Is my child ready for Woodland Park Zoo’s summer camp?

To help your child fully enjoy camp, they should be able to:

1. Follow Basic Instructions: Camp involves group activities and safety guidelines, so being able to follow simple, clear directions is essential.
2. Stay with Their Group: For safety and engagement, campers should feel comfortable staying with their peers and camp leaders during activities and transitions.
3. Move Through the Zoo: Campers can move with the group over long distances. The zoo is over 93 acres. Campers will travel a mile or more throughout the day.
4. Communicate Their Needs: Whether through speech, gestures, or assistive devices, your child can let staff know when they need something (like a break, water, or help).
5. Engage in a Group Setting: We make every attempt to accommodate individual needs and quiet time, but note that camp often involves group games, crafts, and animal viewings.
6. Use the Bathroom Independently: A child can manage their bathroom needs without adult assistance. This includes recognizing when they need to use the bathroom, undressing and dressing as necessary, wiping, flushing the toilet, and washing their hands. Campers should be comfortable using multi-stall bathrooms and are encouraged to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, ensuring they feel safe and respected.

How is Zoo Camp different from home or school?

There are many benefits to outdoor learning, and it can also be challenging for some campers. They can feel overwhelmed and unable to focus or may struggle to stay with the group. Unlike home or a child's school hallway, the zoo in summertime is an unfamiliar place full of non-camp guests, and which can sometimes be noisy or hot. Camp groups will also sometimes encounter vehicles, bodies of water, and even farm animals being walked and socialized by animal keepers. To keep these encounters safe for campers and animals, it is important for campers to stay with the group and follow staff instructions.

Additionally, to ensure the safety of all campers, we need to maintain certain adult-staff-to-camper ratios. Unfortunately, we do not have the staff capacity to provide individual campers with 1:1 support.

How do we support your child?

We have two Camp Inclusion Specialists who serve as liaisons between families and camp staff to determine appropriate accommodations for campers. Some accommodations available at camp to provide a nurturing, structured environment are:

• Staff trained to use visual schedules and cues to support transitions.
• Breaks in quiet spaces for sensory regulation.
• Positive reinforcement to encourage participation.
• Variety of sensory tools such as: weighted items, fidgets and headphones.
• If your child usually works with a support person at home or school, we ask that you send them to zoo camp with a support person. Support people/aides are welcome at camp and can work closely with camp staff to make sure your child has the best possible experience at camp. The zoo is unable to provide 1:1 aides as an accommodation.

How can you prepare your child?

1. Talk About Camp in Advance: Review what a day at camp will look like. Social stories and schedules can be helpful tools. Sit with your camper to review the zoo camp social story (link at the bottom of this page).
2. Practice Following Directions: Reinforce following two- or three-step instructions in a fun, low-pressure way.
3. Pack Familiar Comforts: Consider sending sensory tools, headphones, or a comfort item (though we don't suggest sending that one extra-special item) if it helps your child feel more at ease.
4. Share Helpful Information: Let us know about any triggers, calming strategies, or supports that help your child thrive.