edZOOcation

edZOOcation: Endangered Wildlife Education Boxes

edZOOcation is a monthly subscription service that delivers themed boxes focused exclusively on threatened species. Each box centers on one endangered animal, which becomes the star of the month, and combines educational materials with hands-on activities for children. The goal is to turn play into learning about conservation and biodiversity.

The company donates 10% of its profits to wildlife conservation projects. According to data published on its website, subscribers have helped donate more than $90,371 to conservation initiatives and related areas.

What's Inside Each Box

Each monthly shipment includes a set of items designed for different ages and learning levels. Typical components include:

• A quality plush toy of the featured animal.
• A story book.
• An ecosystem poster.
• Age-adapted activities, which may include crafts, recipes, and surprise toys.
• An activity magazine.
• A paper dissection kit.

The company states that the content is tailored to the child's age and that materials vary from box to box.

Plans by Age Group

The subscription is organized into three tiers based on the child's age and interests:

• Zookeeper (Ages 3-5): for early learners, with basic concepts about animals and shapes.
• Zoologist (Ages 6-8): introduces scientific experiments and tracking activities.
• Conservationist (Ages 9-12): covers wildlife conservation, habitats, and ecosystems.

The Zookeeper plan focuses on shapes, colors, counting, and conservation; the Zoologist includes activities in conservation, art, math, science, and technology; and the Conservationist offers STEAM activities that build critical thinking and conservation skills.

Subscription Options and Shipping

The subscription renews automatically and ships a new species each month. It is available in monthly plans and discounted prepaid plans. The website shows a promotion current at the time of review: when starting a 12-month subscription, a 30% discount applies and three past boxes are included free.

Standard shipping is free for all subscriptions, except for promotional first-box orders, which have a flat shipping and handling fee. The company ships to the United States and Canada; Canadian orders are dispatched from a warehouse in Canada, with no duties or import fees. Orders typically ship the next business day.

Founder and Background

The company was founded by Jenny Curtis, owner and zoologist by profession. Curtis has worked with veterinarians, zoos, and education and conservation organizations. She is a graduate and former instructor of Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (America's Teaching Zoo). She also founded and ran an exotic animal education and rescue company in Central Florida, where more than 250 animals were rehomed, most from the illegal pet trade or domestic hoarding cases. She holds a B.S. in Organismal Biology and A.S. degrees in Wildlife Education, Exotic Animal Care and Management, and Animal Behavior Management.

Featured Species and Past Boxes

The animal of the month is the focus of each box. At the time of review, the featured species was the Ethiopian wolf. Past boxes include the sea otter, koala, dolphin, bumblebee, snow leopard, okapi, sloth, pangolin, sea star, whale shark, Komodo dragon, and turtle.

School Programs and Institutional Purchases

edZOOcation offers programs for schools, including payment and funding tools through ClassWallet and programs for charter schools. The company accepts school purchase orders.

Complementary Products

In addition to the subscription, the catalog includes complementary items such as an animal discovery guide binder with reports, a kids' field vest, and a tool to relocate spiders without harming them.