Attendance for SLOTHS, LIZARDS & POEMS through the roof!
Over 250 people attended our recent event that paired kids’ love of animals with science and writing opportunities. The main lure was a menagerie of over 40 exotic animals brought by Lena the Lizard Lady for kids to cuddle or view.
The joy in the room was palpable, especially when the Tony the sloth came out. Although there were too many people to pass the sloth around, simply petting and observing Tony put people in a happy place. The sloth seemed to enjoy the socializing, happily taking little treats, nuzzling visitors and occasionally making a gentle attempt to hook cell phones with its very long claws. It’s possible that there would be less anxiety in the world if we could pet a sloth every day!
Besides the sloth, kids were able to check out a prairie dog, lizards, snakes, turtles and many more beautiful and strange animals - both venomous and harmless. Lena is experienced with crowds as she frequently visits north country schools, so she handled the large crowd of visitors smoothly and rotated animals in and out to respect their comfort levels with the crowd.
Alongside the animals, the Social Center set up stations for writing, drawing and learning fun facts about the animals.
Kids flocked to “The Writer’s Den” where Linda Marshall, an award-winning children’s author, guided youth of all ages in writing Haikus, free-form poems, stories and other creative word play. Next to the writer’s station were tables full of art supplies for illustrations. Local artist Annie Bingham led “zine” and comic making. Kids made wonderful books, poems and drawings.
The Boquet Valley Central School afterschool program OASIS sponsored Kaitlin Fielder, a local high-school science teacher, to share fun facts with visitors. Kaitlin put her prior experience working with youth and rehabilitated animals to good use!
We are beyond thrilled to have created such a well-received, fun and educational event for the community! Thanks to all those who attended and greeted the animals with wonder and respect!
Stay tuned for more youth and family oriented programming at the Social Center. Based on attendance, there is a tremendous need for kids' enrichment events in our area and we plan on providing more.
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