By Sarah Wood
Lincoln Children's Zoo, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is home to over 400 animals and a zoo team with a heart as big as an elephant. This small, but mighty Zoo was shut down this spring for 80 days due to Covid-19 concerns but instead of closing up shop, this dedicated group pivoted to provide learning opportunities and animal encounters digitally.
To keep children and families entertained during stay at home orders, the Zoo began filming daily Keeper Corner videos. Led by a zookeeper, these videos featured a different animal each day and showcased fun facts and behind the scenes experiences and had a fun activity for children to complete after. The Keeper Corner videos were wildly successful, garnering attention from the Boston Globe which listed it as one of the top virtual experiences for children. With over 600,000 views in total and 125,000 of those solely on the giraffe video, these daily moments provided learning and joy for many throughout the pandemic.The Lincoln Children's Zoo Education team found another way to reach children and engage with them. Many schools began remote learning in Nebraska and while the Zoo is traditionally an in-person field trip, the Zoo team quickly found a way to reach out to the students and teachers via Zoom.
Lincoln Children's Zoo ran a lottery and provided 75 free virtual field trips for students across the state of Nebraska. In totality, up to 7,500 students were able to Zoo in with a real zoo keeper and learn about animals, ask questions, and see up close shots like never before. During a time when things felt bleak and engagement was low, Lincoln Children's Zoo was able to quickly change direction, provide memorable experiences, and invaluable educational moments to their local community and across the country.
To learn more about Lincoln Children's Zoo, book a virtual field trip or to watch the Keeper Corner Videos, head to www.lincolnzoo.org
