Animal Tales Preschool is the perfect place for little ones with a love of nature.
“We have a great team of people who work with the kids here. They really love what they do and they really enjoy the kids,” Early Education Specialist Patty Rice said. “I think that shows. I think that the kids really know that people are excited to see them when they get here, are happy to see them, are glad they’re here. And that makes the kids happy and excited to be here as well.”
For nearly 15 years, Sedgwick County Zoo’s preschool has offered unique learning opportunities that foster children’s development in gross and fine motor skills, collaboration, independence, and problem solving.
“We work a lot on those self-help and self-reliance skills,” Rice said.
Animal Tales offers a morning and afternoon session, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Available to children three and older, Animal Tales has a flexibility in lessons that allows children to pursue topics that interest them.
“We are very child centered. It’s their interests that help to guide where we go next, so we do a lot of very active hands-on activities,” Rice said. “We have flexibility here. If the kids come in, and they’re all excited about the snow that fell that day, and that wasn’t on our plan, we can switch gears and do snow activities that day, because that’s what they’re excited about.”
Every day, rain or shine, kids are able to get outside and explore the natural world. From meeting with zookeepers and learning about an animal to visiting different habitats around the Zoo, every day offers a new adventure to Animal Tales preschoolers.
Animal Tales helps build a connection between children and the natural world. It fosters a love of the environment and the animals that we share our earth with. And the kids aren’t afraid to share what they’ve learned with other Zoo guests.
“They remind other Zoo guests, because they’ll talk about it. They’ll say things like, ‘we don’t tap on the glass because the animals don’t like that. That’s their home.’ So, they understand that,” Rice said. “At such a young age they have such a great awareness.”
Parents interested in enrolling their child in Animal Tales can find more information on the Zoo’s website. They can also call the Education Center at 316-266-8213. Or, the next time they visit Sedgwick County Zoo, they can visit Cargill Learning Center and speak with an education specialist.
“We have great kids, family, and staff here,” Rice said. “We all work together as a team. We’re here to support parents and work together with them to make this the best school experience that their child could have. We want kids to get that great start to loving school and loving to learn.”
