43
Jungle Terry visits Kiddin’ Around
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The students of Kiddin' Around preschool helped Jungle Terry (back left) pick up Stretchy, his Burmese python, on Sept. 21.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Preschool student Emerson Kloos took a ride on the shell of Jungle Terry's African spurred tortoise, Torty.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Sullivan introduced his box turtles Mr. and Mrs. Box to the preschoolers and let them feel each shell.
By SARAH FOOR
The excited youngsters of Kiddin’ Around Preschool in Boardman managed to sit patiently when “Jungle Terry” Sullivan visited their school on Sept. 21 to share his menagerie of pets.
Sullivan admired the preschoolers’ control even though he knew they were excited to meet animals like his chinchilla, hedgehog, skunk, turtles, frogs and snakes.
“This is an amazing group of girls and boys. You’re so well-behaved that I’d like to introduce you to my pets and let you touch and explore. Think about how the animals feel and how they’re different from each other,” said Sullivan.
Jungle Terry promised that his pets were friendly and that there was no reason to be afraid. During each exploration, Sullivan asked the preschoolers to describe how the animals felt and the preschoolers offered words like soft, prickly, and scaly. The students described Jungle Terry’s pet python Stretchy as shiny, smooth, and dry.
The students shared their extensive knowledge of animals by demonstrating noises like those of small birds, owls, and frogs.
To close his event, Sullivan and the preschoolers danced like jungle monkeys to burn some of their extra energy.
Jungle Terry offered a simple reminder at the close of his event to keep the preschoolers safe.
“These animals are my pets and I have trained them well. Don’t ever try to say hello to any wild animals – they definitely won’t be as friendly as those you met today,” the trainer said.