Happy Earth Month!

Earth Day Green Crafts - Toothbrush Bracelets

Turn your toothbrush into a unique recycled bracelet and watch your kids start a new fashion craze for Earth Day!

What you'll need:

·        Old toothbrush

·        Tweezers or pliers

·        Pot

·        Tongs

·        Large mug

·        Oven gloves

How to make it:

1.      Remove all the bristles from the toothbrush with tweezers or pliers.

2.      Boil water.

3.      Keep water boiling, put toothbrush in water for five minutes.

4.      Remove toothbrush with tongs, bend to desired shape.

5.      If toothbrush doesn't bend enough, submerge again in water.

6.      Remove brush and bend as much as possible.

7.      Place bent toothbrush in bottom of mug to hold its shape while it cools.

8.      Pour cold water in mug and remove your new bracelet.

Tips:

1.      This craft requires fishing the hot toothbrushes out of boiling water and bending them while they are still hot. Be sure to use a simple toothbrush for this, it seems the fancier, and more high tech the toothbrush the stronger, and more difficult to bend. We had luck with the classic REACH toothbrushes.

For more green craft ideas visit: http://crafts.kaboose.com

Bank on it!

 The piggy bank’s origin dates back to around the 15^th century when peope were crafting useful items, including dishes and jars made out of pygg, a type of orange clay, to hold spare change. Around the 18^th century, people realized the word “pygg” was pronounced the same as the animal “pig.” People began to form “pygg” into the shape of a “pig” to hold spare change, and the piggy bank was born. 

In a new take on the piggy bank, we’re shaping it into an elephant. The white elephant banks are a blank canvas, allowing your inner Picasso to come out and shine. A photograph of your original artwork will be part of a one-of-a-kind art installation in the Encounter Africa exhibit, allowing you to be a part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s largest project ever. The exhibit features new homes for our elephant herd, African lion pride, meerkats, and the critically endangered black rhinoceros.

Follow these three easy steps and Bank on it!

Step 1: Visit any one of 17 U.S. Bank branches in Southern Colorado to get your very own elephant bank with just a $50 donation. You can also find the banks at the zoo’s front gate (open daily 9am to 4pm) or on-line (shipping & handling fees apply).

Step 2: The bank is yours to keep, so make it your own by decorating it. Don’t forget to email a photo of your bank to bankonit@cmzoo.org for inclusion in the one-of-a-kind art installation. All photos must be received by April 1, 2012.

Step 3: Fill ‘er up! Make an elephant-sized impact by adding to your donation. We’ll gladly accept any additional money saved in your bank at the front gates of the zoo.

For more information on the Bank on it! Program visit www.cmzoo.org/BankOnIt. 

The Zoo is getting Crafty!

Here at the zoo we are celebrating National Bird Feeding Month with bird friendly children’s activities. Follow the instructions listed below to build a backyard bird “tweeder” with a recycled soda bottle or steal some of your mom’s favorite ribbon to create a festive bird “tweet”.

Backyard Bird Feeder

Materials

      ·        Clean 1-liter soda bottle

      ·        Craft knife

      ·        2 wooden spoons

      ·        Small eye screw

      ·        Length of twine for hanging

Directions

1.      Start by drawing a 1/2-inch asterisk on the side of a clean 1-liter soda bottle, about 4 inches from the bottom.

2.      Rotate the bottle 90 degrees and draw another asterisk 2 inches from the bottom.

3.      Draw a 1-inch-wide circle opposite each asterisk, as shown.

4.      Use a craft knife to slit the asterisk lines and cut out the circles (a parent's job).

5.      Insert a wooden spoon handle first through each hole and then through the opposite asterisk, as shown.

6.      Remove the bottle cap and twist a small eye screw into the top of it for hanging.

7.      Finally, fill your feeder with birdseed, recap it, and use a length of twine to hang it from a tree.

"Tweet" Treats

Materials

• 1/4-ounce package of unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups of your favorite wild birdseed
• Three 4-inch mini bundt or fluted pans
• Colorful ribbon

Directions

1.      To make a batch, bring 6 tablespoons of water to a boil. Empty one 1/4-ounce package of unflavored gelatin into 2 tablespoons of cold water in a large bowl.

2.      Let the gelatin sit for 1 minute, then add the boiling water and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gelatin has dissolved. 

3.      Next, stir 2 cups of your favorite wild birdseed into the gelatin, mixing thoroughly.

4.      Let the mixture set for a few minutes, then stir again. Repeat this process a few times, if necessary, allowing the seed to absorb the liquid.

5.      Spoon the seed mixture into three 4-inch mini bundt or fluted pans

6.      Place the pans in the refrigerator or a cool room and let them set for at least 3 hours.

7.      Remove the wreaths from the molds by inverting the pans and tapping along the bottoms.

8.      Allow the wreaths to air-dry overnight. 

9.      Finally, tie colorful ribbon around your wreaths and hang them outside in a protected spot, such as under an awning or eaves, where the rain won't melt them.

Send photos of your completed project to kwhite@cmzoo.org, for a chance to be highlighted on Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Facebook page.

*Check out http://familyfun.go.com for more kid crafts.

Zoo Doo What?

A quick holiday breakdown: the New Year begins in 39 days and Christmas is in 32 days. Do you have your shopping done? And, Thanksgiving is followed by the one day of the year more people pay attention to the ads than we have animals in our zoo...Black Friday.

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year. It’s estimated the amount of Black Friday shoppers will increase from 212 million last year to 224 million this year, spending an average of $385 per person. On-line sales are predicted to increase from $648 million in 2010 to $705 million this year.

But, these stats don’t help with the one person you don’t know what to get. Everyone knows a “person who has everything.” Not even the millions of ads, available 10 days before Black Friday, are helping with the gift ideas for this individual!

Don’t worry there’s no need to panic or run to Wal-Mart at 10:00pm on Thanksgiving Day. There is a solution right here in your own backyard. Just like Santa, we have been busy at the zoo (even the animals!) preparing gifts for this holiday season. Below is a list of our top five zoo gifts available today.

-         Zoo membership - Enjoy the zoo 365 days a year, a gift shop discount, discounts on zoo events and much more. There are five membership levels from which to choose, starting at $64.25. A zoo membership can pay for itself in as little as two visits!

-         Adopt-An-Animal – Have you always wanted to adopt an animal but just don’t have room for an elephant in your backyard? Each adoption gift directly supports the care of our animals, and with it comes a variety of special benefits only adoptive parents enjoy. There are six membership levels, starting at $30.

-         Zoo Doo – You’re probably picturing something and you are right - - it is what you’re thinking, animal poop. From our yard to yours, Zoo Doo is made from our big cat feces and is sold by the point. Gardeners swear by this all natural, deer deterrent to protect their plants and trees. 

-         Animal Art – We do have some pretty impressive artists at the zoo and, no, they aren’t on the staff. They live here. Art is available from the orangutans, elephants, ponies, and penguins. Everything from an original masterpiece to a more trendy “paw” print is available.

-         Behind-the-Scenes Tour – Go behind the scenes with a group of up to four friends or family members, for an up-close look at our incredible animals. Choose from our big cats to the animals in the African Rift Valley or design your own.

There are four ways to get your hands on one or more of these awesome gifts;

-         Visit http://www.cmzoo.org/supportZoo/donationProgram/gifts.asp

-         Ask a zoo team member the next time you’re here to visit.

-         Call 719-633-9925

-    Visit our zoo store – “Zoo to You Gallery.” The store is new this year and located at 214 1/2 North      
      Tejon Street in Colorado Springs - across from Acacia Park, next to CJ Kard.

Store hours:

December 3: 10am – 6pm

December 4^: 12pm – 5pm

December 7^: 4pm – 8pm

The holiday season is a time for giving, so why not purchase a gift that gives back to a great cause?

Stopping By for a Drink

There's a newbie in the giraffe yard at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but if you look carefully, you'll notice it doesn't move a muscle. In the early morning hours of April 21, before the zoo opened, a crew used a boom to lower a giant giraffe sculpture into the African Rift Valley exhibit. It was created by Antonia Chastain to look as if it were drinking from a waterhole. Weighing in at over 500 pounds, it took quite a few hands to move the sculpture into place. As you can see in the video, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's "real" giraffe herd was quite intrigued by the addition!

Like all animals, giraffe need water to survive. Though they can go a long time without drinking, they do eventually make their way to a waterhole to quench their thirst. Giraffe can drink as much as 10 gallons (38 liters) a day. When they do visit the waterhole, drinking water can be a matter of life or death. When they take a drink, giraffe bend a long way down and often spread their front legs in an awkward fashion. It’s no easy task! Doing this makes it easier for a predator to attack. Just to take a drink of water, giraffe may risk their lives. They often visit the waterhole in groups for protection.

The new giraffe drinking sculpture at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is in honor of the wonderfully humble life of Betty Francis, who served as a docent and board member at the zoo. She cared deeply about wildlife and conservation. We hope the sculpture inspires children of all ages for years to come.

The sculpture is lowered into the giraffe yard using a boom.



Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's "real" giraffe herd inspects the addition.