Welcome to Operation Zoostring!
When you walked into Operation Shoestring this December, you’d understandably be forgiven if you thought you’d walked into a zoo. We don’t mean that the kids were acting wild—we mean that our Project Rise afterschool program built an entire model zoo for their final project this year!
Operation Shoestring encourages curiosity, exploration, and a love of learning through real world-based lessons and projects. It’s a place for children, and their parents, to feel supported and affirmed in order to be better equipped to tackle the things ahead of them in school, at home, and out there in the larger world.
“I really enjoyed decorating our classrooms like a jungle, ” said April Dixon, one of our Project Rise teachers. Afterschool coordinator Lakesha Partee agreed. “It’s been enjoyable to create a gallery experience for the students, and we’ve had a lot of fun turning our classrooms into a demonstration of a zoo. We even have a concession stand the children created!”
“I think my lessons are so good, ” says six-year-old Project Rise participant Arie. “We all like learning about animals like snakes, and the world around us.”
Through six weeks of research, all students in Project Rise worked to build their own realistic zoo exhibit. Students first learned about different animals they might encounter in a zoo, then researched their habitats, their social practices with members of their species, and other concerns they’d need to factor in while building their ideal zoo exhibit.
“Kids are learning through all different types and styles of lessons,” says Partee.
On an average day, you’ll see children playing animal charades, watching educational videos, and reading STEM and nonfiction books and passages all about exotic animals one might encounter in a zoo. Through spatial, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning, students at Project Rise are gaining valuable problem-solving skills they’ll take with them for their entire lives.
“I love learning about animals,” says eight-year-old Amiya. “I think animals with fur are the cutest, but I just like learning about everything. It’s great.”
The teachers have been challenging themselves and learning too! At Project Rise, teachers are regularly provided professional development to help them further their teaching skills. Before they began this process, many of our teachers had never heard of project-based learning much less seen it implemented in a classroom setting before. Now they’re some of the biggest proponents of this teaching style!
“It’s been great to see all the teachers work together to design this zoo experience,” remarked Partee. She was particularly impressed by the way all teachers created their own unique layout and worked to totally transform their classroom for the evening.
“It’s really fun,” reflected six-year-old Braelyn as he worked on coloring in his diorama of a desert habitat. “Learning about snakes is cool, but I really want to know about pyramids and places in the desert. I’m going to visit there someday.”
Learn more about how we’re sharing the world with our students while empowering them to be lifelong learners at operationshoestring.org/about.