Kids in Fort Mill get up close to cold-blooded critters

Children couldn’t pass up their chance to get close to some cold-blooded critters recently at the Fort Mill Public Library in Baxter Village.

Daphne Reeder, director of operations and head presenter at Cold Blooded Encounters Reptile Zoo & Science Center in Troutman, N.C., brought in about half a dozen creatures. Reeder spent an hour with the children ages 6 to 11 quizzing, teaching and showing off animals, both warm- and cold-blooded.

“I’m really big on education through interaction,” Reeder said. “We’ve actually seen that kids learn a lot when they have something hands on. It’s one thing to read about things in a book or hear someone talk about it, but when you’re actually seeing and touching it they retain a lot of information.”

Bethany Fetzer, Youth Services librarian, said hands-on specialty programs help children learn about their world.

“They learn to understand animals and not to hurt them,” she said. “They learn that the animals are more scared of them than they are of the animals.”

The children had the chance to touch several animals including a Sonoran desert toad with two different colored eyes, a baby red footed tortoise, a chinchilla named Wookie and a potentially scary spider.

“Parents you are welcome to say ‘yes’ but shake your head ‘no’ because (your children) can’t see you!” Reeder joked as she brought around a tarantula for everyone to see.

Part of the presentation included facts on some of the largest species of cold-blooded creatures like the Goliath bird eating tarantula which grows to the size of a dinner plate. Reeder also quizzed students about the state reptile of South Carolina – the loggerhead sea turtle. She also explained arachnophobia, which is a fear of spiders, to the children as she admitted she suffers from the condition while calmly allowing a tarantula to walk along her hands. She said education through information and eliminating fear of the unknown is a big part of what the center teaches.

“One of the main reasons we’ve done this push for kids is they need to learn about the animals they share the planet with,” Reeder said. “They need to learn how to respect the animals. You can’t learn to respect something if you don’t know about it.”

Cold Blooded Encounters started seven years ago as a reptile zoo and has grown to cover many sciences and topics like dinosaurs, gemstones and fossils. There are approximately 150 species of animals that live at the center. The educators at the center cater to all ages, even the youngest of children.

“To hear a 3- or 4-year-old say the word ‘invertebrate’ because they saw us at a program and they remember the tarantula, it’s really a rewarding experience and helps prepare them for the future,” Reeder said.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Kids in Fort Mill get up close to cold-blooded critters."