What will a typical story time look like?
Guests will gather in our Island Giants building—the warmest place in the zoo—and one of our zoo keepers will start by reading a fun, reptile-related story. After that, we’ll introduce a few animals that were featured in the story for the kids to see up-close, and in most cases, touch! We’ve also chosen stories that include animals that can be seen throughout the zoo, so after story time concludes, guests can enjoy the rest of the zoo and find all the animals they just read about!
Where'd you get the idea for such a unique story time?
We’re always looking for new ways to encourage people to visit the zoo, and we’ve actually wanted to try hosting a story time event for a while now. This year we just decided it was time to give it a shot!
How does reading with animals enhance reading?
Because education is a large part of what we do here, we recognize the vital importance of reading, especially with children. Anything we can do to make reading more engaging is great, and for us, that’s incorporating hands-on interaction with the animals they’re reading about! Reading is already fun, but our hope is that by enhancing it with living, breathing “characters,” it will not only add to the educational value, but also help to foster a love of reading for these kids by bringing the books to life.
What kind of animals can readers expect to see?
The animal encounters are based on each book, so they will be different for each story time. Attendees can expect to see an Indian star tortoise, king snake, emus, an African bullfrog, hissing cockroaches, millipedes, superworms, and many other creatures throughout the zoo that are mentioned in the books!
For which age group is this event best?
Reading with Reptiles is ideal for preschool-aged children and perhaps a bit younger—we’re thinking 2-5 years. Because we’re hosting this series on Wednesday mornings, we thought it would be best to cater to that age group since older children will be in school. If we find that this event goes over well, we would love to host more events like this, including on weekends, so that school-aged children can also attend!
What do you want young kids to most understand about reptiles?
Here at the zoo, one of our main goals is to educate the public on reptiles. There are many misconceptions about reptiles, and often times those misconceptions lead to fear. Introducing children to and teaching them about these less-loved members of the animal kingdom will hopefully show them that reptiles aren’t something to fear or dislike. Reptiles are fascinating, beautiful creatures that should be appreciated and respected just like other animals!
The Clyde Peeling's Zoo will be hosting the Reading with Reptile's event 2 more times, on March 14, and March 28, both at 11:30am at the zoo. Admission tickets will be $4 off regular price on the days of the readings. Head to Clyde Peeling's Reptileland for more information about tickets.
