Just like the last 10 summers, Zooniversity will again be offering free wildlife shows at more than 60 public libraries throughout Texas. See our Public Calendar for the nearest location. This summer we will be featuring a new program, "Animals That Dig," as a compliment to this year’s "Dig Into a Good Book" summer reading club theme. The program is designed for reading age children, ages 5 years and up. Check each library’s website for restrictions and reservations. Mark your calendars to join us — and be sure to come up and say a special hello to Miss Allison!

Invitations – Send a paper-free electronic invitation via email using www.evite.com or www.sendomatic.com. Or, if you prefer the tradition of sending paper invitations, select those made from 100% recycled paper (take a look at www.twistedlimbpaper.com) or from tree-free alternatives, such as coffee or banana byproducts (www.ecopaper.com). Make sure your invitation is recyclable. Avoid bright-colored, dark-colored, fluorescent or metallic papers, which cannot be recycled. Better yet, send your invitation on flower seed paper (www.flowerseedpaper.com) which has dozens of seeds embedded in it — after guests receive the invitation, they plant it in the ground and grow flowers! Or, even better, make your own plantable paper. No waste AND it enhances our world.

Tableware & Decorations – Use re-usable, washable plates, cups and silverware — yes, the ones in your kitchen cabinet. Or, if you must use disposable, buy compostable or biodegradable party tableware. Same with those party streamers and decorations. (Try the great selection at www.greenpartygoods.com.) How about using potted plants and flowers, instead of cut flowers, to decorate…and then send them home as party favors!

Party Food – Create party treats and drinks using organic produce and products. Shop local — browse through your farmers market and support your local growers. Create a fun buffet table using hollowed-out watermelons, melons and big crusty bread loaves as serving bowls. Offer drinks in coconut shells for a touch of nature. For the birthday cake, serve a healthy version of carrot cake — we don’t know many kids who’d snub cream cheese frosting!

In Lieu of Gifts - Come up with a worthy cause that resonates with your child’s interests. For instance, if your child loves animals, you can use this as a theme for the event, asking guests to bring donations for your local shelter instead of gifts. (Here are some local DFW no-kill shelters who have lots of donation ideas on their wish-lists: Operation Kindness, Humane Society’s Dog & Kitty City, DFW Humane Society, East Lake Pet Orphanage, and Lexee’s Legacy.) Or, ask guests to donate a toy to a child’s shelter or hospital instead of bringing them to your child.

Entertainment – Continue the eco-theme with entertainment that supports the conservation message. Live wildlife shows are a great way for young conservationists to meet animals close-up and to learn about their challenges in the wild (check the Association of Professional Wildlife Educators for a local company). or have a nature scavenger hunt in your local park, or a ‘garden party’ and let your guests plant your flower bed.

Party Favors – Avoid plastic party bags and the dollar store, plastic junk and candy. Use fabric gift bags from www.luckycrow.com or make your own with colorful fabric squares. Include things like goat soaps, organic snacks, a piece of fruit, a small wooden toy or home-made Play-Doh. Crystals, polished rocks, geodes, sea shells, etc., make wonderful treasures that children cherish. You can even make a pouch with organic hot chocolate or cookie mix and include directions to make it on a recycled card.

Thank You Notes – Forget the thank you notes and instead have your child give a unique, and environmentally-safe, token of thanks when the guests depart. One way to do this is by writing "Thanks for coming" message in silver ink on a dried leaf. (You can press and dry them yourself or buy a bag of dried leaves at a crafts store.) 

1. Limit the number of  guests. Forget inviting the whole class – we suggest 10 or fewer guests for children below the age of 6 years, 15 or fewer guests for ages 6-8 years, and 20 or fewer guests for ages 9-12 years. If your party space is small, reduce those numbers even more. Consider having a second "family" party to keep your numbers down.

2. "Cherry pick" your guests. Come on, you know which kids are "nice" and which can be "naughty," so only invite those kids that you really enjoy having around your child. Forget social obligations, you’re paying big money for this party, so invite only the great kids for a great party.

3. "Please don’t bring additional guests." If worded gently, it is perfectly acceptable to discourage additional guests. We’ve seen too many nice parties swell from 10 guests up to 25 kids because all the siblings wanted to stay and the hostess was too nice to turn them away. Head it off with a mention in the invitation — we encourage you to blame your party performer for the size restriction.

4. Build a party agenda and stick to it. Yep, plan for every minute of the party and keep those kids busy and focused every second. Plan for a steady stream of activities — craft tables, quiet indoor games, treasure hunts, photo sessions, balloon animals, face painting, performances, etc. And, have EXTRA stuff planned, because they’ll move through your plan faster than expected.

5. Banish the words: "Just play." Aughhhh! "Just play" will create chaos in about one nanosecond. Boys will be battling the stairs with swords and girls will be chasing each other screaming at decibels that will break glass. You’ll regret it, we promise.

6. Recruit 2 to 3 adult helpers to run the activities. Dads and Grandmas are good, but teachers, coaches and scout leaders are the greatest — they know best how to keep kids focused. Bribe them to give you a hand.

7. Cancel the bounce house. We know you think this is a great baby sitter, but you are guaranteed to be have bonked heads, smashed fingers, tears, and kids who get more pumped up than the bounce house. Not to mention, the liability.

8. Forget the piñata. We can’t tell you how many accidents we’ve witnessed with piñata bats and kids stampeding for candy. Besides, there’s always the one slugger who ruins it for the kids who were patiently waiting their turn.

9. Decorate, decorate, decorate! Here’s one area where you should go overboard. Turn your house or party venue into your party theme. For instance, for a Birthday Safari, create an indoor jungle, make a passport check-point, have a mess tent, put animal tracks up your front walk. Search online for great ideas. See our animal party ideas.

10. Make food and drinks to match your theme. Yes, pizza is easy. But it lacks all fun and imagination. Search online for great party food ideas to match your theme. Make up theme names for the food — such as Swamp Juice (green Gatorade with pop rocks) or Lizard Tongues (Cheetos). Make it fun! See our animal party ideas.

11. Skip the cake mess. You’ve got better things to do than to spend 15 minutes cutting cake and dropping frosting on the carpet. Opt for theme cupcakes or individual decorated cookie pops. Easy to hand out and less mess. Better yet…send them home as a favor!

12. Set-up a kids table for eating. Don’t expect a child to eat from a buffet (they’re much too busy) or to eat neatly on your family room floor. Set-up a table for the kids to sit at and eat. Less mess and much calmer. And, another decorating opportunity!

13. Put Fido or Kitty away for the party. Other children may be allergic or just plain scared of your precious pet. And, your pet shouldn’t have to endure the stress of all those kids either.

14. Encourage "drop offs." Your child’s party is really not the time or place for the local Mommy group to socialize. We’ve attended countless parties ruined by chatting parents who were oblivious to the host’s efforts to keep the party flowing and calm. If parents stay, provide them with a different area to chat — like outside.

15. Don’t serve alcohol. Although it sounds hospitable, the focus should be on the kids. Serving alcohol will quickly turn your kid’s party into a cocktail party. Oh, the stories we could tell of obnoxious adult guests who decided they wanted to steal the spotlight.

We know you have lots of other party "do’s" and "don’ts" — please share them here or click on the Comment link at the top of this article. Share your party secrets!

Forget the boring, traditional birthday cake with the tinted, whipped shortening they like to call frosting. Forget the aggravation of having to cut and serve the cake, as swarms of kids squeal around you and the frosting gets packed under your new manicure. Forget the mess of chocolate cake crumbs and overturned paper plates scattered all over your clean carpet. Instead, opt for an animal-themed cookie pop for your next Zooniversity party! These cute-as-can-be home baked cookies come on a stick, neatly wrapped in plastic and decorated with ribbons. These are the neatest idea we’ve seen to replace the cake mess. Even a better idea…send them home as a special party favor. Home baker and mom, Wanda Vigil, will make just about any animal theme — you provide the picture and she’ll sketch it cartoon-style in buttercream (yes, real buttercream). She’ll even put the kids’ names on them. Cookie pops are priced at $1.50 each and there’s no minimum order. She also is a wiz at cupcakes and traditional cakes, too. Pick-up is at her Garland home. To order, send Wanda an email or call her at 972-681-0298.

Got a great party idea that you’d like to share? We love to hear your party successes and see your party pics of animal-themed decor, cakes, snack tables, craft ideas — whatever you did that was a big hit at your last animal-themed party. Send them to us and you just might be featured here!

Abandoned Babies: One thing we’ve learned at Zooniversity is that "rescue" is not only sometimes unwarranted, often it can be downright detrimental to the animal. A human’s sweet-hearted empathy for a small, young creature makes us want to cuddle it, feed it, warm it in our hands, bring it into our homes for our children to play with—all of which can quickly send an animal into shock and sudden death. And, some animals may appear abandoned, when in fact the animal’s mommy is doing what she normally does from a distance—watching, grazing, food gathering—and the baby is fine where it is. Nature doesn’t always need our good-hearted intervention.

Injured wildlife: Finding a native animal hurt by the dog or a car is another matter. Our advice is to call in the experts—a veterinarian or a state licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist. In Texas, it is against the law to own or to rescue most local species. Besides, rescuing native wildlife is an exact science that takes years of training and internship in order to do it properly and responsibly. Some veterinarians will accept injured wildlife if they have the expertise, some will not. The other option is a licensed wildlife rehabber—everyday folks like you and me who have spent years studying and training on a specific species of animal and have earned a permit to do this. The State of Texas strictly controls the lists of folks who have earned their rehab permits and each submits detailed rehab reports to the State for evaluation and tracking. This is a regulated thing, so don’t even think about keeping that injured young opossum—their dietary needs are so exacting that your well-intended dog kibble will quickly cripple it for life.

Where to get help: Dallas-Fort Worth has an incredible network of wildlife rehabilitation experts. First, start at two websites: www.dfwwildlife.org and www.wildcaretx.org. Both have decision trees and explanations that will help you determine if the animal needs your help or not. If it does, the sites will give you immediate instructions, as well as web links and phone numbers to connect you with a rehabber permitted for that particular species of animal. Licensed rehabbers do this as a personal mission. They are volunteers and they rehab wildlife using their own time and money. Please remember this and be patient while waiting for call-backs. And, please offer to pay them a modest (or sizable) donation to help care for the animal you are handing over to them. They’ll rarely ask you for money, but they will forever appreciate the gesture and your support for their dedicated efforts.

Are they licensed? Anyone who displays a mammal (something with fur, even a bunny in a magic show), must be licensed by the federal government – it’s called a USDA-APHIS "Class C" Exhibitor’s License. Ask for the performer’s USDA license number to be sure they are following federal animal care standards and that they’re inspected annually by government officials. The license number should be in this format:  ##-C-####. A reputable exhibitor will not be offended – they will be amazed that you care about the animal’s welfare. To confirm they are licensed, go to the USDA-APHIS list of approved exhibitors.  Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, you can now also access their latest federal facilty inspection report, to see if they were in violation of any Animal Welfare regulations. In addition, ask anyone with any animal (not just the furry kind), if they hold the required state, county or city permits for the animals they keep. Again, they shouldn’t hesitate to professionally answer your question. If in doubt, contact the Animal Control office in the city in which they reside, to ask if they hold any needed permits.

Are they insured? Professional animal exhibitors carry at least $1 million in business liability insurance. In today’s litigious society, you should ask for proof of insurance in order to protect yourself. Again, a reputable performer won’t hesitate to send you proof.

How are the animals handled? If you’re able, observe one of their shows. Watch carefully how they handle the animals. Is it done with care? Are the animals’ bodies fully supported? Does the handler insure that the animal can’t risk harm to themselves or to an audience member? "Tailing" a snake (dangling it by the tip of its tail), letting an animal crawl freeing on their body, or wrapping a snake around a kid’s neck, are prime examples of a performer who’s in it for "show" and "scare tactics." This should be a major red flag.

Is there direct audience contact with the animals? Audiences love to touch, so most performers offer some form of limited or controlled touch with animals that pose little to no risk. Watch how the animal is restrained. A professional handler will restrain the animal’s head and offer a spot to touch that is far from teeth and claws. In addition, they should require use of hand sanitizer immediately after direct contact. Ask if they do this. If not, insist that they do. At Zooniversity, we do not allow contact with any animal that could incur harm, we just don’t take chances. We strongly agree with federal recommendations that there should not be direct contact with primates (lemurs, apes, monkeys – even the cute ones in clothes) or with big cats (even those tiny tiger cubs). It is our opinion that doing so is a headline waiting to happen.

What’s their training, expertise and affiliations? Anyone can buy a few animals and make a website. We field many calls from folks with a snake or two that want to know how to do this for a living. Unfortunately, these folks are out there, without licenses, without inspection, without insurance, and without the foggiest notion about animal welfare or audience safety. Ask about their education, their training, their practical experience, and their affiliation with professional zoological organizations. By doing your research upfront and asking the right questions, you can feel good about the organization you’ve selected.

Problem Adults

The Animal-Hugger – The grown-up that ooohs and aaaahs at every animal and incessantly begs to hold it. Once you concede, they snuggle it so tightly, you’re sure the animal can’t breath. One significantly inebriated adult birthday girl had to have 3 friends insist she release our fennec fox from her loving, Margarita-inspired, death grip, before she turned the animal loose.

The Know-It-All – These folks like to interject, at evenly spaced intervals in your program, lengthy comments (cleverly disguised as questions) for the sole purpose of impressing the other adults in the room with their knowledge of the animal kingdom. "Isn’t it true that the tarantula’s exoskeleton is soft and delicate immediately after a shed?" Uh, yep.

The Socialite – The adults, usually women, who treat the party performer as if we were invisible. They never look at the lowly hired help, but ooze hugs and air kisses for the other well-coiffed guests. The Socialites tend to lose track of their children at the party, never hear our clearly announced safety rules, and their cell phones usually ring in the middle of the program — which they answer in a loud voice, since they can’t hear the caller over the trivial wildlife program that’s going on.

The Heckler – Usually a man. He likes to whip-out a clever quip whenever we ask the children an animal question. "Look at this snake’s back, do you see the tree trunk pattern?" "Looks like a pair of boots to me!" he’ll chortle, looking to the other parents for some laughs and back slaps.

The Chatterers – Can be clusters of men or women, but they tend to huddle in the kitchen or in the immediate perimeter of the kid’s party circle where the show is going on. They chatter, non-stop, never quietly, forcing the wildlife educator to speak louder and louder. It becomes a battle of volume to see who can top the other.

Problem Kids

The Questioner – When you only have 30 or 45-minutes to complete an entire wildlife program and still stay on schedule, there’s only time for a few poignant audience questions. Yet, there’s always the one child who asks incessant questions about the animals — of course, the answers were already presented in the show, had they been listening.

The Squeezer – We have a "one finger touch" rule, to avoid undo stress (and potential injury) to the program animal. But, there’s always the one child who just can’t resist. They raise the one-finger up to touch with the greatest self-restraint, and as the animal approaches for a gentle touch, they just can’t control the urge one more second, and reach out and squeeze the animal with their whole hand. Good wildlife educators must know the phrase "one finger" in at least three languages, and repeat it again, and again, and again.

The Fidget – Poor child just can’t stay seated or quiet no matter how many times they are reminded. And, their parent (usually "The Socialite" or "The Chatterer") is too busy to notice their struggle or to come to their aid.

The Sneaky Kid – You can see their little wheels turning… "she’s not looking, now’s my chance, I’ll just sneak a quick peek at what’s in that cage, she’ll never know, here I go…dang!" Nabbed again.