For the last several years, I've helped a local biology teacher with teaching genetics, predator/prey and conservation at the local middle school. She coordinates with the other biology classes and I teach a 90 minute class three times a day for two complete days. More than 300 students go through our class. She then surveys the kids and gives me the results of the survey. One of the best things from that survey is that the kids think the most important thing they learn is conservation of native species. At the end, I'm exhausted. I bring in a few adult ball pythons to show different morphs, a corn snake (native species but captive bred), bearded dragon, blue tongue skink and maybe a few other things. The first 60 minutes of the class is lecture the last 30 minutes is hands on. Every child must use hand sanitizer before touching the animals. I do sometimes bring babies, sheds and empty eggs as well.
As we were doing this last year an administrator came into our class and commented to the teacher that this program needs to be done in all the middle schools, not just the one we work with. I have not been contacted and probably could not do it because I would have to take too much time off of my paying day job. But, it was nice to hear. It is also cool to hear from the teacher that each year her new class asks in the first few weeks of school when the snake people (me and my wife) are coming to teach.
I would suggest contacting a biology teacher at the local middle school and working with that person to develop a lesson plan. I've found it very rewarding and it is about the right age to turn around some of those attitudes and fears.
Edit: Forgot one of the most important things - I also take my Eastern Indigo to show them a threatened species and she is the one of the main snakes handled in the class. She makes quite an impact!
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