By MERYL WILLIAMS

1/29/2008

Suburban News

St. Andrew’s School students were treated to a visit from a COSI traveling exhibit all day Jan. 22.

Perrin Shepherd, outreach demonstrator for COSI Columbus, came to the school with many props to show the students as much as he could about Ohio wildlife.

“I’m bringing ‘What’s Wild’ to this school, teaching kids about the value of animal wildlife and habitats,” said Shepherd.

“This is the 25th anniversary for COSI on Wheels.”

Shepherd hosted an assembly in the morning, “to motivate kids about learning,” he said.

“No. 1, we want kids to have an appreciation for animals and nature,” said Shepherd. “And we want them to appreciate science, fun and learning.”

Students visited many different stations ran by parent, teacher and community volunteers after the assembly. At these stations, they were able to look at a physical model of the food chain, learn how to tell a poisonous Ohio snake from a non-poisonous one and — what seemed to be the crowd favorite — examine different types of scat, or animal droppings.

The Skull and Scat Station was run by volunteers Carol Carducci and Shelly O’Sullivan, both parents of St. Andrew students. It displayed the skulls and scat of many different animals including a black bear, a coyote, a red fox, a raccoon and others.

“It’s very popular, surprisingly,” said O’Sullivan with a laugh.

“The most interesting thing is that they are able to touch it.”

Her partner noticed a difference between the student’s reactions.

“The guys love it,” said Carducci. “The girls are a little squeamish.”

The students studied the animals’ skulls and teeth to determine whether they were herbivores, carnivores or omnivores.

A fishing station demonstrated safety and also respect for animals.

“We talk about why we keep the grown-up fish, but throw back the baby fish,” said Shepherd.

The fur station displayed the pelts of different animals for the students to identify, and a bird watching station taught them ways to recognize different types of birds.

“This station teaches the kids about different habitats of birds,” said Margaret Zimmer, a parent volunteer whose son is in kindergarten, and has already expressed an interest in science.

“It’s quite interesting to hear the kids’ different questions and their explanations for things.”

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