School displays Questionable???

[Pythonking]

A friend of mine just came over, shes a primary school teacher and had a local reptile display/show company came to show the kids some reptiles. Apparently half the kids were traumatised by the experience with a lot of them crying at the site of a python, she was slightly concerned that with some of the kids it might have a negative affect more than a possitive. your thoughts??

 

[missllama]

i personally think that it should be done in more schools, kids dont have enough respect for animals these days and i think that the more they are around them the more then will get use to them and respect them

i think that even tho it may seem to have had a negative affect on that day if they were then shown them again it might not be as bad and u know what kids are like as soon as one kid gets to hold it all the others will get excited and want to aswel its like follow the leader so eventually they would realise its not so bad and enjoy it

 

[waruikazi]

I've taken a few snakes to a few different schools and the kids have never been too scared... Maybe the person displaying them was a bit of a nut case.

 

[Kitah]

i personally think that it should be done in more schools, kids dont have enough respect for animals these days and i think that the more they are around them the more then will get use to them and respect them

i think that even tho it may seem to have had a negative affect on that day if they were then shown them again it might not be as bad and u know what kids are like as soon as one kid gets to hold it all the others will get excited and want to aswel its like follow the leader so eventually they would realise its not so bad and enjoy it

I agree totally. nowadays all kids seem to be shut indoors all the time, and then off to school or child care, and they dont seem to go outside as often as i used to be able to, and older generations (not saying your old guys, you know what i mean) we were allowed to eat dirt, play with bugs, etc.. now kids dont seem as able to. i rekon more animals should be brought to schools for displays etc so the kids can learn about them in a safe and controlled environment, and make it fun for them!

 

[Duke]

It generally goes down better id you don't just bring up a kid and ask him to put his hand in the "Mystery Box"

Nah just kidding.
Maybe the kids didn't have enough warning?
Or the teacher needed to introduce them to posters/info etc of snakes before the reptile lady came to the school.


I know from experience (myself lol) that primary school kids can freak out pretty bad.
Being a kid, every bit of information that's fed to you regarding reptiles, and especially snakes, is that they're poisonous and should be avoided at all costs.

 

[chrisso81]

I've taken a few snakes to a few different schools and the kids have never been too scared... Maybe the person displaying them was a bit of a nut case.

I take my spotted into school (a school for kids with disabilities) and they love it, no tears, no fear, they just want to know more about it and watch it slither about. Most of them have held her and even that doesn't freak em out. The most important thing is to accompany it with the talk about leaving any snake you find alone ( in VIC the only snake these guys are gonna find are vens). I guess it may just be a case of the kids being conditioned to fear snakes and see them as threatening and dangerous, whereas more education and exposure may help them see them for the beautiful creatures they are.

 

[Pythonking]

I've taken a few snakes to a few different schools and the kids have never been too scared... Maybe the person displaying them was a bit of a nut case.

very possible I've had small dealing with the company before they run a reptile husbandry course and found the person very bizare and spuratic the 4 times I called over 6 months to try to get into the course. Unfortunitly this course is necessity for someone wanting to bred womasn qld i, finally found another company who runs the course

 

[waruikazi]

it wasn't snake busters was it?

 

[butters]

Why were the kids traumatized and crying? The python did nothing to them.

Think about why they are reacting this way ..not the cause of the reaction. At sometime it has obviously been drummed into them that snakes are scary and a reason to freak out.

IMO the best thing to do is show to the kids that it is not going to hurt them, that they are really remarkable creatures and deserve respect, not fear.

My kids have a healthy respect for all animals but they are not scared by them. A friend of mine is a demonstrator and we go to his place most weekends . My kids are comfortable around pretty much any reptile now but they know not to touch one without an adult being there.

That comfort is gained by being exposed to animals in the right way.

As above IMO it should happen in schools more often and be as hands on as is comfortable for the kids in question.

Cheers Andrew

 

[dragon lady]

i always inform the school 2 days prior to coming in...have a quick chat to the students
& explain how they must me quiet ..calm...& caring!

I have always taken the animals i have to my children's schools,
other classes join in
the teachers quite often ask more questions than the children do

i give them tasks to do when i leave....
starting with looking the animals up on the internet....
finding out their latin names & common names
food the animal consumes...where it is from..locality...its natural environment

the next time i visit..they up date me...
ive also taken in my rescues.....let them see the difference & what poor husbandry can do!

with Adrian..my older fem vitticeps...she has terminal condition with her jaw
i show them her...& let them see what happens if they wrong food & less than acceptable care will do...

they all start looking at each others teeth!...

even the students with anxieties ...end up asking for a hold
& surprisingly the adults do too!
its just a matter of how its done...dont just educate the young....but all!

 

[Pythonking]

it wasn't snake busters was it?

no its a brisbane company not going to say the name because I don't think it would be fare on them especially seeing I didn't experience the demonstration myself.

"butters"
Only going of a friends observation that a lot of the kids got very upset, my friend also is used to snakes seeing that I shared accomodation with her for a few years, so shes wasn't phased in the slightest.

 

[Leezel73]

I went to my sons childcare centre on their reptile day and all of the kids loved it!!! Mind you one company 2 weeks before hand was booked and kids excited and they didnt show up let alone call!!! It was the hardest thing to tell my son that the "reptile man" (as he called it) wasn't coming... But the wait of 2 weeks was worth it, Croc Encounters were fantastic!!!

Here is my 4 year old with a bearded!!!

 

[JasonL]

Half the kids traumatised?? What sort of kids are you breeding in Qld these days???? No wonder you lost the Origin

 

[Leezel73]

My son loves anything to do with animals let alone reptiles!!! At my sons childcare the kids all wanted to pat everything and if they didn't they didn't cry about it...

 

[Renagade]

cute pic leezel73. obviously the children were not prepared for it.

 

[Leezel73]

I understand as not all children have been bought up with reptiles being friends... I believe my son to be very lucky that we have been able to take him to different animal parks to interact with snakes and lizards, and now to own a snake!!!

 

[jack]

how odd, all the kids i have seen at reptile displays display very positive fascinated reactions...

as an example in a school situation, the kids at our school wouldn't shut up about snakes for a week after bigguy visited...

i would bet some snake loathing adult filled their heads with fear prior to the event.

 

[fuegan13]

Half the kids traumatised?? What sort of kids are you breeding in Qld these days???? No wonder you lost the Origin

...

 

[pete12]

we had one of those in February it was cool he had quite a few vens but the way we did it is we only put in a form if we wanted to go

 

[Helikaon]

well i took a big bird eating spider to two year 2 classes the other week, not one of the kids were scared of it most of the parents and the teachers were though. they were troopers told me lots of stories about reptiles and spiders and other pets, unfortunately with queenslands laws i cant take any reptiles around they would have loved it i think.