Snakes at School

Mike and I had offered to bring in a couple of snakes to meet our son Mikey's class. Well apparently there's growing interest in our little "snake show" and as of this morning Mikey's principal asked if the entire student body could participate (it's a small private christian school so not as many kids as you might think).

We're really excited about doing this next Wednesday and helping some kids and adults better understand snakes, their place as pets and their natural role in the wild. We're taking Emi the milksnake, Severus the boa constrictor, and from the ball pythons, Orlah - a mature female and Riordan - an 06 male and perhaps another BP. We're taking along some examples of sheds to show the kids and of course a bottle of hand sanitizer. Mikey's very excited as he will get to hold some snakes in front of the other kids (some don't believe him when he says we have 15 snakes at home LOL).

Wish us luck. This is our first major school presentation and we're hoping to have a lot of fun mixed in with some good solid information.

You guys will do awesome! Be sure to have someone take pictures!!! Good luck!

ooo nice! u should record each session and make note of the questions asked. While you probably already have all those questions answered in your head, it'd be a neat idea to listen to the questions and your answers again.

Thats Great!! Good luck and take pics..Loads of pics

As reptile keepers education is our greatest tool. You guys need a cookie for using our most powerful tool to our advantage.

See this is funny you take a 15' Burm in a class of 1st and 2nd graders and they'll all want to see and touch it. Take the same kids 5 years later and no one will want to.

I got to see a couple kids with my new female yesterday and you're right... the older kids 10+ were uncomfortable, but the baby girl on up to the 7-8 year olds were very interested! And very comfortable... They even listened when I told them they couldn't touch her head (personal preference, she's a little headshy) The baby was on my hip sticking her tongue out at the snake (my friend was holding the snake- I was holding the tiny human LOL) I asked baby "what's a snake say" and she stuck her tongue out... oh it was much cuter in person LOL... anyway KUDOS to you franky!!! I look forward to the update afterwards!!

That's awesome....Yes, make sure to take pics, but maybe you could have someone video it:) That way you could have the "memory" for Mikey. And then you could use the video as a presentation to get more "education" jobs:D Best of luck to you guys:rockon:

Thanks everyone! We'll see about pics/video. Since this is our first big presentation I think I'd rather do a couple then get a video record (so you all don't see us stumble through it the first go round LOL).

We're sitting down to do a sort of guideline/plan we can follow so we move smoothly through the main points we want to share with the kids (they will be potentially pre-school up to grade 8). Basically starting with misconceptions about snakes aka what do they already "know" about snakes. At this point they won't even see the snakes as they will all still be bagged. I figure this way we can deal with fears and misinformation right up front without a snake being seen.

Then we are showing Emi the albino milksnake first. She's so small and brightly colored she appears almost toylike and should help the kids open up to the concept of snakes being handled in front of them. Also it may be rather funny to see the adults sort out their "fear of the big mean snake" when faced with cutsie pootsie little Emi. LOL

Severus, the boa will be next. He's a lot bigger than Emi so it will be a good contrast to her. Then the ball pythons last.

We'll talk a lot about how snakes are like and not like humans, dogs, cats, etc. I always find with kids if you can get them to equate something to their own personal experience, they get it much faster and remember it much longer. Things like how we hear and snakes hear, how we smell things and how a snake does, etc. What makes a snake hiss or strike and how we can deal with that (emphasis on empathy for the snake and responsiblity on the human). Then a bit about where each species comes from (makes the geography teachers do the happy dance LOL). In this section we'll mention how snakes are religious symbols in some countries (thanks to Robin for offering to gather that research for me!), how they are farmed in Africa and other interesting things about how snakes are seen around the world good and bad.

Then we'll talk a bit about proper snakekeeping, respect for them both in captivity and in the wild. What to do if they see a snake in their yard and why it's good for it to be there. How to behave if they are around captive snakes, safe handling and that sort of thing. Mikey, our 6 year old, will participate at this point showing how to safely and gently handle each type of snake.

Then they can touch the snakes (not their heads of course) and examine various snake sheds we have (hand sanitizer station set up) and we'll take general questions. We are figuring about 45 to 60 minutes tops. Long enough for the snakes and more than long enough for the littler kidlets.

Suggestions? Comments?

P.S. The snakes are going bagged seperately in snake bags as well as being inside secure transport tubs. We don't need an escape or one getting set loose by some curious child when we are distracted.

Should have added that the first bit will be a thank you to the school for inviting us and allowing us to share our passion for our snakes. Then a very short set of rules for the presentation (sit quietly, do not grab or rush at us with the snakes out, hand up to ask questions, please keep screaming to a minimum LOL

Sounds good...

also when touching the snakes use two fingers and touch them very gently..

Oh thank you! I almost forgot the two finger rule! *scribbles that in my notes*

A lot of Mikey's schoolmates are African-American so we're thrilled to bring snakes native to Africa into their lives and share a bit about ball pythons in their natural world as well as in the pet trade.

Joanna, sounds like you guys have really thought through this and have a great presentation already!

That so freaking awesome! I was thinking of talking to my old elementary school to do something like that (oddly enough, a christian school as well), except i'd be bringing a few Leo's and my bearded dragon along with my BP's. I hope that you have a lot of fun educating the little ones! Lets us know how it goes!

Thanks Robin! We want to give a good presentation and have it go smoothly so we might get to come back (hoping to do a more indepth morph/genetics presentation to the senior science classes for instance).

Sounds like you have it planned out pretty well.......your incorporating a lot of different subject areas....health, science, social studies...I love interdisciplinary lessons as a student and teacher.

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Originally Posted by Purrrfect9

That so freaking awesome! I was thinking of talking to my old elementary school to do something like that (oddly enough, a christian school as well), except i'd be bringing a few Leo's and my bearded dragon along with my BP's. I hope that you have a lot of fun educating the little ones! Lets us know how it goes!

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I'd love to incorporate lizards into another visit! :)

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Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls

Sounds like you have it planned out pretty well.......your incorporating a lot of different subject areas....health, science, social studies...I love interdisciplinary lessons as a student and teacher.

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Thanks! I love the idea of using the snakes as a teaching tool as well as just introducing people to them. Even with my own 4 kids I've observed things like...

1) My Beth winning a science fair award using some of our rats as a model for eating nutritious food over picking "junk" food.

2) Mikey learning to sit more quietly than he normally would as snakes won't "like me if I'm jumpy".

3) My older son Luke using what he knows about breeding snakes to equate it to a recent biology/genetics course in high school.

4) Teaching the kids to have empathy and understanding subtle cues from a non-verbal animal. It's important I think for today's kids to have to stetch themselves a bit more to understand something alien to the human experience.

5) Patience and respect for boundaries. If nothing else the snakes have reinforced this with my children. You cannot get impatient with a snake and you must respect it's boundaries or in this house....you don't get to handle a snake. :)

That is awesome Jo!! Education is key to the future of our hobby...

Awesome! It's great to introduce young kids to captive snakes and show them that they're harmless if handled properly and aren't that big slimy man-eater than they hear about. Hopefully you and Mikey have inspired some future herpotologists! :)

That is so awesome.
How lucky are those kids :) We never had fun interesting things like that at my school ( of course there wouldn't have been enough space with only one room )
You must tell us all about it when you get back :)

Kodos!

enjoy yourself i have done that every year for my sons show and tell time and the kids are alway scared at first but by the time i leave they all want to hold the snakes or tort. and i always enjoy it so you will too.

Way to go, Jo...

I did something like this for each 6th grade Biology class at my cousin's middle school... I took in a bunch of different animals from an exotic pet shop I used to work at and told them a bit about each one. At that age, there were kids that were genuinely interested, or completely indifferent, some afraid of the snakes, some not... some just wanting to disrupt and make a scene for their reputation, etc.... Overall it was a good experience but there were definately times when I had to stop the whole thing due to some of the mammals being frightened by all the noise.

I think you will really enjoy doing this, and so will the kids.

One bonus to Mikey's school is it's quite small (most classrooms have 10 to a maximum of 15 students). Being a private christian school one of it's attractions to Mike and I was the amazing way they have with the kids. There's no yelling, running around acting up and a ton of postive feedback defined by basic rules of behaviour and manners. We love having him there and everytime I'm in the building I walk out even more happy we made the decision to remove him from public school. It's hard to describe but it's just an amazing learning environment! Michael is doing beautifully there but even more important everyday he gets the message that he is a special and loved child who is truly cared about at school.

I expect our presentation will likely be quite orderly as the kids are used to being mannerly and respectful to the teachers and each other.

I would make sure that the kids wash thier hands before touching the snakes...you never know which ones smell like the dog they petted on the way to school or the hamster/rabbit they said goodbye to in the morning!!

Great feeling to educate others about animals that generally deemed "gross" or "cool" ...both cases usually backed with zero actual knowledge. In my 10yrs working in education I've had some opportunities to present my animals and share some info. Its been a couple years now with with my current position that hasn't really presented the opportunity sadly. However just this morning I was taking a class with some of my co-workers and our Superintendent and I used some of my animal photos in a project which the whole "class" then got to see.

Enough babble...have a blast, "spread the word".

I did this a couple times in North Dakota. The kids loved it. A lot of kids that were scared at first lost a lot of thier fear during the presentation. Almost all the kids came to pets my pets when I was finished. The teachers on the other hand were another story. Some wouldn't even enter the room. Thier loss!

On a side note I brought a few bottles of anti-bacterial handwash for every one to use before and after handling.

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

have a blast, "spread the word".

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yes! i'd luv to see a world where snakes r not viewed as disgusting slimey "things!":rockon:

Good point there Charlie! We will be making sure the snake's are presented for touching with their heads under our full control however so should anything occur it would be us not a child or teacher. We're picking the snakes also that are most used to being handled or have been with us long enough that we can pretty much judge their reactions (however we're not silly enough to not be very careful...this is a new situation for all of us really).

My daughter daycare loves it when i bring in scooter. And the kids never get enough.

Congrats Jo, on spreading a liitle knowledge to untainted little minds. We did the same thing last year at Shelby's school. We were going to give a presentation to Shelby's class of about 30. When we got there, the assistant principal asked if we wouldn't mind doing the presentation for the whole first grade (about 100 kids and teachers). That was such a rewarding experience for us. And, to my amazement, every person in attendance at least touched a snake, and about 60% held one (those numbers include every teacher and the A. Principal holding one). Of course the one that all of the adults held was Monica's Pied female. We were supposed to do it again this year, but somehow the presentation never got set up and there is only one week of school left. I guess we will end up skipping one year. I guess we'll do it for third grade. Hear is a pic of Shelby's class after the presentation.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/8/School.jpg

Have fun Jo.

Oh how cool Tim! Good for you and Monica! So many of Mikey's friends and quite a few of the teachers didn't quite believe him when he babbled on about all the snakes we have so it'll be fun for him to show them he wasn't "telling stories" LOL

Bit of a side story here. When I was discussing the presentation with the principal a teacher overheard us (not Mikey's teacher) and went into this long winded story about how this guy in some bar/club had this "big python" and was putting on a "show" and it started to choke him. From her account of it (totally unverified) the snake was killed to remove it. I just listened to the big dramatic tale then looked at her and said "if I was a snake and dragged into a smoke filled, noisy place I NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN, I'd have freaked out too! The only one at blame is that stupid guy!" Oh her other bit of "advice"....apparently "rats have no bones and can get anywhere they want since they squish down". I just blinked at this little jewel of dubious wisdom and replied "rats have bones and they only get where you let them get."

Amazing how uninformed some folks are. She'll be a hard sell if she even shows up for the presentation LOL.

wow! that's pretty amazing coming from a teacher! who ever heard of a mammal with no bones???

Well wish us luck. Our little demonstration starts at 12:30 today, right after the kids have had lunch and a playtime (hopefully they will be calm, full and ready to sit still LOL).

Good Luck Jo! ;)

I am sure the kids will enjoy it! :carrot:

Good luck! I hope you hit a home run and are asked to do more! This IS the key, education of herps will help this hobby thrive and overcome the political warfare! Great job Jo!

Thanks for the well wishes all. Mike and I are really excited about this opportunity to spread the word about snakes both in captivity and in the wild. We think we'll have a lot of interest from the kids and likely the adults will be the "hard sells" LOL

Good luck!!! Can't wait to hear how it went..

Good Luck Jo. Make sure you take alot of pics, and post em here when you can.

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Originally Posted by muddoc

Congrats Jo, on spreading a liitle knowledge to untainted little minds. We did the same thing last year at Shelby's school. We were going to give a presentation to Shelby's class of about 30. When we got there, the assistant principal asked if we wouldn't mind doing the presentation for the whole first grade (about 100 kids and teachers). That was such a rewarding experience for us. And, to my amazement, every person in attendance at least touched a snake, and about 60% held one (those numbers include every teacher and the A. Principal holding one). Of course the one that all of the adults held was Monica's Pied female. We were supposed to do it again this year, but somehow the presentation never got set up and there is only one week of school left. I guess we will end up skipping one year. I guess we'll do it for third grade. Hear is a pic of Shelby's class after the presentation.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/8/School.jpg

Have fun Jo.

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Way to go Tim...

P.S. Glad to see you kept the high and tight.

It should be an awesome experience, Jo! I can't wait to hear all about it!!

Oooh, I forgot that was today!


And Tim, that little boy just peering up at you with admiration is adorable!

Good luck:sunny: Can't wait to hear about how well it went and see all the great pics!

I hope you had a great time today! My husband and I love taking our snakes out to these types of things. Our local club arranges Outreach demonstrations so that we can help educate the public.

We recently did a show in Eastern Washington for Earth Day. It was such a good feeling to bring something to these kids (all 400 of them!) that they had never experienced before.

Today, I'm at work and dave is off on another outreach, this time to a local elementary school's "Science Day". There will be groups flowing through most of the day from 9am until 2:30pm with a break for lunch. This is the reason I joined the club and why I will do my best to attend any of these functions.

Glad to hear that others are taking up the task of sharing our love for reptiles!

deb

Robin,

He was pretty cool. Didn't want to put the snakes down whenever he got ahold of one. Good potential to be a future customer.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Oooh, I forgot that was today!


And Tim, that little boy just peering up at you with admiration is adorable!

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give us details JO

Oh that's so cool Deb. Mike and I are going to join the Toledo Herp Club just as soon as we can!

Okay the school snake show went off beautifully folks! First we visited our son's kindergarten class and were pleased to have the grade 1's from across the hall also join in. The kids were amazing! Both teachers were nervous of the snakes but asked great questions and got into it. We even got a group pic and persuaded both ladies to get close enough for a quick snap shot. Just this one picture though as we were just really focusing on education and fun this time around.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...-forumsize.jpg

The teacher to the immediate right of my husband, Mike, is our son's teacher. She was VERY nervous of the boa as you can see by her face LOL. Our son Mikey is front and center in the navy t-shirt with red piping.

We then visited a grades 4 and 5 and did basically the same talk. We showed and allowed the kids to touch 5 snakes:

Orlah and Riordan - adult female and juvenile male BP and used them to discuss ball pythons, Africa, how snakes "see" prey, how they hear through their jaw bones and bellies and all sorts of snake related things. They loved the heat pits, thought they were super interesting!

Emi - yearling female albino milksnake - we used Emi to lead into talks about garter/ribbon snakes that are common in the Toledo area, how they eat hundreds of rodents per year and are our friends, what to do if you see a snake in your yard, that sort of stuff - we also used the fact that Emi is an albino to bring a little talk about basic genetics and how snakes are many colors just like people are but they are all basically the same inside - everyone loved Emi (she's too pretty to resist lol)

Severus - yearling male BCI - Sev was a huge hit and the longest snake we brought today - he was his usual outgoing boa self and very inquisitive - the kids loved his black tongue and we compared that to the orange tongue Emi has and the pink tongues of the bp's - we talked about how snakes tongues work and how their senses are like ours but just operate differently

Saoirse - adult female WC BP - Saoirse came along to show everyone how to respect the wild and make sure there are always places for wild snakes - she showed that a previously scared and sick WC snake can learn to live with people if they respect her and care - all the kids were sad Saoirse didn't get to live wild but happy that people rescue snakes (most didn't know this could happen or that snakes deserved rescuing) - Saoirse helped them understand trust between different species is possible and snakes deserve to be cared about too.

As we showed each snake we had around sheds to examine from each type. The kids loved that and lined up to gently stroke each snake and check out their sheds. Lots of giggles and screeches but generally they were all thrilled, well behaved and respectful of the snakes.

We talked a bit about how to safely handle snakes, not to approach or harrass wild snakes, the jobs snakes have in nature and lots about how snakes live their lives day to day. Mikey helped demonstrate safe handling by a small child and was VERY proud to be our helper. He stated afterwards that someday he will rescue snakes too (awww how cute is that!)

We were at the school a total of 2.5 hours with not one bite or attempt to strike and only one small hiss here or there (not serious hissing, just snake grumbling really). Not one snake seemed even really fazed by the experience and mostly were their usual pretty laid back selves. All the scaley ones are now tucked back in their homes probably wondering what today was all about LOL. All in all it was a great experience and I hope we get invited back again.

Jo, that's awesome! Sounds like it went beautifully!!!!!

Wow, very cool stuff Jo!!!

That sounds like a really awesome day, Jo! It's awesome that you're doing those educational talks with kids. :) I especially like the bit where you compare snake genetics as making them look different on the outside but that they are the same on the inside--it's a -great- metaphor for kids to get about accepting other -people- who look different from them.

Sounds like you did an EXCELLENT job! Yay, Jo!

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

That sounds like a really awesome day, Jo! It's awesome that you're doing those educational talks with kids. :) I especially like the bit where you compare snake genetics as making them look different on the outside but that they are the same on the inside--it's a -great- metaphor for kids to get about accepting other -people- who look different from them.

Sounds like you did an EXCELLENT job! Yay, Jo!

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Ditto!! :clap: Wish I could have been there and seen the presentation!

i think you enjoyed it more then the kids JO.