my snake is going to 1st grade

[Broseph]

my son came home thursday an told me his teacher wants me to bring his snake in for show in tell/ science class. he's in the 1st grade so these kids are going to love it or hate it. i want to make this a learnig event for them not just show and tell. i'm looking for ideas to help make this a real cool day for them that they'll remember for a long time to come. PLUS i was wondering if the kids wanted to touch him if hand sanitizer on the kids would be to strong for the snake, because i was going to make them use it before and after touching it. or would just washing thier hands do. one thing i was going to do is have them come up with a name for her. my son being 6 can't think of a COOL name so i was going to have them vote on it with my son having final veto power. i was thinking maybe pictures, diagrams of the inside organs( don't no whwere to find this) stuff like this. any ideas?

[Nate]

I think it certainly is a great idea. I think kids should be educated on these awesome snakes. You just have to bone up on that knowledge that you know kids are gonna ask about...

"does it have fangs?"
"Will it eat people?"
"will it eat my dog/cat?"
"how big does it get?"
"what does it eat?" (be prepared for a big "eeeewwwwwwwwww")

If you want to let the kids touch, yes, make sure you bring a bottle of hand sanitizer and make sure each kid uses it before and after touching. If it were me, i would make sure to be the only one that actually holds the snake, and i would keep an eye on his head area. I'd hate to hear that your snake got stressed out from all the little fingers and started to get a little nippy...that will for sure get kids thinking the exact opposite of what you've just told them about it not biting.

I've never exhibited a reptile so I really don't know what kind of reaction you're going to get from these kids. Hopefully someone who has been in your position before will be able to tell you about their experience. Keep us posted

[Broseph]

have figured out how to put a picture on a thread yet so the snakes pictures are in my profile.

[Darkways]

Ok about the name, if your son is in 1st grade most likey there are kids in his class that like Harry Potter, so trying naming it something from that. I would do the hand sanitizer. I use it before and after I handle all my snakes. as long as they dont use to much then it would be fine. Hmmm you could try feeding your snake during the show and tell. But that depends on the last time you feed the snake. Well good luck with it.

[frankykeno]

Well my little guy is 5 so I'm sort of used to the snake questions/comments from his little buddies.

"is it slimey"?
"does it poop"?
"what's it eat"?
"it's mean it kills stuff!"
"does it want to bite me?"

Basically when we have kids over and show them snakes we make them wash before and after (pump gel sanitizer is way easier). They can only stroke the snake with one finger down it's back...we control and block the head. The one finger stroke means they can't grab or pinch the snake. We talk to them about how soft it is and not at all gross and slimey. How snakes help keep our world in good shape but controlling rodent populations. How they shouldn't approach or touch a snake in the wild without a grownup there but that the snake is probably more scared of them than they are of it (little kids love to feel powerful like that and it helps them learn that with power comes responsibility to be kind to smaller things).

Mostly we just tell them how the snake is the same and different from them. How a snake smells things, hears things, feels things just like they do but differently. Some kids are amazed a snake could feel pain for instance. They are always amazed that a snake could be shy and scared, since most seem to automatically think snakes are aggressive and mean by nature. Since all little kids know what it feels like to be shy and scared, this one really hits home for them and you can see them immediately begin to bond with the snake and relax a bit around it.

[Broseph]

this is great, thanks all. i'm taking notes so keep it coming. yeah thats a good idea about the one finger petting. i'm going to use that. awesome

[tigerlily]

Well my little guy is 5 so I'm sort of used to the snake questions/comments from his little buddies.

"is it slimey"?
"does it poop"?
"what's it eat"?
"it's mean it kills stuff!"
"does it want to bite me?"

Basically when we have kids over and show them snakes we make them wash before and after (pump gel sanitizer is way easier). They can only stroke the snake with one finger down it's back...we control and block the head. The one finger stroke means they can't grab or pinch the snake. We talk to them about how soft it is and not at all gross and slimey. How snakes help keep our world in good shape but controlling rodent populations. How they shouldn't approach or touch a snake in the wild without a grownup there but that the snake is probably more scared of them than they are of it (little kids love to feel powerful like that and it helps them learn that with power comes responsibility to be kind to smaller things).

Mostly we just tell them how the snake is the same and different from them. How a snake smells things, hears things, feels things just like they do but differently. Some kids are amazed a snake could feel pain for instance. They are always amazed that a snake could be shy and scared, since most seem to automatically think snakes are aggressive and mean by nature. Since all little kids know what it feels like to be shy and scared, this one really hits home for them and you can see them immediately begin to bond with the snake and relax a bit around it.

Jo, pretty much nailed it.

The only thing I would add with a large group of kids, is to make sure they don't surround you. If you want to allow them to touch the snake, I'd ask everyone who WANTS to touch him to get in a line. I always allow them to touch with two fingers, and tell them no grabbing. I then allow them to touch the snake from mid back to the tail, and let them know only to go in that direction.

If I think of anything else I'll be sure to post more.

[BPGirl]

Every year I go to the Pioneer Elementary School to do presentations in front of a bunch of classes with any grades from kindergarten to sixth grade. Often times when I'm in a younger class its usually the adults (parents coming to watch, principles, teachers, whatever) that ask the questions like "Is it poisonous?", "Can it bite?", and "Is it slimy?". The adults are also more reluctant to even go near the snake.

If you want to create a poster that works pretty well too. It can include anything you want to talk about. One thing that they really like is the different types of morphs, so you can just print out some pics off the internet with some of the popular morphs (little kids LOVE piebalds). Another thing you can do is bring in one of your snakes old sheds and let the kids pass it around. If you want them to actually listen to what your saying keep the snake hidden until your done talking because if you, or your son is holding the snake while you two are talking then the kids will be focused on the snake and not listen to a word your saying. Another thing to keep their attention is quiz them while your talking. Some main things you might want to say would be what ball pythons eat, where they live in the wild, ect. I also agree with a two finger touch rule. When it comes to petting time I found that it works best if you keep all the kids sitting at their desk and you take the snake around to them. Usually if you let them get out of their seat they will want to get a better look than the kid standing next to them and it just becomes chaos.

Also, dont be surprised if your snake doesnt eat the next time you try to feed it. All snakes are different and even the most docile snake can get stressed out. Afterwards I would reommend not disturbing it for a couple days afterward.

You might also get lucky enough to recieve a nickname afterwards!

And dont worry about the kids hating it, theyre all going to love it!

[Mendel's Balls]

The only thing I would add with a large group of kids, is to make sure they don't surround you. If you want to allow them to touch the snake, I'd ask everyone who WANTS to touch him to get in a line. I always allow them to touch with two fingers, and tell them no grabbing. I then allow them to touch the snake from mid back to the tail, and let them know only to go in that direction.

I would add that this is a good recommendation for high school aged children as well!

Though less high school kids will want to touch the snake. Some of them are too cool to look scared or get over their fears.

I've cut up shedded skin from snake and had students make wet mount slide for a Introduction to Microscopy lab. They have the choice of viewing a human hair or snake skin. Some high school students (mostly prissy girls) cant even stand the idea of looking at snake skin under a scope. However, some students really like it and I had one bring shedded skin from his gecko. Overall, I think its important to give them some choices.

Here's an example of a student response that I had from one young (prissy-looking) lady who had no problem looking at the snake skin.

In her observations, she states the following:


“You can see where the scales of snakeskin connect easier on lower power and how they connect.”

She goes on to conclude the following of the entire lab experience.

“I this lab, I learned how to use a microscope correctly and how using a microscope helps to see the details in a specimen up close and more clearly. I also learned that for some specimens it isn’t better to observe through the highest power. Objects often look very differenty [sic] through a microscope because the naked eye cannot notice the little details of the specimen."

[frankykeno]

Oh never thought of taking along some nice sheds if you have any handy. It's pretty cool to see how a shed is the snake just inside out basically and longer as it stretches coming off. Kids love sheds! I think the morph thing will likely be beyond 6 year olds comprehension so I'd stick with basics like how cool snakes are especially for kids allergic to "normal" pets, how cool snakes are in the wild to control rodents, why snakes feel cool, why some snakes have venom and others don't...stuff like that. Don't be surprised as well if you field questions about Steve Irwin. A lot of little kids idolized him and may ask you about that.