Children Get Hands-On with Animal World Experience

On June 28, the Milton Public Library hosted "Going Green Around the World," an event by Animal World Experience and sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Library.

Matt Gabriel, founder of Animal World Experience, started the evening by having the group of eager children form a line sitting closer to the front of the room. By doing this, they would all get the chance to pet the animals Gabriel had to show them.

First to be introduced to the group was Angel the bunny. Gabriel told the group that Angel was one of 34 pets, all of which were adopted or rescued. At his home in Stoughton, Gabriel has a beagle, six cats and many more pets. "My pets are my family" said Gabriel, fully supporting the Animal World Experience mission.

Next, Gabriel spoke to his audience about ecosystems, recycling and pollution. He informed the group that an ecosystem needs three main things to survive: plants, animals and people. The need for a balance among these three categories was demonstrated by using homemade blocks. Gabriel had the children play Jenga with these blocks, which were labeled with an even number of examples of each category. Once more and more blocks were removed, it became clear the tower would not last.

Once the game was finished, Gabriel reiterated his point about ecosystems needing all three groups and asked the children if they wanted to meet some more animals. Answering with an enthusiastic yes, the children waited as Gabriel brought out Rudy the Chinchilla. Then, after Rudy, Gabriel introduced the group to Princess – the snake. Next was Kiwi the tree frog, who entertained the group by jumping around. Then, last but not least was Scooter the turtle, who bit a piece of celery in half.

After all of the animals were introduced, Gabriel continued on to explain how important it was that we treat them well. He described the Earth as our mother, which would make all plants, animals, and people our brothers and sisters. "One way we can fix the world is by having a total attitude change" said Gabriel – "appreciate and thank."

Toward the end of the event, Gabriel invited everyone to stay as long as they'd like to pet the animals one more time. He also brought out another animal friend, Amber the lizard. Many of the children lined up to pet Amber, and stayed after to talk to Gabriel about the animals.

Along with "Going Green Around the World," Matt Gabriel has added "Going Green in Your Backyard" and "Going Green With Your Pets," as part of Animal World Experience. More information on these, as well as other programs can be found at www.animalworldexperience.com.