My Job at the Zoo

Me and one of my camp groups

Well, I have officially completed three weeks of teaching at the zoo. I now have three weeks off and then I will work for another three weeks. Working at the zoo, is a blast. I love teaching different concepts about animals to my campers. And of course, getting to walk around the zoo everyday five times a week is a wonderful perk. I am learning lots of interesting things about the animals that live at the Houston zoo (including their names the keepers call them). So anytime you are in Houston, I would love to give you my personalized tour at the zoo. As a zoo employee, I can actually get a discount on their behind the scenes tours. So I am thinking of signing up my niece Aurora for one. However, it is hard to choose what animal we would like to get up close to the most. I think we are debating between the elephants and the giraffes. For those of you, who are wondering what my day entails here is an overview of what my day is like:

• 5:30- wake up and get ready


• 6:30- get in the car and drive to the zoo


• 7ish- arrive at the zoo; start preparing for the day, and morning meeting


• 8:45-9:15- check-in campers


• 9:15-10- teach lesson


• 10-11ish- Visit animals in the zoo


• 11ish-Animal handling (T-F, they bring in a special animal for the campers to pet and learn about)


• 12-1- Lunch time and my break from the campers


• 1-2:30ish- Craft, Story, and Activity/Games


• 2:30-3:30- Visit more animals in the zoo


• 3:45-4:15- Check-out campers


• 4:30- head home and take a much needed shower :o)

My schedule varies a little each day. Somedays we spend more time out in the zoo than others. And then somedays like last week (Th and F) we spend more time indoors because of the rain. It has been rather hot walking around the zoo. But knock on wood, I have been managing the heat better than I have (meaning no migraines yet!). I try to make sure I drink lots of water which has been helping tremendously. Overall I am having a blast. This ranks as one of my best summer jobs ever. I just wish I could work at the zoo all year long. :o)