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ENSURING QUALITY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING:
The ISU Insect Zoo is a hands-on experience brought to your classroom or venue with the intent of providing core educational programming regardless of age level of participants. To ensure an optimum learning environment, please read and follow ALL guidelines regarding grouping, supervision, and space requirements.

ADULT HELPERS / SUPERVISION

Please have willing and able adult helpers available for each class. The adult helpers will be helping the children with LIVE insects and other arthropods. It is in the best interest of the children that the adults are comfortable with the insects.
NO CHILD SHALL BE LEFT UNATTENDED. WE ARE NOT BABYSITTERS.

For children pre-school and under there must be 1 adult per 5 children.
For children in grades 1-2 we recommend 2-4 adults for a normal classroom size.
For children in grades 3 and up, the regular classroom teacher is all that is required.

If your class has a substitute teacher the day the Insect Zoo visits, we recommend having an additional adult in the classroom.

GROUPING AND SPACE REQUIREMENTS

HANDS-ON
Participants will need to be seated at 4 tables. An additional table will need to be placed at the front of the room for the presenter. No more than 30 participants for each program. We cannot have programs on the floor.

MULTIPLE PROGRAMS
If the Insect Zoo will be presenting multiple programs within one location, please arrange for all of the sessions to take place in a common space, which will allow for participants to travel rather than the Insect Zoo. This can be a library, common room, extra classroom, etc.

DISPLAY PROGRAMS
Please have 6-7 long tables (or equivalent) setup in a “U” shape. The opening of the “U” should be facing the wall. If a wall is not available, please have the tables arranged in a rectangle. If your event is outdoors, we require that we be under a tent or shelter.

STORY TIME
Children will be seated where they normally have story time. Please have a chair for the presenter to sit in and a small table next to the chair for the animals.

LARGE GROUP
Please have a microphone for the presenter and one 8-foot table for the animals. We will be walking through the audience with live animals so please keep this in mind when setting up the seating.

BIRTHDAY PARTIES
We require that the bugs be kept off of the ground so please have enough tables for all the participants to sit at. If you are having cake, please wait until after the Insect Zoo has finished with their program and art project. If you are having your party on the ISU campus, you may bring food and drinks, but we do not provide plates, forks, cups etc. We ask that you clean up after the food has been consumed.

FAMILY VISITS
Please arrive on campus with enough time to find parking and walk to the Science 2 building. You can find a map of the campus and available parking here (link to http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/maps/)

Please have table placement, room configuration, and patron seating arranged in advance.

A 72 hour notification of cancellation / program change is required. Changes and/or cancellations occurring without a 72 hour notification will be assessed the full program fees less mileage.