Behind the scenes at a zoo can be wild and crazy!  Join Jen to find out what it takes to be a zookeeper – hint:  sometimes you have to clean up poop.

Have you ever gone to the zoo and wondered who is taking care of all of the animals? Someone has to feed them, clean up their enclosures and even train them for check-ups. In this episode, our host Jen meets three zookeepers and learns about the different skills, education and science behind a career taking care of amazing animals. 

Watch the Lynx Keeper: Behind the scenes at a zoo can be wild and crazy! Join host Jen as she spends the day with Zookeeper Kellee. One of her jobs is taking care of the Canada lynx, a big cat that can make a big mess!

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Watch the Giraffe Keeper: On her next adventure, host Jen meets another Zookeeper who works with animals 3 times her size! These young Masai giraffes require a lot of training but Zookeeper Azarra knows what it takes to keep these animals healthy and safe.

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Watch the Reptile Keeper: The last zookeeper Jen meets on her journey is Nick. He takes care of the reptiles in the zoo and shows Jen a few of the animals in his care. They even get to take an iguana for a walk.

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Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• What are some ways that you use your senses every day?
• How do you take care of your body to stay healthy?
• What foods are part of your diet?
• What questions would you ask a zookeeper?
• Do you like animals? Why or why not?
• What part of a zookeeper’s job looks hard? Fun? Messy? Smelly?
• What animals make good pets? Not so good pets?
• What are some ways that you can help protect animal habitats?

More Animal & Zookeeper Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• Paws for a Minute 
• San Diego Zoo Kids
• How are Animals Like Us

 

Professional athletes are known for being in top shape, but who helps keep them that way?  Jen meets a professional baseball athletic trainer to find out how he’s a part of the game. 

Sitting in the stands, with a hot dog in one hand and popcorn in the other – nothing beats America’s pastime…baseball! But keeping these professional athletes in tip-top shape is no small job. Our host Jen hangs out with Chris, a professional athletic trainer, to learn what he does off the field to keep these players at peak performance on the field.

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• What’s the difference between a physical trainer and an athletic trainer?
• Do all sports teams have athletic trainers?
• What sports team would you like to be able to travel with?
• What questions would you ask Chris?
• Why do you think it’s important for athletes to have trainers with them all the time?

More Athletic Trainer & Baseball Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• Sports Physiology | Science Trek
• Athletic Trainer | Real-Life Math 
• Easy-Fit Design
• Move to Include Sport & Recreation

 

Have you ever wondered why chocolate tastes so delicious? Jen finds out how science and creativity help chocolatiers create works of art that you can eat.

So, why does chocolate taste so scrumptious? You may be surprised to learn the answer is science! Jen meets Chocolatier Gretchen and her two aspiring daughters and learns how they combine artistry and chemistry to create beautiful, mouth-watering treats that will engage your five senses. 

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• What kind of chocolate is your favorite?
• Do you like being creative with food? Like trying new foods or making new recipes?
• There’s a lot of science involved with chocolate-making. How else do you use science every day?
• How is culinary school different than other schools?
• Gretchen said that she gets sick of eating so much chocolate. Are there foods that you get tired of eating?

What chemistry is involved in the chocolate-making process?
What is tempering and why can it be difficult in the chocolate making process?
What kind of training did Gretchen get that led her to becoming a chocolatier?
What subjects was Gretchen interested in school that she mentions using in her work?
How is culinary school different than other schools?

More Chocolatier & Food Science Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• The Science of Food
• ThinkGarden
• Our Hungery Planet

 

Learn about the career of a wildlife technician. What do they do? Are they outdoors all the time? You’ll find out!

Did you know that ducks travel hundreds of miles when they migrate? Who keeps track of them and studies their behaviors? Our host Jen meets Frank, a wildlife technician for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Frank shares his passion for his career and demonstrates how banding wild ducks helps with research and conservation of these migratory birds.

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• Do all birds migrate to the same place during the winter?
• How do scientists keep track of birds?
• Do all birds get banded?
• Why do wildlife technicians use traps to collect the birds?
• What else do wildlife technicians do?
• Why do scientists want to know how far birds travel? Or where they go?

More Wildlife Technician & Conservation Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• SciStarter: Using Science to Address Local and Global Problems
• Starting Habits for Conservation Early
• Animals
• Alabama Wildlife Rehab Center
• Earth A New Wild
• Wetland Band | SciGirls
• Career Video: Ornithologist
• Forensic Ornithologist: Bird Detective

 

Twirling, spinning, and jumping – Jen puts on her dance shoes to learn how much STEM is involved in being a dance teacher.

You’ve heard of math teachers. You’ve heard of science teachers. You’ve heard of art teachers. But have you heard of the teacher that combines all three? In this episode, Jen meets Ashley, a classically trained dancer turned entrepreneur. Ashley shows Jen how much STEM is involved in her dancing and instruction, as well as how important community and culture are to her.

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• What’s an entrepreneur?
• What else can dancers do, outside of owning a dance school?
• What other kinds of dance exist?
• How would you feel standing in front of a large group? What about dancing in front of a large audience?
• Have you ever tried to tell a story through dance? music?
• What does it mean to audition?
• Have you ever auditioned for something?
• Can you name some other styles of dance?
• What kinds of art and dance are part of your culture? your family? your community?
• Do you belong to any groups that make you feel like you are part of a community?

More Dance & Arts Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• Dance Vocabulary/Dance Positions
• Elements of Dance
• Dance of Culture
• Three Irish Dances
• Understanding Dance
• What is Modern Dance?
• West African Dance: Choreography
• Artsville
• Broadway or Bust

 

Wouldn’t it be great to spend the day with puppies and kitties? Jen joins up with a veterinarian to learn about all the different parts of her job (and the animals she works with!). 

Wouldn’t it be great to snuggle with dogs and cats all day? Most people think veterinarians only work on furry, cuddly animals but in this episode, Jen meets up with Dr. Cristina, a veterinarian at Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester. Jen learns that Dr. Cristina takes care of horses, pigs, turtles, and so many more animals.

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• What are some ways that you take care of your own pets/animals?
• Which animal do you think is the hardest to take care of?
• Have you ever had an X-ray before?
• How is a veterinarian different than a zookeeper?
• What other large animals do you think a veterinarian takes care of?
• Can you name some very small animals that a vet might look after?
• Does a veterinarian work alone?
• If you were a veterinarian, which animal would you be scared to take care of?
• Veterinarians have to know a lot about animals. Can you name an animal fact?

More Veterinarian & Animal Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• Science Trek: Horses
• Zoo Veterinarian
• Animal Chefs
• Science Profile: Cow Vet

 

Who puts bridges together? What makes the metal in a car frame stay together? The answer is welding. Jen learns all the different things in our community that welders get to work on. 

Jen finds out how becoming a welder can change the way you look at the world. You see it in a whole different light. Once you look around, you start to understand all the different things that are welded from buildings to structural beams.  Even your car has welds!  

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• What is welding?
• What do you like to build? What materials do you use?
• How do welders protect themselves to stay safe?
• Why do welders wear protective gear?
• Why is it important to practice and learn from your practice runs?

More Welding Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• What is Metal?
• Welding in a Tunnel
• How Does Welding Work
• Metal Fabrication
• Advanced Manufacturing’s High Tech Career Path
• SciGirls: Building a Robotic Arm
• Denise Bailey – Welder/Instructor
• Metal Sculpture
• Weld Shop Supervisor

 

How do the lights in your bedroom turn on and off? Who changes the street lights or the lights in a stadium? An electrician. 

An electrician is a person who installs, operates, maintains, or repairs electric devices or electrical wiring. Jen digs in and works with an electrician to learn all about how she can install a light, change an outlet, and how electricians work both on teams and independently. 

Support Materials
Use the resources below to help keep your kids learning – asking questions, learning new words, and exploring connected resources!

Discussion Questions

• Do you like having a schedule or a routine?
• Would you prefer to work inside or outside?
• Does every house or building have a circuit breaker?
• What’s the difference between 2-prong and 3-prong outlets?
• Are you afraid of heights?
• What kinds of tools have you used?
• Do you work well on a team? Or do you like working more independently?

More Electrician & Electricity Resources
These resources are from public media partner organizations – they’re educational, trustworthy, and will help you and your child learn more.

• Electrician
• Construction Trades
• Body Electricity
• Electricity
• Teachable Moment: Electricity
• Electric Girl
• Can you Cook a S’more Without a Fire or Electricity?
• Electric Circuits