Did you know that hedgehogs eat poisonous plants and use that poison to put it on their quills so they can use it on their predators when they’re being attacked? Nutmeg the hedgehog came to school and art students got to learn more about hedgehogs and they even got to feel her quills.
Did you know that Bull Snakes make a rattling sound by shaking their tale and making a hiss noise to sound like a rattlesnake when they feel threatened? Helga the bull snake also came to the school and took many selfies with students.
The Learning Zoo, owned by a husband who loves animals and a wife who loves teaching, put the two together and created the program. The real-world nature experience was brought to school on Monday, Feb. 9.
The art students learned a lot more about snakes, including how similar snakes and humans are compared to each other.
“The most interesting thing I learned was that snakes are made of the same keratin as my nose and my finger nails,” junior Tucker Chapman said. “I also learned that snakes aren’t slimy like everyone thinks they are. They are dry and some are rough and some are smooth.”
The owners of the company didn’t just bring some snakes and a hedgehog, they also brought lizards of different sizes. One was so big and strong that it could climb up a human body with no struggle, the reason he’s called a dragon.
“Something I learned that is interesting is the fact that you can’t see the teeth of the lizards over their lips,” sophomore Raileigh Smith said. “The lizard they showed us was named toothless, and his name is toothless because one, he’s a dragon in training and they got inspiration from the movie ‘How to Train a Dragon,’ and two, you can’t see his teeth.” Most people are disgusted by snakes, but it’s still pretty cool to hold one for the first time, and then you get to go around school saying you just held a real snake.
“I got to hold a snake for the first time ever,” sophomore Lilly Beakley said. “I was super nervous considering it’s a snake, but I trusted the owners when they said that Hulga was harmless and I know they know what they’re doing. I think what they do is super cool and I’m sure it’s fun going from school to school to learn about different animals.”
It all started with an elementary school teacher and a zoo keeper, together they made a business that not only brings joy to them when they teach students, but also every student who gets to learn more about animals.
“The way we got started with this business is by me being an elementary school teacher, and I teach first grade, and my husband is a professional zoo keeper,” Learning Zoo owner Rebecca Schulz said. “So we decided to put the two together and create the Learning Zoo seven years ago.”
It’s not just about getting to work with animals everyday, it’s about giving the knowledge you have about the natural world animals and getting to express that to kids who love learning about interesting things that they wouldn’t learn at any other point in time.
“I wanted to start this program because I love educating people about animals,” Learning Zoo owner Drew Schulz said. “I get to share information about the natural world, and I want everyone to know about how interesting animals really are.”
