reptile demonstrations
- Thread starter wild caught
- Start date
walls;710564; said:Maybe a nice big boa would be interesting? hint hint........
i was hoping youd suggest that! lol hell yeah, ill definetly keep u informed.
and i beleive were doing a few of them tho, so would u want to do more then one? well be doing them around 2-3 o clock, are u available around then?
Have a plan of what you are going to talk about, and try to interrelate the topics to try to get a unified point across. The average human can retain 7 ideas plus or minus two. Keep this in mind and only use a few animals with 5 interrelating facts. For example, adaptations that make a lizard a lizard, or a snake a snake.
Go to your local nature center when it opens and talk the naturalist about interpretation. (The art of environmental education is called nature interpretation, it was part of my degree in recreation and wildlife management)
Doing reptile education is great, but go with an educational purpose. A badly planned program has the potential to do more harm then good.
For more information look into the national association for interpretation.
Go to your local nature center when it opens and talk the naturalist about interpretation. (The art of environmental education is called nature interpretation, it was part of my degree in recreation and wildlife management)
Doing reptile education is great, but go with an educational purpose. A badly planned program has the potential to do more harm then good.
For more information look into the national association for interpretation.
so, showing animals to kids is a big part of my job. based on your list, downplay the bugs, and let kids touch other than that, you really got to talk to someone in person.
It would be very cool if you downplayed the "Danger" factor associated with reptiles. Have these kids grow up WITHOUT an irrational fear of reptiles for a change.
This is my biggest complaint regarding those Discovery channel shows like Corwin and especially Steve Irwin (RIP). They make their living handling (Mostly) dangerous species without mentioning that 99% of people will NEVER encounter a reptile that poses a threat to them. I did a few seminars myself and always ended them by asking, "How many poisonous snakes live in our area?" The answer was "ZERO". This left a lasting impression with everyone-even the parents. It amazes me that the typical parent will allow a large dog to approach their child but nearly faints at the sight of a Garter Snake slithering away in the local park.
Take a zero danger attitude towards your presentation and give reptiles the repect they deserve.
Also, be prepared for the "What do they eat" questions. When you see the icky-look come across their faces upon learning that many snakes eat mice, be sure to point out that mice and rats cause billions of dollars in damage in the US every year and carry diseases. Bubonic Plague comes to mind.
This is my biggest complaint regarding those Discovery channel shows like Corwin and especially Steve Irwin (RIP). They make their living handling (Mostly) dangerous species without mentioning that 99% of people will NEVER encounter a reptile that poses a threat to them. I did a few seminars myself and always ended them by asking, "How many poisonous snakes live in our area?" The answer was "ZERO". This left a lasting impression with everyone-even the parents. It amazes me that the typical parent will allow a large dog to approach their child but nearly faints at the sight of a Garter Snake slithering away in the local park.
Take a zero danger attitude towards your presentation and give reptiles the repect they deserve.
Also, be prepared for the "What do they eat" questions. When you see the icky-look come across their faces upon learning that many snakes eat mice, be sure to point out that mice and rats cause billions of dollars in damage in the US every year and carry diseases. Bubonic Plague comes to mind.
