Take a Hike Day

“Snakes don’t make good pets for kids,” Chuck advised a couple as their young son ran a finger across our Rosy Boa’s silky body. “They’re not cuddly. They can be difficult to feed. They don’t like to be handled and you can’t play with them. And they can live longer than a dog or cat, which could be a problem when the child is ready to leave home.”

Education

We had brought our snakes and skulls to White Tank Mountain Regional Park as part of “Take a Hike Day” celebration. A free day had encouraged many families to come to the Park to take part in the event and expose their children to adventure and education.

Take Over

When Chuck was interrupted by a phone call, he handed the snake to me so I could continue visiting with this family. “Chuck’s right,” I said. “Snakes don’t make good pets. Maybe when your son is older, if he’s still interested, he could get a corn snake. That’s a good starter animal.”

Questions

As the young boy continued eyeing the Rosy Boa, I thought, isn’t he cute!  Then I asked him, “Do you know why the snake is sticking his tongue out at you?”

“He’s smelling me,” the boy answered, surprising me with his knowledge.

“Do you know why he’s staring at you?” I asked, offering a tougher question. The boy told me that snakes don’t have eyelids. He knew!

“Snakes are cold blooded,” I said, getting a little more technical. “Do you know what that means?” When the boy gave a good description of its meaning, I finally asked him how old he was.

Exceptional

“I’m six!” he said.

“Wow! Six! You should be a herpetologist when you grow up.”

“That’s what I want to be!” he announced. When I asked him if he knew what a herpetologist does, he said, “He studies reptiles!”

Snakes may not be a wise choice as a pet for most children, but this young person has convinced us that there are exceptions, not to mention the exceptional!

6 thoughts on “Take a Hike Day”

  1. It does my heart good to see what a difference you two make in our world! Baby steps by many means a HUGE stride in helping the next generation conserve our fragile earth. Kudos!

    Reply
    • Coming from you, it really reassures us in thinking we’re actually reaching people who need it most. Both kids and adults have had their minds changed regarding a mis-understood creature that shares this planet with us! Thanks!!

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  2. It does my heart good to see what a difference you two make in the lives of the kids who are the future of our planet! Educating about conservation and appreciation of nature is what will make a difference in all our futures.

    Reply
    • One of the many reasons that we continue to present our programs to a diverse audience is all about the difference that we help in making. There are many many educators out “there” both professional and non- who carry the torch of learning to those who may never had the exposure. We really appreciate your comments as well as your support!

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