Arts & More | North Carolina Zoo

On Wednesdays, we will bring you a new craft or activity inspired by that day's Zoo EDventure. Watch the live episode on Facebook (Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. EST) or the recordings and then make the craft or do the activity. Don’t forget to share your craft with us on Facebook.

A photo of a Black Bear's face made from black and brown craft paper.

Bear Craft and Activities

An Elephant puppet made of grey paper, its trunk made of a long white sock, laying on a wrinkled white sheet.

Elephant Puppet

A collection of three seabird crafts made from craft paper and found objects.

Seabird Art and Activity

A purple stamped Gorilla handprint on a white background.

Gorilla Activities

Gorilla Hand and Coloring Page

Bird seed that has been molded into the shape of an egg, a green seed coming out of either side, lays against a textured, tan background.

A handmade Cougar craft created with a brown paper bag, a white paper muzzle, and pink paper nose, ears and toes.

Cougar Puppet and Standing Cougar Craft

The image shows a handcrafted Red River Hog craft with a brown body, black legs, and a dark brown head. It features large, cartoonish white eyes outlined in black, a grey nose, and yarn for the tail and ear fringe.

A craft made to look like a Sea Lion. It is made of brown paper, with white eyes and whiskers, and a black nose and mouth. It's set against a light background.

Two Arctic Fox crafts made from recycled materials. The one on the left is made of a toilet paper roll that is cut and the top is folded down to make pointed ears, and a simple face is drawn on the front. The one on the right is a clothespin that has been painted white, and a rounded triangle with a simple face drawn on it has been glued to the front.

Arctic Fox Craft

A turtle craft resembling a "God's Eye," made with purple craft sticks and woven pink, red, and black yarn. It has googly eyes and hangs against a grey background.

A group of four cute rhinos crafted out of paper.

A Snake craft made by stamping varying shades of green fingerprints in a curvy line and drawing a face and forked tongue on the first fingerprint.

Snake Activities

Bobcat mask craft made by coloring and cutting out the shape of a Bobcats face, including sharp teeth, slitted eyes and tall pointed ears. There are holes on the sides of the mask and string tied in them to be tied together around a persons head.

A coloring page featuring a mother elephant handing a trunk full of hay to a small, baby elephant that stands next to it.

Elephant Pledge

A decorated and altered pot placed upside down so toads may use the space for a "Toad Abode."

A craft ornament, resembling a Ring-tailed Lemur, made of gray and white painted wood or foam, with large yellow eyes and a black and white striped tail made from a pipe cleaner. The ornament is clinging to a light brown branch against a background of bright green leaves.

A green , folded paper alligator craft with a long tail lies on a gray fabric surface.

Alligator Puppet

A craft Millipede made from a cardboard tube, black paper legs, googly eyes, and antennae sits on a textured gray surface.

Millipede Craft

Two examples of an Otter craft, one lying on a plant leaf, while the other is leaning against the base of the plant. The otters are made of toilet paper rolls that have been cut and colored to resemble an otter holding a shiny shell.

A close-up of a child's craft mask made from a white paper plate, decorated to look like a seal's face. It features a gray snout, black eyeholes, an orange mouth, and white pipe cleaner whiskers. A wooden craft stick is attached to the bottom to serve as a handle.

Polar bear craft made by cutting out polar bear body shapes from cardboard, painting it white and drawing eyes and a nose. There are three examples pictured and displayed in a blue and white background with snowflakes on them.

Polar Bear Craft

A small Giraffe craft standing on a dark shiny surface against a green, velvet background. Its orange and white patterned is made of paint and paper, while its long neck and legs are made of clothespins.

Towering Giraffe Craft

A green, plastic bin with holes drilled around the bottom sits on the ground between a house and a round, grey trashcan. A large potted plant is sitting off to the right, just around the corner of the house.

Compost Bin & Activity

A small, handmade Hedgehog figurine with a white face and ears, and a body covered in brown, spiky material resembling pine cones sits on a textured, light blue surface.

A craft Fringe Eared Oryx constructed from cardboard and clothespins, stands on a white surface.

Fringe-eared Oryx Craft

A close-up of a square teal sign on a wooden post in a garden, surrounded by green foliage. The sign reads: "Pollination Station" at the top, with a graphic of a butterfly and colorful flowers. The text below explains, "Planting pollinator-friendly garden for butterflies, bees, birds, and other pollinators helps support a healthy ecosystem and saves wildlife." It also includes "Visit NCZoo.org for more information!" and a QR code. The sign is decorated with two colorful, handcrafted butterfly figures.

Butterfly Craft

Animal craft letters sitting on a textured blue background. The letter 'L' is shaped like a lion, with a yellow body, an orange mane, and a tail. The letter 'V' is shaped like a vulture, with black wings, a white neck, and a pink head.

"L" is for Lion and "V" is for Vulture

A small, green and yellow spotted snake puppet made out of construction paper lying on a fuzzy grey fabric surface.

A cutout of a brown bison made from crumpled paper stands against a background of yellow grass, green hills, and a blue sky with white clouds.

Chimp craft mask made with black and brown paper, consisting of a drawing of a chimp face with eye holes cut out so the wearer can see.

Chimpanzee Mask

Colorful paper elephants with googly eyes and curled trunks hang against a dark background.

Elephant Trunk Craft

Puffin mask craft made with a white paper plate that has eye holes cut out, a yellow and orange beak attached and black face markings around the forehead and eyes. It is laying on a blue background with white flowers.

Two rabbits made of red and white paper with googly eyes sitting on a green and tan patterned background.

Bobble-head Bunny

Handmade paper ostrich puppets with googly eyes and accordion folded legs are held up with sticks outdoors.

Two examples of a Zebra craft made of white toilet paper rolls with stripes drawn on them and pipe cleaners for the mane and tail. They are standing on a rock with green shrubbery in the background.

A Bee made of a painted tin can, googly eyes, and a plastic lid for the wings, hangs outdoors surrounded by green foliage.

Bee Can & Beehive Crafts

Two craft replicas of Gila monsters, featuring black and speckled orange patterns and red felt tongues, lying on grass and clover

Gila monster craft

A fluffy black and white cat lays regally on a teal and cream rug, looking down at a cat toy made of teal, black, and white fabric that has been braided together.

A craft made to look like a brown bear hangs in front of a green plant. The bear's head is a flat, round cutout with two googly eyes, a black nose, and a small red tongue sticking out. The body is a rolled-up piece of brown paper, and the four legs are made from zig-zag folded strips of paper, giving them a wavy, accordion-like shape.

Brown Bear Puppet

A young gorilla with shaggy black fur, sits upright on a rock eating a head of lettuce. It is surrounded by green shrubbery and there is a rock wall in the background.

Eaters Activities

Two handmade flamingo decorations stand facing each other on a textured gray surface. The flamingo on the left is entirely pink with thin, light pink pipe cleaner legs and black beaks. The flamingo on the right is similar but has a light pink ruffled collar and a white oval body with the handwritten message "Way to Flamin-Go!!" in black marker. Their heads are curved so their beaks almost touch.

hree different decorative owl crafts, made from cardboard and paper with various patterns, hanging from a thin branch indoors.

A Sand Cat craft made of a cutout paper cat with orange stripes and a tail stands on a brown paper base.

Three handmade paper birds hang against a backdrop of green foliage. The bird on the left is black with long, pointed wings. The bird in the center is blue with wide, rounded wings. The bird on the right is red with a long, curved beak. Each bird is suspended by a string, giving the impression they are flying.

A yellow, football shaped pod hanging from the branches of a cacao tree, surrounded by large, green leaves.

Rainforest Product Quiz

Two individuals, wearing matching blue "North Carolina Zoo Staff" shirts, hold up two cutout masks of cartoon cat faces to cover the lower half of their own faces. The mask on the left is white/gray, and the mask on the right is orange/brown. The people are standing outdoors in front of trees and a building structure.

Vampire bat craft made using a clothespin, painted black as the body, and a coffee filter tie dyed with purple, blue and black markers. it is hung near a window and a flower pot with Prickly Pear leaves hanging around it.

Vampire Bat Craft

Two butterfly suncatchers hang against a blurred background of green foliage. The butterfly on the left has blue and purple wings with green accents. The butterfly on the right has black wings with yellow and red accents. Both appear to be suspended by strings.

Butterfly Suncatcher

A handmade gray paper bear craft with tan ears and muzzle stands on a gray surface. The bear has a wide, open mouth, and a blue pom-pom is visible inside. Two additional pom-poms, one white and one yellow, sit in front of the bear.

Feed the Bear Craft and Game

Awesome Alcid crafts made of three handmade paper birds hang against a wavy blue background. The bird on the left is black and white with an orange beak and feet. The bird in the center is light blue with a darker blue pattern. The bird on the right is yellow with gray accents. Each bird is suspended by a string.

Awesome Alcids Craft

A female zookeeper in a navy NC Zoo uniform and baseball cap holds a whistle in her mouth as she kneels down in front of two grey and brown spotted seals. She is conducting a training activity with them.

A person is shown releasing a large vulture, into a grassy field. The person is holding a linen bag, crouching in front of a black vulture with its wings spread wide. There is a small tracking device on its back.

Vulture Activities

Three paper and felt salamanders swim across a light blue, rippled background. The left is patterned yellow paper, the center is black and white felt, and the right is brown felt.

Salamander Craft

Three finished craft masks, shaped like an Ocelot face and decorated with colorful, intricate, Day of the Dead or sugar skull style patterns. Each mask has a string attached and is labeled "North Carolina Zoo."

Three handcrafted and colorful Poison Dart Frogs, each attached to a clothespin and designed to look like they are opening and closing their mouths, are set against a blue, wavy background.

Poison Dart Frog Craft

Four handcrafted paper animal crafts, including a crocodile, snake, turtle, and chameleon, are displayed on a gray background.

A polar bear card made with a polar bear made of construction paper, glued to appear 3-D in front of a painted, snowy nighttime scene. The card is laid on a silky, blue fabric with a snowflake pattern.

Polar Bear Card

Three small, colorful frog figurines made from painted rocks rest on green paper lily pads against a textured gray surface. The frog on the left is bright green with yellow spots. The central frog is reddish-brown with darker brown spots and white accents in its eyes. The frog on the right is yellow with large black spots and black eyes.

A person with long blonde hair wearing a light blue surgical mask and a blue t-shirt, poses outdoors against a backdrop of green foliage. They are also wearing a homemade Kudu antler headband crafted from brown cardboard, pink paper for the inner ears, and curled brown strips for the antlers.

Six Tarantula treats made from different snack items displayed on a black plate. Four in the back are made of Oreo cookies and have M&M eyes. The three in the foreground have Ritz cracker bodies and raisin eyes. All of them have eight pretzel stick legs.

Edible Tarantula Treats

Elephant Craft- a mother and baby Elephant made by cutting a toilet paper tube to have a tail, trunk and ears. They are sitting on what appears to be a brick wall.

A cute giraffe made from craft paper and with rust colored patterns standing against a textured teal background.

Giraffe Roll Call Craft

Craft made of leaves in the shape of an owl on a branch with a moon over its head on a dark blue background.

A wheel is a drawn circle decorated with small, real plant materials arranged by color, including green leaves, yellow flowers, a large pink/red flower, small purple flowers, and a cluster of lavender-colored lupines. The words 'NATURE COLOR WHEEL' are written below the wheel in colorful marker."

Nature's Color Wheel Activity

Premade Color Wheel

For more Nature's Color Wheel ideas watch Kathy's video.

A close-up of four handmade origami foxes resting on a gray, textured surface. The figures include: two standing foxes with white faces and orange bodies, one with drawn-on eyelashes and one with googly eyes and a large red circle on its chest; one smaller, standing fox that is mostly orange with a white circle on its chest; and one small, sitting fox that is a solid reddish-brown color.

A man in a gray shirt stands behind a large rock barrier, filming a group of chimpanzees. The chimpanzees are sitting on a grassy slope, with one holding colorful enrichment toys, in a naturalistic outdoor habitat.

Checkout our video by Untamed Science on Animal Enrichment then try creating your own.

Creating Enrichment

A pot sitting in a water dish next to a window. Inside the pot is a small plant with six little leaves, sprouting from a half buried eggshell that was used for seed starting.

Eggshell Seed Starter

Two hand-cut, wooden seal or sea lion figures are positioned against a fuzzy, blue and white background with a snowflake-like pattern. The larger figure on the left is a solid dark brown and is positioned upright, looking up and to the right. The smaller figure on the right is also dark brown but has white spots to suggest a textured coat. Both figures are stylized and cut from thin wood or cardboard.

Seal and Sea Lion Craft

A close-up vertical photo shows three homemade reindeer ornaments hanging from strings. Each has a fluffy yarn pom-pom head (one blue, two yellow) and a cardboard face. Their antlers are made from small twigs (left), orange pipe cleaners (middle), or dark pipe cleaners (right), with one having a red pom-pom nose.

A close-up of an adorable, very young Sand Cat kitten with sandy-striped fur, large dark eyes, and oversized ears, nestled among thick pieces of wood.

Desert Quiz and Experiment

A craft project on a light green background. The image is a silhouette of a dog or rhinoceros shape outlined and filled with brown coffee grounds or dirt, with a single white and blue googly eye stuck on the head.

Muddy Rhino Craft

A person wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and a blue surgical mask is standing outdoors in a wooded area during autumn. They are in the process of putting on a camouflage jacket, with the right sleeve already on and her left arm raised to put on the other sleeve. The ground is covered with brown and yellow fallen leaves, and the trees in the background have patches of green, yellow, and red foliage. In the background, there is a clearing with some Adirondack chairs and what appears to be a fire pit area.

Arctic Fox Game

Two handmade paper animal masks, one of a purple hippopotamus and one of a black and gray gorilla, are attached to wooden craft sticks and set against a dark green background.

View of someone's hands holding a SMART spacial monitoring and reporting tool, which is a small, black handheld device the size of a cell phone.

In addition checkout our video by Untamed Science on SMART then try your hand at being a ranger on patrol in this activity.

A Polar Bear walks on all fours towards the right, across a grassy landscape that is sprinkled with rocks and tall grasses and shrubs. A large rocky pile lies across the top left of the frame.

Science of Polar Bears Activity

A close-up of two white, circular crafts featuring hand-drawn hummingbirds, lying on a red and green plaid fabric background. The top circle shows a Ruby-throated Hummingbird colored green and red, attached to a green string. The bottom circle shows a blue and pale yellow hummingbird, attached to a blue string.

Hummingbird Spinner

A light brown Labrador Retriever mix is sitting patiently in a hallway on a dark hardwood floor, looking contemplative. In front of the dog, spaced equally on the floor, are three small, white squares of paper, each holding different type of dog treat: the left paper has a pile of kibble, the middle one has one rectangular biscuit, and the right has several reddish, chewy-looking treats. The background includes a dark wooden table and a wall painted a dark green color.

Preference Testing (aka find someone's favorite food)

A cartoon image of a small pond, surrounded with reeds, and a small Turtle head sticking out of the water.

Turtle vs. Tortoise Activity

Two adults appear to be playing a game in which the person on the left is running away, but the person on the right is trying to catch them in a bedsheet. They are playing outdoors in a clearing of a wooded area where some trees are bare, but others are covered in yellow leaves.

Alligator Snapping Turtle Activity

A person wearing a dark blue zip-up jacket and a white face mask holds the mask's ear loops with their hands. They have blonde or light brown hair and wide, expressive eyes. The background is an out-of-focus wooded area with bare trees and brown leaves on the ground, suggesting an outdoor, possibly autumn or winter setting.

Big Moveable Ears Activity

A close-up of a birdseed block hanging from a string in a forest. The background is out of focus, showing blurred trees and a wooden treehouse structure with bridges.

Pinecone Bird Feeder

A colorful shoebox craft project depicts an underwater scene. Four paper fish in different colors (light blue/silver, bright yellow, reddish-orange, and teal green) are suspended by blue pipe cleaners. The backdrop is painted to look like blue water, and the foreground has an orange-brown sandy bottom decorated with white aquarium gravel, several sea shells, and green pipe cleaners arranged as seaweed.

A pair of fluffy white arctic foxes sits on a dark, wet rock formation while light snow falls.

Arctic Crossword

A clear glass of water balanced precariously on top of a large jar of peanut butter on a wooden table. A person's hand, holding a black and leopard print flashlight, is pointed toward the setup.

Nature's Colors Activity

Two African Elephants are standing in and next to a mud puddle in a grassy enclosure. The elephant on the left has its trunk raised and curled, tossing a clump of reddish-brown mud and dirt over its back and head. Both elephants are covered in the protective reddish mud. Green grass and fencing are visible in the background.

African Safari Word Search

An indoor close-up of a kitchen counter showing two food-scraps gardening projects: a white, painted ceramic container holds several green onion bottoms growing new stalks, and a glass bowl of water holds the root end of a head of romaine lettuce growing new leaves.

From Scraps to Salads Activity

A coloring page featuring a bull skull with long, up-turned horns and sugar skull patterns that feature colorful flowers and swirling shapes.

Sugar Skulls Coloring Pages

Two paper cubes with pictures of different animals and directional statements lie on a wooden table. One of them is lying with a side up that reads "Be sneaky like a stalking tiger", with an image of a tiger.

Wild Moves Dice

A Polar Bear swimming past the next to a rock wall in the bright, blue water near the underwater viewing area of its pool.

Ice Hoppers Game

A hand wearing five long, sharp claws made from folded white paper. The claws are conical and cover the fingers.

Brown Bear Claws

Veterinarian hospital crossword

Veterinary Hospital Crossword

A radiograph of a fish which is a black and white x-ray photo of the inside of a fish's body.

Radiograph Search

A top down view of a round, white table with three chairs around it. On the table are several different items including scotch tape, a reusable shopping bag, some pens, a container of Lysol wipes, a restroom sign, and some sticky notes.

Classification Activity

A handmade, folded-corner bookmark featuring a drawing of a raccoon face with large, stylized eyes and dark fur is tucked into the top corner of an open hardcover book. The open pages rest on a light wood desk or table.

Reading Buddies

A large, brown grizzly bear laying on his back on a woven hammock with its paws splayed, showing off its soft, fuzzy belly.

Habitat Enrichment Activity

A person in cold weather gear, stands on a trail in the woods, looking off to the right with a pair of binoculars. Next to them is a large sign with the title "Purgatory Trail" with a map and some instructions underneath.

Purgatory Trail Trivia

A drawing of a Lemur's face that has orange fur, a black face, small, rounded ears and large yellow eyes.

Lemur Mask and Tail

A small, furry, brown Vampire Bat draped over a rock with its head raised towards the viewer..

Animal Adaptation Activity

A construction site features a partially built modern building with a flat, light gray metal roof and windows around the top. A white concrete pump truck with a red boom and a light blue forklift are present. The background includes trees and a cloudy sky.

Elephant Barn Activity

A child's art project depicting a brown and white hawk in flight. The body and wings are primarily made from brown paint handprints on a white background. The bird has a distinct, painted head with a red-brown face, a yellow beak, and a sharp eye.

Hawk Handprint Craft

Two Thomson's gazelles with striped markings and short curved horns stand near rocks at the North Carolina Zoo in the Fall.

African Animal Adaptations Card Game

A Barred Owl named Terra, captured in a close-up, its round, dark eyes and yellow beak prominent against its mottled brown and white plumage. The owl's head is turned slightly to the left, revealing the intricate barring pattern on its neck and chest. The blurred background suggests a natural habitat.

Silent Flight Craft

A close-up shows a brown paper bag monkey puppet with white paper facial features, googly eyes, and long arms, lying on a blue and black patterned fabric.

Chimpanzee Paper Bag Puppet

Ostrich craft made with handprints cut out of black and white paper. A neck, head and legs are cut from light pink paper. The ostrich is glued to a brown piece of plain paper.

Hands-on Ostrich Craft

A vampire bat standing upright on a rock on its hands and feet with its wings tucked back. Its tiny flat snout, sharp teeth and large, pointed ears are clearly visible.

Animal Myths and Misunderstanding Match Game

Fern paper craft made from fern leaf shapes that are cut out from green and brown paper. A wicker basket is full of these leaves and sits on a black and white zebra striped background.

A blue-tongued skink laying on a rocky surface with its bright blue tongue sticking out.

Skink Word FInd

A butterfly displaying vibrant black and orange wing patterns perched delicately on a flower.

Butterfly Match Game

Handmade paper giraffe mask with yellow head, brown spots, large eyes, and twine for wearing, hanging on a muted green-brown wall.

Giraffe & Zebra Masks

A group of three young kids climbing a large, bare tree in a field with more trees visible in the background.

Backyard Activities

A water bottle, a container of food, and a food item wrapped in foil sit on a black surface. These are ingredients for a stink bomb experiment.

Stink Bomb Experiment

Worm and bird adaptation activity that consists of a red plastic bowl full of crushed up Oreo pieces with gummy worms buried in them. There is a clothespin in the bowl with a gummy worm pinched inside it. The bowl is sitting on a tan background with brown and green leaf print on it.

Bird Beak Adaptation Activity

A craft project of a hedgehog lies on a surface patterned with green and brown leaves. The hedgehog's body is made from brown cardboard cut into an oval shape with a pointed end for the nose and a curved end for the rear. A small, round brown eye and a smile are drawn on the head. The hedgehog's quills are small brown twigs standing upright and attached to the cardboard body. Several yellow and orange flowers and green leaves are also stuck among the twigs.

Nature Weaving Porcupine

A light skinned female zoo keeper, Audrey Williams, stands in the woods holding up a snake. It is a long, thin black snake called the Eastern Hognose snake.

Zookeeper for a Day

A small bee hive craft made of seven short cardboard cylinders that have been painted yellow and glued together in a honeycomb shape on a cardboard background. A fuzzy bee made of yellow and black cotton balls with white pipe cleaner wings is sticking out of one of the cylinders.

Celebrate Earth Day With Our Special Crafts

A close-up of a vibrant pink water lily with a bright orange-yellow center, floating on dark water. A single bee is perched on one of the petals near the center.

Design A Pollinator Activity

If you can not go outside or do not have flowers readily available use this handout to help.

Flower Examples Handout

If you need inspiration for your pollinator use this handout.

Pollinator Examples Handout

pollinator picnic photo showing a place with rocks and water and a plate with bananas for pollinators to consume.

Pollinator Picnic Activity

A Butterfly craft that is made by drawing a long, thin, brown body and antennae. The wings are made by making handprints with yellow paint. It is on a white paper background with a black and white Zebra striped border.

Butterfly Handprint Craft

A plastic water bottle has been converted into a bird feeder. It's filled with birdseed, a small hole has been cut in the bottom half, and a stick has been inserted through it to act as a perch. A blue string is tied around the bottle's neck to hang it from a tree branch.

Plastic Bottle Bird Feeder

A two liter plastic drink bottle that the top has been cut off of and inverted.to fit inside the bottle. The top has been filled with soil and a small and stringy, green ornamental grass.

Plastic Bottle Self-watering Seed Starter

Two craft sea turtles made from recycled green plastic bottles and green paper or cardstock. They have a shell made from the bottom of a bottle wrapped with green yarn. Their head and flippers are bright green paper, with simple googly eyes and a drawn-on smile. The crafts are displayed on a white or light gray fabric surface.

Plastic Bottle Turtle Craft

Penguin craft made from a recycled plastic bottle. The cap is black with googly eyes and an orange triangle beak glued to it. The bottle is filled with cotton balls and there are black paper wings glued to the sides.

Plastic Bottle Penguin Craft

The image shows a white cat-shaped planter made from a recycled plastic bottle. The planter is decorated with a simple drawing of a cat's face, including closed eyes, whiskers, and a small nose. It contains a plant, which has purple and green striped leaves, and is placed against a light beige background.

Plastic Bottle Planter

Polar Bear sitting on iceberg with its nose lifted and a sunrise dominating the background zentangle coloring page

Polar Bear Coloring Pages and Word Search from Polar Bear International