Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit Combos

CMZ Docents offer educational programs that address Colorado Academic Standards. Introduction and emphasis on the program theme is first provided with the Classroom Safari, and then followed-up with a Zoo tour. Programs are adjusted to meet your curriculum and grade level.

Packages for K–12th Grade include:

A classroom visit at your school
Vocabulary and concept list
A 1- to 1.5-hour-long tour at the Zoo

Days & Times

– Days offered: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday (no Wednesdays).
– Classroom visit: 45-minute PowerPoint presentation at your school, with showing of biofacts to the students one(1) week before docent-led Zoo tour.
– Docent-led Zoo tour: Scheduled 4 to 7 days after the classroom visit. Tour is 60 minutes for K & 1st grade, and 90 minutes for 2nd grade & up.

Schedule with the Docents

- Please leave your name, school’s name, and best phone number.
- Calls/emails will be returned as soon as possible.

Contact: Mark McPherson, VP Outreach, CMZ Auxiliary

Please Read and Agree

I understand that by purchasing a CMZoo membership, advance ticket reservations are required to visit the Zoo for Individual, Family, Grandparent and Family Plus members, and my preferred ticket date or time may not always be available. I also understand that memberships are non-refundable after purchase.

If free member tickets for my chosen day/time are not available, and I choose to purchase non-member tickets, they will not be refundable/reimbursable and cannot be applied to my membership renewal.

I also understand that the Zoo cannot accommodate an earlier entry time than my ticket start time. (For example, a 10:30-11 a.m. ticket cannot be scanned in earlier than 10:30 a.m.)

Please be courteous to your fellow members by not over-reserving tickets and returning tickets you can’t use. To release your tickets, email [email protected] prior to your ticketed date.

MEMBER CODE OF CONDUCT

We believe we can create a feeling of family by treating each employee, guest, member and donor with the respect they deserve. Treating each other like we would want to be treated is just the right thing to do. There is no room at the Zoo for profanity, harassment or threatening behavior.

Our animals are family and we love and respect them not only for their beauty, but for all the joy they bring so many guests every year. We believe our animals deserve the best homes and care we can provide. Please join us in treating our animals like you would treat your own family members. Crossing barriers is dangerous, as they are in place to keep both you and our animals safe. Like your friends and family, our animals do not like to be harassed in any way.

We believe we should never take our site’s beauty for granted. Our mountain is something we hope you will enjoy and actively admire. Join us in preserving our amazing site by feeling at home while you are here and leaving our grounds “without a trace.”

Our staff strives to make the world a better place every day. We will always work hard to make your experience the best it can be as well as assist you when things might not go as planned. When having difficult discussions, mutual respect is always expected and appreciated.

“If you are unable to comply with this Code of Conduct, we reserve the right to revoke your membership and/or ask you to leave the Zoo. Thank you for understanding.

I agree to the information above.

Continue

Details & Requirements

– Book at least 2 weeks prior to requested date, call early for availability.
– Schedule the Docent-led tour 4-7 days after the classroom visit.
– One (1) adult chaperone and/or teacher per group of students are 75¢ each.
– Students are to be supervised by their chaperone after the Docent-led tour, and while on Zoo grounds.
– Additional adults with the group receive $2 off current admission price and they must prepay the teacher prior to the tour.
– Children under age of 3 are 75¢
– We are unable to accept passes or Zoo Memberships in place of admission fees for Docent-led tours.
– Adults paying at the front gate will pay the regular Zoo admission and may NOT join the Docent-led tour. These adults will have to meet up with the groups at the drop-off area after the tour.
– Most, but not all classroom visits have biofacts, and not all tours have a safari. Please refer to the Teacher’s Guide below for details.
– Please note: School buses and other vehicles that require more than one parking space will be required to park at an off-site location. Transportation to and from the off-site location is the responsibility of the visiting group. For details, visit our off-site bus parking information. Please do not include bus drivers in your chaperone count.

Docent Teacher’s Guide – PDF Download

– Teacher’s Guide For the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Docent Auxiliary Classroom Safaris, Tours, and Programs 2024-2025 PDF
(This guide is intended to be a hard copy version of the information provided on this Docent tours web page.)

Cost

Child/Student: $13.75 year round
Chaperone: 75¢ per tour group
Additional Adult: $19.75**
**Participating adults must register in advance. Adults paying at the front gate may not participate in tour
(Includes a 75¢ donation to Quarters for Conservation.)

Payment Methods & Requirements

– PAYMENT IS DUE IN FULL ONE WEEK PRIOR TO TOUR DATE.
– Cash, in-state check, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.
– Please have one person pay for the entire group.

Rescheduling

– To change Tours: If you have a problem with your scheduled tour date and need to change/cancel your tour please contact Sue Sallee at 719-599-8578 as soon as possible to reschedule.
– Inclement weather and/or late starts: It is your responsibility to cancel the tour 24 hours in advance and reschedule your tour by calling Sue Sallee at 719-599-8578. The CMZ Docent Auxiliary does NOT cancel tours, only the schools can do this. (Please do not contact the Zoo directly.) By contacting us directly in advance, we can notify our Docents that the visit/tour has been cancelled. We will do our best to reschedule your classroom visit and/or tour.

Opportunity Fund Scholarship Information

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has scholarships available for schools, groups, and families that may need financial assistance.
Please download the appropriate application and follow included instructions.
Opportunity Fund Scholarship – Individual Application
Opportunity Fund Scholarship – School/Group Application

Docent-Led Tour & Classroom Safari Options

Grades K & 1

Kindergarten – Coats and Colors Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
The Kindergarten Coats and Colors Tour focuses on making connections with patterns in the natural world. Students will learn about meat eaters, plant eaters, and both plant and animal eaters (carnivore, herbivore, omnivore). Students will learn many ways to sort and classify organisms based on their physical characteristics. They will understand what makes an animal’s covering important (protection, warmth, camouflage, attraction/identification, movement, and communication).

Classroom Safari:
A 45-minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio-facts, activities, and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
60-minute Docent-led tour, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
6-8 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Colorado Science Standard #2: Life Science:
Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the process of life, and how living things interact with each other and their environment.

Grade Level Expectation (Kindergarten):
To live and grow, animals obtain food they need from plants or other animals, and plants need water and light.

Elaboration on the GLE:
Students can answer the question: How do structures of organisms enable life’s functions?

First Grade – Coats and Colors Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
The First Grade Coats and Colors Tour focuses on offspring and their resemblance to parents. Students will learn to identify physical characteristics in order to compare and contrast animals and their babies. Students will understand how adaptations can increase an animal’s chance for survival.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio-facts, activities, and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
60-minute Docent-led tours, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
6-8 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Colorado Science Standard #2: Life Science:
Students know and understand the characteristics and structure of living things, the process of life, and how living things interact with each other and their environment.

Grade Level Expectation (1st Grade):
1. All organisms have external parts they use to perform daily functions.
2. Young organisms are very much, but not exactly, like their parents, and also resemble other organisms of the same kind.

Elaboration on the GLE #1:
1. Different animals use their body parts in different ways…
2. …In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring survive.
3. Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival.

Elaboration on the GLE #2:
1. …Why do individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave?
2. Young animals are very much, but not exactly, like their parents.
3. Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways.

Grades 2 and Up

African Rift Valley (ARV) Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
The focus of the African Rift Valley Tour is on the animals, their ecosystems, and their connection to the Maasai people of the Rift Valley. Students learn about the unique features of the valley, including kopjes, baobab trees, water holes, soda lakes, and the savannah, and how living things depend on their environment.

Classroom Safari:
Classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour, with scheduled station stops, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
6-8 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectation #2 (2nd Grade):
A range of different organisms lives in different places.

Elaboration on the GLE:
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Colorado Social Studies Standard 2—Geography:
Geography provides students with an understanding of spatial perspectives and technologies for spatial analysis, awareness of interdependence of world regions and resources and how places are connected at local, national and global scales.

Geography: Grade Level Expectation (2nd Grade):
People in communities manage, modify, and depend on their environment.

Geography: Colorado Essential Skill:
Make observations and draw conclusions about the relationship between a community and their environment.

Grades 3 and Up

Amazing Mammals Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
This tour emphasizes mammalian characteristics, adaptations, basic needs and habitats around the world. Students learn about similarities and differences between mammals ~ what adaptations make a mammal arboreal, terrestrial, or aquatic? What are the structural differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores? What behavioral differences do we find between diurnal and nocturnal mammals? These questions and more will guide our exploration of mammals at Cheyenne Mt. Zoo.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
6-8 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectations (3rd Grade):
1. Organisms have unique and diverse life cycles
2. Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves and cope with changes.
3. Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information; the environment also affects the traits that an organism develops.

Elaboration on the GLE:
1. Students can answer the question: How do the structures of organisms enable life’s function?
2. Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size.

Life Cycles Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
The Life Cycles Tour focuses on how life cycles among living organisms vary depending on the species, how they reproduce and how long they will survive/live in their environment. Students will learn to identify how living things grow, develop and change during their lifetime due to their genetic make-up and the environment in which they live. The tour will examine the life cycles of insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour with hands-on station stops, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
7-10 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectations (3rd Grade):
1. Organisms have unique and diverse life cycles.
2. Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information; the environment also affects the traits that an organism develops.

Elaboration the GLE:
1. Students can answer the question: How do the structures of organisms enable life’s function?
2. Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.
3. Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment.

Grades 4 and Up

Colorado Life Zones Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
This tour compliments the fourth-grade study of Colorado by stressing the life zones found in our great state. Students will identify and describe local regions (life zones) in Colorado, looking at the resources shared and by its living and non-living components. Many of these can be seen from the side of Cheyenne Mountain! Your class will get an up-close look at many of Colorado’s native plant and animal species in our fabulous Rocky Mt. Wild exhibit.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour with hands-on station stops, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
7-10 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectation (4th Grade):
Organisms have both internal and external structures that serve various functions.

Elaboration the GLE:
Students can answer the question: How do internal and external structures support the survival, growth, behavior and reproduction of plants and animals?

Colorado Science Standard #3:Earth and Space Science
Students know and understand the processes and interactions of Earth’s systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth and other objects in space.

Grade Level Expectation (4th Grade):
Four major Earth Systems Interact

Elaboration on GLE:
Students can answer the questions: What patterns of Earth’s features can be determined with the use of maps? (Altitude and Latitude)

Grade Level Expectation #2 (5th Grade):
Matter cycles between air and soil and among plants, animals and microbes as these organisms live and die.

Elaboration of GLE #2 (5th Grade):
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: …Organisms are related in food webs…

Colorado Social Studies Standard #2: Geography:
The study of geography creates an informed person with an understanding of spatial perspective and technologies for spatial analysis; and an awareness of the interdependence of the world regions and resources, and how places are connected at the local, national, and global scales. Students understand the complexity and interrelatedness of people, places, and environments. Geography helps students appreciate the dynamic relationships and complexity of the world.

Prepared Graduates:
4.Examine the characteristics of places and regions, and the changing nature among geographic and human interactions.

Ecology – The Study of Our Environment Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
This tour is designed to be a custom fit for your class and its focus of study. Ecology examines structures and adaptations necessary for species survival at the lower grade levels and moves into biodiversity and energy flow as students master necessary concepts. We will discuss the needs of your students before the safari and tour to be sure your class masters the standards and learns about the concepts using real life examples at the Zoo.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
7-10 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectation (4th Grade):
Organisms have both internal and external structures that serve various functions.

Grade Level Expectation #2 (5th Grade):
Matter cycles between air and soil and among plants, animals and microbes as these organisms live and die.

Elaboration of GLE #2 (5th Grade):
Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems:…Organisms are related in food webs…decomposers…Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem.

Grade Level Expectation #5 (Middle School):
… Organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. (Ecosystems)

Grade Level Expectation #6 (Middle School):
Ecosystems are sustained by the continuous flow of energy, originating primarily from the sun, and the recycling of matter and nutrients within the system. (Food Webs)

Grades 6 and Up

Zoogeography Docent-Led Zoo Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
This tour focuses on the worldwide distribution of animals by exploring their ecosystems. The tour addresses how animals change over time, that is, genetic change in population over time. Docents will discuss with students the influence of the earth’s climatic conditions and help them make connections to the scientific principles that help to explain the factors that contribute to diversity and adaptation.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
7-10 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectation #5 (Middle School):
Organisms and populations of organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.

Grade Level Expectation #7 (Middle School):
Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all of its populations.

Grade Level Expectation #8 (Middle School):
Heredity explains why offspring resemble, but are not identical to, their parents and is a unifying biological principle. Heredity refers to specific mechanisms by which characteristics or traits are passed from one generation to the next via genes.

Elaboration of GLE #8:
In addition to variations that arise from sexual reproduction, genetic information can be altered because of mutations.

Grade Level Expectation #9 (Middle School):
Fossils are mineral replacements, preserved remains, or traces of organisms that lived in the past.

Grade Level Expectation #10 (Middle School):
Genetic variations among individuals in a population give some individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in their environment.

Grade Level Expectation #11 (Middle School):
Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one important process by which species change over time in response to changes in environmental conditions.

Grade Level Expectation #12 (Middle School):
iodiversity is the wide range of existing life forms that have adapted to the variety of conditions on Earth, from terrestrial to marine ecosystems.

Endangered Species Docent-Led Tour & Classroom Visit

Description:
The middle school level Endangered Species Tour emphasizes the causes of endangerment from natural and human influences. Docents will discuss how low birth rate, slow maturation, narrow dietary habits, isolation, and loss of biodiversity contribute to endangerment. Students will learn how changes in the ecosystem, loss of habitat from natural disasters, and human activities play a large role in threatening a species’ survival. Docents will explain how the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo participates in conservation efforts through successful breeding and reintroduction programs.

Classroom Safari:
A 45 minute visit to your classroom by a CMZ Docent which includes a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on bio facts, activities and a vocabulary list.

Docent-Led Zoo Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
7-10 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

Grade Level Expectation #5 (Middle School):
Organisms and populations of organisms are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.

**Grade Level Expectation #7 (Middle School):
**Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all of its populations.

Grade Level Expectation #10 (Middle School):
Genetic variations among individuals in a population give some individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in their environment.

Grade Level Expectation #12 (Middle School):
Biodiversity is the wide range of existing life forms that have adapted to the variety of conditions on Earth, from terrestrial to marine ecosystems.

**Tour emphasizes this Grade Level Expectation.

Grades 9 and Up

Advanced Mammal Biology Zoo Docent-Led Tour Only

Description:
As students visit some of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s animals, docents will discuss physiological and structural systems in greater depth than in the Amazing Mammals Tour. Students learn about behavioral adaptations for survival in a variety of ecosystems and how the classification of animals into taxonomic groups is largely dependent on structural similarities. Students will hear about the advances of scientific research that steadily clarify the relationships of species to each other.

Classroom Safari:
No Classroom Safaris are offered to upper grades. A vocabulary list will be sent to the teacher with concepts covered on the Docent-led Zoo Tour.

Zoo Docent-Led Tour:
90-minute Docent-led tour, scheduled 4-7 days after classroom visit.

Ratio:
7-10 students per Docent-led tour group at the Zoo.

**Grade Level Expectation #10 (High School):
**Evidence of common ancestry and diversity between species can be determined by examining variations including genetic, anatomical and physiological differences.

Grade Level Expectation #11 (High School):
Genetic variation among organisms affects survival and reproduction.

Grade Level Expectation #12 (High School):
The environment influences survival and reproduction of organisms over multiple generations.