From the Mouth of Babes – Favorites 2008
W.C. Fields warned, "Never work with animals or children." Well, I guess I deserve what I get, since I work with animals AND children. It is always a jaw-dropping moment when some wide-eyed child responds to our presenter with a totally innocent, yet always humorous, quip. This year, we decided to write them down before they were lost forever. Here are some of our favorite ‘from the mouths of [more...]
Simon – The Iguana Who Started it All
As a professional biologist, I knew better. But, I am also a mother; which means that I too sometimes abandon all sense and logic to appease the pleadings of one of my adorable, and always convincing, children. Meet Simon, the iguana who started it all.
There was Simon, perched lopsided on that branch in that crummy pet store. He was maybe 6 inches long and bright green. His twisted and broken [more...]
Problem Party People
Zooniversity teaches about 600 wildlife shows each year and a big hunk of them are at children’s birthday parties. Ninety-nine percent of the party parents and guests are wonderful people. They follow our safety rules, they respect our expertise as wildlife professionals, they are polite and interested audience members. But, there is that remaining one percent that we in the business label as "problem party people." They are all the [more...]
Summer Out of the City: The Pines of East Texas
Click on the image above to launch a short slideshow.
One of the joys of being a wildlife educator is the travel. Yes, you do spend most of the year in the city, where large school districts and elite private schools can easily fund the money to routinely schedule your programs. But, the real adventure is in the travel to small, out-of-the-way towns. Small churches and rural libraries [more...]
A Zooniversity Shopping List
Think you spend a lot of time and money shopping for your family, your school or your library? We bet you don’t have these items on your shopping list or in your budget. Here’s a small sampling of what’s on Zooniversity’s monthly shopping list—a list only a wildlife educator could appreciate:
40 lbs. fresh Spring Mix (that expensive salad and herb stuff served at elegant eateries—only the best for our animals)
60 [more...]
