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Mini Discoveries

Join our education team for our Mini Discoveries from the Zoo videos – designed to get younger children out and about exploring the natural world with simple activities to complete at home.

All of the videos are aimed at ages 3 to 7, but anyone can join in the fun!


ENRICHMENT

This Mini Discovery feature is all about Enrichment. Follow Jo in this episode to find out more about enrichment items that we use to keep our animals brains active and engaged. She’ll even show you how to make some enrichment items for your pets at home!


FOSSILS

This Mini Discovery feature is all about Fossils. Follow Jo in this instalment to find out more about fossils and to visit some living fossils around the zoo – like our giant tortoise and kiwi. She’ll also teach you how to make some fossils for yourself the you can bury and dig up time and time again.


BUGS

Our next Mini Discovery feature focuses on Bugs. Jo is finding out all about bugs! Watch along and visit our Bugs at Home exhibit to find out about some of its inhabitants, then have a go at making a wiggly caterpillar that you can race against your friends and family.


PLANTS

Our next Mini Discovery feature focuses on Plants. Jo goes behind the scenes in our gardens department to find out what plants need to grow and seeks out some of the amazing plants you can look for on your next visit to the zoo. The activity is making wildflower seed bombs!


COLOUR

This Mini Discovery is all about Colour. Join Jo from education in our Tropical Trails exhibit to find out some of the different ways animals use colour followed by a really simple activity – growing a rainbow!


FROGS

This Mini Discovery feature is on Frogs! Included is a fun activity for children to try at home, with slimy frogspawn and flowers that magically bloom…


EGGS

Next up, Eggs! Jo from our education team explores eggs of all different shapes and sizes and finds out how we can see the insides of an egg without cracking it. The simple activity is making a naked bouncy egg using just vinegar and a glass.


WE’RE GOING ON A POO HUNT!

With this feature, we visited some of our enclosures to find out which of our animals has the biggest Poo the smelliest poo or even the rarest poo! This is followed up with a simple no-bake cookie activity for you to try at home, looking at why poo can actually be quite useful.

You will need an adult to help make the cookies. The ingredients and recipe will also be at the end of the video.


FLOWERS

We take a closer look to find out how Flowers work, with a simple dissection activity that you can do at home. Children will need a daffodil, a mobile phone and a pair of scissors (along with adult supervision).

Make sure you have permission to pick your flowers and please don’t eat any part of the daffodils as they are toxic!


SLIME

Join Jo from our Education Team for this Halloween Mini Discovery all about Slime! Find out how different animals use slime, meet some of our slimy residents and make a simple slime at home. To make the slime, you’ll need PVA glue, water, bicarbonate of soda and contact lens solution (boric acid).


NATIVE BIRDS

In this Mini Discovery, Jo will teach you all about our native species of Birds and how you can help them going into winter. Join her to make your own bird feeders to use at home using an apple, some gelatin, birdseed, screws and twine. You will need an adult’s help for this craft!


BEES

Why are Bees so important? Our next Mini Discovery will teach you all about the different species of bee we have here and how we can help some of them find a place to stay. For the craft activity in this video, you’ll need a tin can and some different items like stems, paper straws, corrugated cardboard and toilet roll tubes.


VENOM AND POISON

Find out about the venomous and poisonous animals we look after here at Paignton Zoo in this Mini Discovery! Jo and Kay are leading the Venom and Poison Awards featuring some of our dangerous residents. Then head to the classroom to make your own ‘poisonous’ friend – an origami frog! All you’ll need is a square piece of paper and some pens to decorate it.