Important note: The Edmonton Valley Zoo is closed to the public Monday-Wednesday from October 11, 2022 - March 25, 2023. Programs will continue to run every day of the week; however, staying and touring the site on your own before or after your programs is not permitted while the facility is closed.
If you would like to visit the facility outside of your program during these months, please request a Thursday or Friday program date.
Get your students out of their seats and make the curriculum come to life! Get closer with animal encounters; check out some amazing artifacts and explore the Zoo as you learn about adaptations, endangered species, habitats and many other topics.
We have tailored programs to entertain and engage groups of all ages. Bring your group to the Zoo for an adventure during the day, or even spend the night in a sleepover!
Are you unable to visit us in person? Check out our Virtual Program options!
Year-Round Programs
Animal Senses (Preschool - Grade 12 / Ages 3+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
Stimulate your senses at the Zoo! Discover how animals find food, perceive predators, and pick a partner using their five (or more!) senses. Meet some animals with senses very similar to ours and some that are very different. Your group will look and listen as they tour around part of the Zoo, feel some artifacts, meet a live animal, and probably experience some rather unique smells.
Animals Around the World (Preschool - Grade 12 / Ages 3+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
Get closer to animals from around the world! Students will discover exotic animals, as well as some closer to home, as they go on a globetrotting tour without ever leaving Edmonton. You will meet some of our animals up close as you learn how the zoo (and you, too) can help animals all over the world.
Endangered Species (Grades 3-12 / Ages 7+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
Meet some of the world’s most endangered species and discover ways that you and the Zoo can help protect and preserve endangered animals here and around the globe! We’ll examine artifacts that come from endangered species, meet an animal up close and personal, and participate in discussions to help your students understand why so many animals are endangered. As we visit the Zoo’s endangered animals, students will learn about our Species Survival Plan and the conservation efforts that the zoo supports.
Fur, Feathers and Scales (Preschool - Grade 3 / Ages 4+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
Get closer to the animals at the Edmonton Valley Zoo to see what they have covering their bodies. What can mammals use their fur for? What are birds’ feathers made out of? Do animals covered in scales feel slimy? Students will get a chance to see and feel the difference between fur, feathers, and scales when we tour the zoo, check out some animal artifacts, and even get to meet a live animal.
Night Creatures (Preschool - Grade 12 / Ages 3+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
How do whiskers help animals scurry around at night? Can owls see in the dark? Children will discover some of the amazing adaptations of the night-loving animals that live in our nocturnal wing. We’ll also visit familiar and exotic animals from around the world that are most active at dawn and dusk. Children will learn about the incredible lives of night creatures as we look at bats, owls and more.
Winter Animal Adaptations (Preschool - Grade 12 / Ages 3+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
Discover some of the animals that call Canada home! An interpreter will guide your group around the Zoo to meet some of our Canadian animals, as well as ones that live in similar Northern habitats around the world. Learn about diverse ecosystems found in the northern parts of the world and how animals adapt to living in them. You’ll have a chance to see some awesome animal artifacts and meet an animal up close.
Seasonal Programs
A Merry Zoo Christmas (Preschool – Grade 6 / Ages 4+)
Program Length: 1.5 hours
Fees: $240 (Zoo admission included)
Available: November-December, Monday-Thursday
We have made our list and checked it twice, and all the animals have been on their best behaviour! During the Christmas season, you will have a chance to Get Closer to some of our animals and learn all about Christmas traditions from around the world. You will even have the chance to deliver a gift for an animal and make their holiday wishes come true.
Zoo Immersion (Grades 1-12)
Program Length: 1-5 days;
Full day program, start times and end times depend on arrival and departure times.
Fees: $500 for first day, $235 for each subsequent day
Available: September-April
Immerse your students in the world of animals through this customizable program. Work with an interpreter to design a program to meet your specific learning objectives. Themes and activities can include any combination of the following: needs of living things, life cycles, adaptations, endangered species, animal classification, careers and more! Your group will be with an interpreter from the moment you step off the bus to the moment you have to get back on.
Overnight Programs
Zoo Sleepover (Grades 2-12 / Ages 5+)
Program Length:
Arrive at 6pm, depart at 11am the following day
Fees: $699 for up to 30 children and their supervisors.
Groups staying later than 11am will be charged an additional $30/hr or part thereof. Those wishing to visit the Zoo on their own after the overnight experience must pay self-guided admission fees.
Available:
Friday and Saturday evenings in September–June
Note: During May and June, there may be full facility rentals at the Zoo in the evening. Your group will still be able to do all of the activities, but you will not be the only group in the Zoo for part of the evening.
This exciting overnight stay at the Zoo will provide your group with an immersive learning experience tailored to meet your classroom learning needs. Check out the animals that are just waking up as an interpreter guides you around the Zoo after hours. The sleepover program includes two 1.5 hour programs of your choice, time for supper and breakfast*, and free time for a movie or games. Program can also include an evening campfire (depending on weather conditions.)
At time of booking, please indicate which programs you would like included with your sleepover, and if you would like a campfire.
* No meals are provided.
Meals
You plan and supply your supper and breakfast. Adult supervisors will be responsible for preparing meals, with some staff guidance, and for clean up. Please note that cooking facilities are limited.
Sleeping Arrangements
Students will sleep in our classrooms in the EdVenture Lodge at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. Groups can be separated into two separate rooms if requested during the booking process. Participants must supply their own sleeping bags, ground mat, cutlery, mess kits and personal items. Lights-out will be at or before 11pm, depending on grade of students and teacher preferences.
Staff and Parent Volunteers
A minimum of four adult supervisors are required to stay overnight. You can choose to bring your own adult volunteer supervisors or pay an additional charge of $125/staff member to meet the required number of supervisors.
Book Your School or Group Program
(2022/23 School Year)
Booking Checklist
Please be prepared with the following information to make your booking:
- Program name
- 2-3 potential program dates
- School mailing address, including postal code
- School telephone and fax number
- Contact name and names of teachers for all classes being booked
- Email address(es) of teacher(s) booking and attending the program
- Number of children attending
- Number of supervisors
- Special needs / accessibility arrangements
- Location and address for travelling programs
- Name and phone number of on-site contact person for travelling programs
Fees and Payment
The amount owing is shown on your program confirmation. Payment is required prior to the program. Invoices are sent out on the first of each month. You will receive your invoice in the same month as your program runs. For example: for a May booking, you will be issued your invoice on May 1. Payment can be made by cheque, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. Please make cheques payable to The City of Edmonton and write your booking confirmation numbers on your cheques.
Credit card payment can be made over the phone by calling 311 (outside of Edmonton: 780-442-5311).
Mail cheques to:
Citizen Services Payment Processing
PO Box 2359
19th Floor, Edmonton Tower
Edmonton AB, T5J 2R7
Have you booked your program(s) at the Edmonton Valley Zoo during the months of September-April? The Valley Zoo Development Society is looking to Pay it Forward for the Planet by providing up to 200 schools each year with a subsidy of up to $250.
Learn more and apply today!
Group Size
The maximum number of children permitted in a program is 30. Groups exceeding 30 children must book an additional program. The maximum number of adult participants is 10. Groups exceeding 40 participants, including both children and adults, must book an additional program.
Adults are required to remain with their group and supervise participating students at all times during the program. Adult supervisors are admitted free of charge with the program in the following ratios:
- Pre-school (3-4 years): 1 adult per 3 students
- Kindergarten - Grade 6: 1 adult per 5 students
- Grades 7-12: 1 adult per 10 students
Additional parents and children/siblings exceeding these ratios will be asked to pay facility admission fees and tour the facility on their own. Additional participants can rejoin their group after the registered program ends. To ensure a high quality program, we recommend that all children participating are within the age range advertised for the program.
Cancellation and Rescheduling
You are required to submit written notice of cancellation of program(s) via email to artsattractionsbookings@edmonton.ca.
Programs cancelled with 30 days notice or more will not be charged the program fee or a cancellation fee. Programs cancelled with 8-29 days notice are subject to be charged 50% of the program fee. For programs cancelled with 7 days notice or less, the full program fee will be charged.
Programs run rain or shine. In the event of poor weather, you must email artsattractionsbookings@edmonton.ca or call 780-718-2695 if you are not coming.
Programs cancelled due to severe weather conditions will not be charged a cancellation fee as long as they are rescheduled within the current or upcoming school year fall term (September - November).
