been asked to do a talk at the primary school

[longqi]

One other very important point to stress is that your pet snake is a pet and you cannot play with wild snakes in the same way
We do this by comparing their pet cat or dog with a strange cat or dog that bites and scratches if they try to pick it up
Even the youngest kids understand that

With young kids the first thing said, and repeated many times is

What do you do if you see a snake??
'You leave it alone' and tell mum and dad

Keep everything as simple as possible but be prepared for some interesting questions that you wont expect to be asked
Kids love Animal Planet etc and sometimes the questioning can be full on

I usually make up a small homework or class assignment
Teachers use it about a week afterwards just to reinforce the 'leave snakes alone' message
I put that on usb stick and the teachers print it out later

Power point is very cool if they have a screen

 

[lizardjasper]

If my daughter takes one of her lizards in for show and tell, does she have to get written permission from EPA or something?

 

[Gruni]

Technically yes, if she is the license holder. If it is in your name you are responsible for taking the lizard in and looking after it.

 

[Snowman]

A demonstrators nightmare must be kids that have been playing with pet rats, mice, chickens, guinea pigs etc before school then having the scent on them when they go near or hold one of their pythons. My pythons can smell mice on my hands from just taking them out of the freezer....

 

[moosenoose]

I was more worried about kids biting the snake :lol:

 

[BIGBANG]

hey all thanks for the advice, i spoke to the head master today about it and started to organise some things and have decided we will leave it till after after i do my venomous snake handeling course on november 9, as it could give me a little bit more presentation ideas and also some other info i could use. cant wait to get my teeth into it and organise this talk.

 

[Monitors_R_Us]

Bring a tonne of lolly pops and then no matter what, they will leave happy

 

[Albino93]

Bring a tonne of lolly pops and then no matter what, they will leave happy

Or better yet, bring lots of chocolate , unless they are allergic which then they wont be so happy :/ to solve that bring a bit of both

 

[Monitors_R_Us]

Or better yet, bring lots of chocolate , unless they are allergic which then they wont be so happy :/ to solve that bring a bit of both

Chips, nuts, chocolate and lollies.
Problem solved

 

[BIGBANG]

Chips, nuts, chocolate and lollies.
Problem solved

should just about be able to kill all of them with that combo......

 

[GeckoJosh]

A demonstrators nightmare must be kids that have been playing with pet rats, mice, chickens, guinea pigs etc before school then having the scent on them when they go near or hold one of their pythons. My pythons can smell mice on my hands from just taking them out of the freezer....

Normally that would be the case but generally the snakes they use have been so desensitized by repeated handling etc that it is no longer an issue.

 

[BIGBANG]

i got one of my snakes out the other night and she was going feral and acting very strange, tasting my arm and head butting it, i then realise it was cos i had picked up the cat to get it out of the snake room.

 

[Bluetongue1]

A few ideas that may or may not help….

Choose five outcomes that you want to achieve with the kids.
Decide on what you reckon is an effective approach to best each then draw up a “lesson plan” accordingly – what, when, how, approx. how long.
- illustrate things with common examples that kids can relate to
- include a bit of humour, even if it is corny
- get the kids involved suggesting and answering as much as possible

Example – need for appropriate clothing walking in venomous snake territory.
Note that many questions based on kids seeing things from the snake’s point of view.
Q How tall are snakes?
Q How tall does the grass have to be for them to be able to hide in it?
Q What would you do if you were a snake in the grass and you heard a huge animal nearby?
Q If you were a snake and a large animal stood on you, (tried to hurt you or tried to grab what you,) what would you?
FACT: Nearly half the people who died from being bitten by a venomous snake, trod on when walking.
Q How do you reckon this might have happened? [walking through long grass, rubble, bush – without approprite clothing.]
Q what can YOU DO to make sure that does NOT happen to you? [covered footwear, woolly socks, long loose pants, use a light at night]
You Add – otherwise stick to open clear areas where you can watch and see where you are walking.

Example 2. You might decide to talk about proper first aid. So you explain and demonstrate what they used to do on a volunteer (without actually cutting, sucking and washing) and then do likewise for the procedures recommended today. You discuss the differences between the blood stream and the lymph system, in general terms and talk about why your feet swell up on long bus or car journeys with out a break. You can make a mnemonic for remembering PBI [pressure bandage & immobilisation], such as Proper Bite Information.

Check the kids have got taken on board what you wanted to get across, by getting someone to summarise what important thing they learned.

Some interesting (and up to date) information here… Australian Snakes and Death: How Many People Die?

Blue

 

[BIGBANG]

hey blue always a pleasure to read your advice, you always take the time to write in such detail, thanks you, and also thanks everyone else i will be revisiting this hread when i get down to the nitty gritty of planning the talk there has been so much good advice, i might see if i can get someone to video some of it when it happens in mid november.

 

[Bluetongue1]

.

 

[longqi]

Normally that would be the case but generally the snakes they use have been so desensitized by repeated handling etc that it is no longer an issue.

Absolutely incorrect
Although Demonstrators snake must be gentle animals wave the scent of rat in front of them and they will most definitely go into feeding mode exactly the same as any other snake
Washing hands and face before going near the snake is the only way to combat stray scents

Only time anyone ever was bitten by one of my snakes she had her pet rat in her backpack
Bitten on the shoulder where the rat had been sitting
Didnt mention the rat because if the snake couldnt see it it wouldnt know it was there????????????

 

[Bluetongue1]

condensing = getting rid of the waffle

Thanks for your comments. Am happy to help. PM if you wish.

I do believe that it is very important to teach young people about the value of snakes, both non-venomous and venomous. They need to understand that snakes provide an important role in our ecosystems, part of which is helping to control populations of the house mouse and black rat - both exotic pests. There would be a lot more around to more damage were it not for our native snake species. Apart from respect for nature, I reckon young kids should be taught the basics keep them safe.

Blue

 

[GeckoJosh]

Absolutely incorrect
Although Demonstrators snake must be gentle animals wave the scent of rat in front of them and they will most definitely go into feeding mode exactly the same as any other snake
Washing hands and face before going near the snake is the only way to combat stray scents

Only time anyone ever was bitten by one of my snakes she had her pet rat in her backpack
Bitten on the shoulder where the rat had been sitting
Didnt mention the rat because if the snake couldnt see it it wouldnt know it was there????????????

Every demonstration I have been too I never once saw them asking the public to wash their hands, most of these were performed in shopping malls and pet shops where "stray scents" are quite common, if these smells illicit feeding responses then why aren't people get bitten left, right and centre? I always presumed it was from the snakes being desensitized, what do you think the reason is behind it?

 

[Gruni]

Makes me wonder because I don't clean my hands everytime I handle Skittles but I have often patted or played with my dog before I get her out. She doesn't react at all adversely and ignores the dog if it comes up and sniffs around while the kids are holding her. At the same time there is probably a big difference if the scent of a rat or mouse is fresh on someone as that is the actual smell of the food they are used to... when you manage to get inside a snakes head for a few days let me know. :?

 

[eipper]

Big Bang,

follow Hoplophile's advice.... He should know he is ex DSE enforcement

cheers
Scott