Request a copy of our new promotional DVD.The ENC Animal Caretakers Team is available to your organization for educational, live-animal presentations.
For
schools, we can tailor our program to meet several of the Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks and other state standards in science. Our
presentations involve themes such as ecology, adaptations, food chains,
habitat requirements, predator/prey relationships, and community
interactions. We can even include some of the physical science
standards, such as how herpetologists make linear and mass measurements
of reptiles and amphibians. For churches, we modify our program to discuss the importance of learning to care for God's creation, and learning to appreciate even those animals that humans generally find unloveable. We also help people to address their fears of these animals by giving them the opportunity to see them up close, and have the opportunity to touch them. Our programs are good for children's church, youth groups, VBS, and other events.
Our programs are also suitable for public libraries, homeschool groups, conservation organizations, summer camps, and other community groups.
Themes consistent with all of our programs include the importance of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates in the environment; misconceptions that people have about these animals; threats to their survival; and the importance of caring properly for any animals we have as pets. We try to help people learn to appreciate and respect these animals, rather than fear them, especially when encountered in close proximity to humans.
During our programs, participants are given the opportunity to touch some of our animals. If no touching is allowed during the program, please notify us of this when filling out the request form (see below). A standard practice is to notify parents of children about the program ahead of time, and asking them to indicate on a form whether or not touching is allowed by their child. We do not allow touching of the animals by children under the age of 5.
We generally ask for a donation when asked to do a program, which goes specifically for the care of the animals. Mileage rates of $0.40 per mile may also apply if the distance from ENC requires us to use a school van. Live animal programs and wildlife presentations by other organizations generally cost from $150-$300 for a one hour program. As a result, we generally ask for a donation of at least $100. If your organization cannot afford to make a donation, please let us know and we will discuss the possibilities.
If you want to know more about the Animal Caretakers Team, click here for an informational brochure (PDF file). Click here if you want to see what others have said after seeing our programs. We also have letters of recommendation from public school teachers and church leaders available at your request.
If
you want to get an idea of what our programs are like, request a copy
of our new promotional DVD, created by Sven's
Video Productions during our live animal presentations at Immanuel Church of the Nazarene in
July 2009. If you are from a public school or library, please
keep in mind
that this was recorded in a church environment, so the program for your
school will be different and in accordance with your educational goals
for the event.
To request a copy, send an email to the address
given below, or call us at 617-745-3552.If you would like for ACT to come to your group for a presentation, you will need to contact Professor Twining by filling out this form (PDF file) and sending or emailing it back to us at ACT@enc.edu. The ENC address is 23 East Elm Avenue, Quincy, MA 02170.
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