Creature features for Lynn kids

LYNN – The children at the Curwin Childcare Center had many questions for their teachers about what animals were living in the area woods. On Wednesday, they were able to experience and learn about the animals live with Michelle’s Menagerie Woodland Wonders presentation.The kids were “quiet like butterflies” as they learned about eight different animals they may see in their backyards, including a quail, duck, skunk, hedge hog, toad, frog, turtle and snake. Michelle DeBye spoke about the different features that help to protect each animal from nature and possible predators.”She does shows on so many different types of animals and we wanted to make sure the children had information about animals in their area,” teacher in charge Madeleine Leger said. “They are always asking about what is living here in the woods and so to get some accurate information about what lives in the woods, she has all that extra background information that we don’t have. We want to teach them some respect for animals outside that they may encounter in their environment.”Leger said she thought the kids, who are typically developing children with special needs, did a great job listening and interacting. The children said they enjoyed learning about the textures of the animals’ skins and furs, as well as their diets.”I loved it,” 5-year-old Ilianna Reyna said. “I learned about animals. I saw a long snake. It didn’t even bite us. I liked the frog because it has a long tongue.”Five-year-old Dmararis Acevedo said she likes turtles.”I liked the turtle because it put its legs inside its shell,” she said. “Every time it is scared it goes into the shell and the turtle is very, very good.”Robert Desmond, also 5, said the skunk he learned about wasn’t “a stinky one” and he does not want one as a pet because he already has two cats, Knick-Knack and Mary, who look like skunks. He said there were a couple of animals he did learn about and like.”I thought I liked the toad,” Desmond said. “He sticks his tongue out. I learned about frogs and turtles.”DeBye, who has been providing live animal shows for 21 years, said she never liked animals very much as a kid, but learned a lot about the pets she purchased for the 40 foster children she cared for. When they would want to bring the animals in for show-and-tell, she often ended up doing the telling herself.”It is nothing I ever thought I’d be doing,” DeBye said. “The looks on their faces and having them connect – there are animals in the world they know nothing about that a lot of kids are just afraid of. You make the connection that animals are important, they’re good, we don’t touch them, we enjoy them. There are a lot less animals and we have to get it in these kid’s heads that they’re worth preserving.”