I took a couple of ball pythons in to a local school.

Bring your most docile animal.

Control the animal's head--if it snaps, it should be at you, not at a kid. Present the tail end to the children to touch it.

Bring hand sanitizer. Make sure the kids use it after touching the snake. Tell them why, but make sure they know that many other animals such as cats and dogs can also harbor germs that might make them sick, and the easy way to prevent it is to always wash your hands.