Animal Mania

On top of being a teacher here at the Science Museum of Long Island, I have the added privilege of being the animal caretaker. If you have pets of your own then you’ll know what I mean when I say that as you spend more and more time with remarkable animals you see how each and every one of them has their own unique personality. 

Now, the animals we have here aren’t just loved by the staff, they have the added bonus of being loved by children all across Long Island. Our animals are used in wide variety of classes, and it amazes me how kids will come back year after year and remember not only the types of animals that we have, but also their names. It’s not uncommon to hear a child say,” Oh! Oh! Do you still have Rudy? How’s Grover doing?” Rudy is our African Tortoise and Grover is our Blue Tongued Skink. Some schools come back year after year for our animal field trip programs, and it blows me away when kids will come knowing some of the things they will see because their older brother or sister came home from the program raving about the things they saw.

We try to keep a diverse set of animals so that they can be used in all sorts of programs. We have insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. But the mammals (our furry friends) may not be the mammals that you’re used to. Currently our roster of mammals includes a ferret, a rabbit, a hedgehog, and two chinchillas. They are all sweet and wonderful in their own unique way, and there really is no better way to start the morning then with little ferret kisses all over your nose.

So check out the rest of the website for a program so that you can come by and see the animals. We do Scout badges and school field trips year round, but one of the best ways is to sign up for Summer Camp. Summer Camp goes for eight weeks over the summer, with eight different topics. The best part is that you can pick and choose the weeks you want to go to. Some people try one, some go to all eight! There’s even one week completely devoted to animals, so sign up to today to see Rudy, Grover, and even more!

-Owen