able to learn about animal behaviours and conservation through wildlife encounters, behind-the-scenes experiences and interactions with veterinarians and animal care experts.
For example, from July to September, ZooSchool will run its Wild Rescue Rangers Holiday Camps, a three-day camp comprising survival skill lessons, animal interactions and conservation activities.
During the media preview on Friday (May 16), ZooSchool welcomed its first group of participants, 32 students aged between five and six. Straight into action
The students kicked off their ZooSchool experience by exploring a new purpose-built facility spanning 1,300sq m at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
Designed with indoor environments and classrooms inspired by nature, the space is built for its young participant to find out about what's coming up for the day and to share what they experienced after their adventures. There is also a multi-level playground located outdoors.
A big part of the ZooSchool programme's focus was on experiential learning, according to the school's centre manager Natalie Teng.
On this day, the preschoolers' first mission was a first-aid simulation featuring an "injured" orangutan animal model.
The activity wasn't simply a one-way lesson on how one can treat an injured animal but more an "infusion of animal knowledge, conservation and life skills", Natalie said.
For example, kids began the activity with a treasure hunt, where they scrambled for materials like bandages and twigs.
As they gathered the items, facilitators would then spark conversations, prompting the children to think critically about which items were appropriate for helping the injured animal.
While there wasn't an expectation for the kids to master first-aid skills, the goal was to help them understand what they can do when faced with a real-life situation.
With the CARE framework—Care, Adventure, Respect and Empathy—woven into the experience, the children were guided on the appropriate actions, such as seeking adult supervision or contacting organisations like NParks and Acres.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the classroom, creativity took centre stage as students designed and built "homes" for otter plushies.
Working in groups of three to four, each team was assigned a table and guided by facilitators as they constructed cosy habitats for their furry friends.
Natalie told AsiaOne that ZooSchool's outdoor curriculum offers preschoolers an immersive learning experience where they can naturally pick up important life skills.
She said: "At ZooSchool, children are out in a natural environment. So there's a lot more real-life connection compared to learning from textbooks or watching a YouTube video."
The idea, she added, is to give children these meaningful outdoor experiences that they can reflect on and bring back into the classroom, complementing their overall learning journey.
"It's education at its best, combining immersive real-life encounters with wildlife and hands-on learning," said Belina Lee, deputy CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group. Who's brave enough?
The adventure continued outdoors at the Animal Behaviour and Enrichment Centre, where the children met some new animal friends, Fennec foxes.
It was snack time for the foxes, and the preschoolers took part in a special enrichment activity designed to mimic the foxes' natural foraging behaviours.
The facilitators provided a box of eggshells for the preschoolers and each of them were encouraged to pick up a mealworm and place it inside an eggshell.
Next, they tore up strips of newspaper to fill the boxes, creating a setting where the foxes would have to search for their food, helping to maintain their natural hunting instinct.
The June holiday camps are fully booked, though registration is now open to the public for Wild Wonders in June and holiday camps in July, August and September at https://zooschool.mandai.com.
Additional programmes will be introduced in the coming months.
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