Scouts & Guides · Sparks to Pathfinders
Stories, scales & starlight.
Pull up a log. Badge-ready lessons, hands-on animal encounters and a moonlit overnight inside the zoo, built for every section from Sparks to Pathfinders.
$55
Per camper + tax
1 free
Leader per group
20
Minimum group size
3
Zoos in Ontario
Gather round
Badge work that feels like a campfire story.
Hands-on encounters
Get up close to reptiles, amphibians and more, touch select species, and ask our expert educators anything.
Built around your badges
Every lesson lines up with badge and emblem requirements for your section, so the fun counts toward your program goals.
A night inside the zoo
Our Badge Focus Sleepover turns the zoo into an after-dark adventure, complete with a flashlight tour once the lights go out.
Our approach
Learning that sticks.
We believe the best way to learn is through hands-on discovery. Every program centres on safe, direct interaction with our reptiles, amphibians and other animals. Campers don’t just watch from a distance: they get up close, touch select species and put their questions to expert educators who bring years of knowledge to every session.
Each lesson is built around badge and emblem requirements across Scouting and Guiding. Habitats, conservation, biodiversity, animal adaptations, safety and responsible care are all covered in a way that’s interactive and easy for youth to connect with.
How a session works
1
Meet your educator
A Reptilia educator leads your group through a program matched to your section and badge.
2
Learn the big ideas
Habitats, food chains, adaptations or conservation, depending on your theme.
3
Get hands-on
Meet live animals up close and touch select species.
4
Ask anything
Questions are part of the program, from “do snakes sleep?” to “how do turtles breathe?”
What campers explore
Habitats & ecosystems
Food chains
Animal adaptations
Camouflage & predation
Seasons & survival
Conservation & biodiversity
Endangered species & wildlife trade
Responsible pet care
Herpetology
Counts toward your goals
Lessons line up with badge and emblem requirements across every level of Scouting and Guiding, so your group’s time here moves them forward.
More than a checklist
We aim to build a deeper respect for the natural world. Youth leave with new knowledge, stories to tell, and often a highlight of their year.
Built around your unit
Book a short visit, a half-day adventure, a program tailored to your unit’s needs, or the overnight sleepover.
The Overnight
A night at the zoo, by flashlight.
Spend the night inside the zoo. Explore after hours, catch a live animal show, then switch off the lights and see who’s awake when the zoo goes dark.
Badge Focus Sleepover
$55
per person
plus tax
🌙 One leader free with every group
🔥 Minimum 20 people. Smaller units can be combined with another group
⭐ Times adjusted to suit each age group
Book Your Night →Tonight’s itinerary
7:00 PM
Arrive & explore
Settle in and wander the zoo at your own pace.
8:00 PM
Live animal theatre show
A hands-on, interactive show with live animals.
9:00 PM
Guided flashlight tour
Lights out, flashlights on. A guided tour of the zoo after dark.
9:30 PM
Bedtime routine
Games, a snack and free time until 11:00 PM.
7:30 AM
Rise, breakfast & pickup
Wake up at 7:30, breakfast from 8:00, and pickup at 9:00 AM.
This is a sample schedule. Times can be moved to suit the age of your group.
Find your section
Badges from the wild side.
Pick your section to see each program and what campers learn. Every one lines up with your badge and emblem requirements and is taught with live animals.
Pictured: White’s tree frog
Beavers & Sparks
Themed programs packed with hands-on animal experiences. Every session opens with habitats, food chains and how living things depend on one another.
Animals — The diet, growth, habitat and behaviour of reptiles and amphibians.
Seasons — How animals cope when the weather and seasons change.
Self-Discovery — How do our bodies compare to a turtle’s, a snake’s or a frog’s?
Communication — How animals, including us, use their senses to communicate.
Pictured: Panther chameleon
Embers
A big-picture look at the natural world, with real animals to meet along the way.
Nature & the Planet — An introduction to habitats, food chains and the way living things depend on one another, brought to life by the animals that live them.
Pictured: Western hognose snake
Cubs
Badge-focused programs that build real naturalist skills.
Naturalist: Camouflage & Predation — How reptiles hide, hunt and avoid becoming someone’s dinner.
Naturalist: Ecology — How animals fit into and shape the ecosystems around them.
Naturalist: Seasons — How animals survive as the seasons change.
Pets — Proper diet, handling, housing and hygiene for reptile pets.
Communication — Animal signals that target each of the five senses.
Seasons — A deeper look at seasonal change in the animal world.
World Conservation: Habitat — Space, air, water, food and shelter, and how humans affect them.
World Conservation: The Road to Extinction — Exotic species, illegal wildlife trade and persecution driven by fear.
Pictured: New Guinea snapping turtle
Scouts
Deeper science for older youth: population biology, conservation and the study of reptiles themselves.
Fish & Wildlife — Carrying capacity, endangered species and the impact of introducing exotic species.
Naturalist — Ecology, natural balance, migration, niche, population and community.
Science — An introduction to herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians.
Pet Care — Diet and nutrition, handling, housing and hygiene for reptile pets.
World Conservation — How people impact wild animals, including exotics, illegal trade and persecution.
Pictured: Philippine sailfin lizard
Guides, Venturers & Pathfinders
Emblem programs that connect what campers see up close to big conservation questions.
Naturalist: Camouflage & Predation — How reptiles hide, hunt and avoid predators.
Naturalist: Ecology — How animals fit into and shape their ecosystems.
Naturalist: Seasons — How animals survive as the seasons change.
Conservation: Habitat — What animals need to survive, and what happens when habitats disappear.
Conservation: The Road to Extinction — Exotic species, illegal wildlife trade and destruction driven by fear.
World Conservation — How people impact wild animals, including exotics, illegal trade and persecution.
These lessons meet the Naturalist and Conservation emblem requirements.
Save your spot
See you by the fire.
Pick your closest Reptilia and register your unit online. Small group? Let us know and we’ll pair you with another unit. Questions? Give the zoo a call.
York Region
Reptilia Vaughan
2501 Rutherford Rd, Vaughan, ON L4K 2N6
905-761-6223
Durham Region
Reptilia Whitby
1400 Victoria St E, Whitby, ON L1N 0M2
905-493-9537
Southwestern Ontario
Reptilia London
785 Wonderland Rd S, London, ON N6K 3C2
226-721-8522
Open daily 10 AM – 6 PM · Holidays 10 AM – 5 PM · Closed Christmas Day
Also at Reptilia: school field trips & classroom visits, OCA-accredited day camps, and birthday parties.