A Reptilian Encounter at Hampton Street School

Fourth graders at the had a close encounter with reptiles this past Friday as animal expert Erik Callender paid a visit to their classrooms.

Callender had first introduced the reptiles to the students through the video conference program Skype while he was travelling in Madagascar on November 9.

Students in Mr. Peter Carlson’s and Mrs. Karin Shaw’s classes spoke to Callender for 40 minutes, learning about the various reptiles endemic to Madagascar.

One month later Callender and his reptiles visited the students in person, letting them have an up-close visit with his frogs, toads, snakes, turtles, tortoises, lizards and even an alligator – school principal Mrs. Devra Small even received a frog kiss! – while learning more details about the animals observed during the expedition.

Callender supports conservation initiatives and educational programs for village children in Madagascar.  He is planning to build a Nature Education Community Center there in the next year.

Hampton Street PTA raised $300 to donate to Erik’s efforts in Madagascar. 

To find out more about Erik’s Reptile Edventures, visit his website.