Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok so, a few years ago i started organizing something called Third Dimension Reptiles. Long story short, it's an educational outreach program aimed at teaching kids about reptiles and giving them the ability to respect them just like any living thing should be. so now, here it is wednesday and on monday i have my first shows. i'm doing three of them for about 140 3rd graders. so you can imagine how many kids their will be in each one. i have it pretty well planned out, but i also know how well things can go according to plan, lol. so pretty much i am asking for any suggestions on how to handle things, especially anything that might not go as smoothly as planned. so far i plan on taking, 2 green igs(about 4 ft., very friendly), a sudan plated lizard, a beardie, a leopard gecko, green anoles, cuban knight anole(definately a look dont touch herp for them!), golden geckos, longtail lizard, 2 baby balls, 1 adult ball(het. albino), a gulf hammock ratsnake, an eastern kingsnake, a baby cali king(albino striped), gold treefrogs, and an eastern painted turtle. oh and i have app. 45 minutes but i was told more time wouldnt be a problem. any suggestions on how to get all these herps into a '92 geo storm would also be appreciated lol. sorry for such a long post, i am just quite nervous about it (more excited really). thanks for any suggestions!

I've found 2 "Great Secrets" to presenting to a bunch of kids:

1) If you run out of things to say, ask if there are any questions.
2) Don't ask for questions until you've run out of things to say.

(Number 2 is more of guidline than a rule...)
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Bag your snakes seperately and put them in a styrofoam
cooler(s). Small lizards and turtles (goldens, leos, etc.) can be put in small critter keepers with aspen substrate. Igs definately could ride in pet carriers. I have a German Giant Beardie who goes on the road in a cat carrier.

Advice: leave the knight anole and anything else that could potentially bite you into a lawsuit at home. Take animals that you feel confident about.

Decide which animals you will use each session. Don't overstress your animals. Use one ball python per session, one ig in the first show, the other in the second, then the first one again in the third. The kids don't have to see everything to get the idea.

Give serious thought to touching. That's 140 germy hands on your animals. If you do allow them to touch, have hand sanitizer required immediately afterwards--one case of salmonella will curtail any further herp presentations--take my word on this one. Enlist another adult to oversee the hand sanitizing.

I have a Bci, several corns, and an East African sand boa who are my "hands-on" animals. Everything else is "use your eyes to look". Walk around with the animals while you talk about them--that way they are focused on the animal.

If you ask the kids what they know about reptiles at the beginning, you can judge their level of information and where you need to begin.

Third graders are really cool, and may amaze you with what they know and want to know. So long as you can relax and keep an eye on everything at the same time, you'll be fine. Herps and kids are a lot of fun. Email me if you have other questions.

rgds,
althea

Althea has the right ideas! She said exactly what I was thinking. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out. Derek

the only real reason i want to use my knight is to show how different some animals can be and still be related. ie, show them a green anole and then show them the cuban knight anole, while throwing in the fact that its the largest in the anolis species. i have taken her into two of my classes before(actual school classes, not reptile programs) and she did ok. i know how to hold her so she doesnt get the oportunity to bite me and NO ONE touches the knight lol. they are just two mean. im actually gonna leave the ratsnake at home too, i just dont trust her... pure satan spawn lol. the beardie, igs, balls, leo, and plated lizard are all VERY docile and are the hands on ones. i do have one other person helping me and she will be taking some pictures too. im thinking about having them all write down one thing that they learned and then giving me their responses. just out of curiosity. i would like to give something out for those that answer some questions and volunteer and stuff, any ideas... stickers, plastic lizards... not sure what yet, gotta hit walmart lol. oh and i am definately getting some hand sanitizer. hands must be cleaned before and after touching/holding anything. i dont need a kid getting bit by a snake cuz it smells their pet hamster on them. i am also going to try to get some of the styro boxes that our fish come in(i work at a petstore)but if i cant im gonna get some coolers, im debating on either using hot water bottles or heat packs for in the styros. thanks for all the help though.
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*Third Dimension Reptiles*~"a new dimension in exploration"

1.1 green iguanas
1.0 sudan plated lizard
1.0 bearded dragon
0.1 leopard gecko
1.1 golden geckos
1.1 green anoles
0.1 cuban knight anole
1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
0.0.2 gold treefrogs
0.0.1 leopard frog
1.1 normal ball pythons
1.0 het. albino ball python
0.1 gulf hammock ratsnake
0.1 eastern kingsnake
1.0 albino striped california kingsnake
0.1 hedgehog
2.3 rats
0.1 husky
55 gal. freshwater aquarium