Hands-on animal fun!

Living in a big city surrounded by computers and TVs, many children have lost touch with the natural world. However, this problem is easily reversed. Children have an instinctive love of nature and animals – sometimes it just hasn’t been nurtured.

If you can’t get out bush with the wild animals, the next best thing is a visit to your local zoo or animal sanctuary. Here’s some tips for getting the most out of your zoo experience for your kids.

1. Book an animal encounter

There are plenty of hands-on animal encounters available at zoos these days. Australia Zoo (on the Sunshine Coast) offers several experiences like this – some free of charge and some at additional cost. You can pay to feed and pat giant tortoises, groom farm animals, or get up close with a rhino, for example. Free of charge, you can hand-feed elephants and kangaroos, pat a koala and get up close and personal with the animals which are “roved” throughout the zoo by animal handlers.

At Alma Park Zoo (Brisbane) you can hand feed the kangaroos and deer. At Mogo Zoo (NSW) you can have an up-close encounter with meerkats if you are over the age of 12.

Some zoos require you to pre-book for animal encounters, so do your research before the big day so you don’t miss out.

2. Take a kids’ camera

Give your child her own camera for the day. If she’s old enough to be trusted with the family camera, great. If not, you can purchase a disposable camera or a cheap kid’s digital camera. It will make the whole day more interactive.

3. Enquire about school holiday programs

Many animal sanctuaries and zoos run holiday programs for kids. Australia Zoo conducts a “Zoo Keeper for the Day” program each school-holiday period. It involves half a day tending to animals and learning about the behind the scenes work of a zoo keeper. A similar program operates at Mogo Zoo in NSW.

There are a range of education programs offered at Phillip Island Nature Park, which involve ranger walks, talks and hands-on activities.

4. Buy an annual pass

Often the cost of an annual pass is similar to the cost of attending the zoo two or three times. Families who buy an annual pass will always have a cost-effective holiday activity up their sleeve. There are always new and interesting things to do at a zoo. The wombats might be asleep one day, and chasing each other around the enclosure the next time you visit. And bit-by-bit you can make your way to the various talks and shows that take place throughout the day.

As far as school holiday activities go, zoos and animal sanctuaries are a ripper! They offer an awesome day out as well as offering kids the chance to make a greater connection with the natural world.