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DOWNLOAD EDUCATOR GUIDES
- ALL NEW ECOSYSTEMS ALIVE! TEACHERS GUIDE AND PREP INFO!
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- Educator’s Guide for Assembly Program: REPTILES ALIVE! PDF or RTF
- Educator’s Guide for Assembly Program: RAINFORESTS ALIVE! PDF or RTF
- Educator’s SOL Guide: SOL REQS. INFO. PDF or RTF
- Educator’s Book List: BOOK LIST PDF or RTF
- Educator’s Glossary: GLOSSARY PDF or RTF
- Coloring Pages!
Reptile Rocks and Biomes!
- Children engage their imaginations and create enchanting dioramas of biomes fit for different reptiles, they create, from construction paper and other art materials. Children learn about the different environments that a variety of reptiles live in. Then they will create a diorama of the proper environment for their particular reptile.
- Materials:
- Reptile books
- Small round stones such as river rocks for each child
- Construction paper
- Natural materials like sand, sticks, leaves, grass, flowers, etc…
- Paints
- Crayons
- Markers
- Plastic wiggly eyes (found in craft stores)
- Glue
- Shoebox for each child
- Scissors
- Start off with a storybook about reptiles.
- Acquire a few books about many different reptiles such as:
- “More Reptiles Up Close” by David M. Nieves
- “Eyewitness: Reptile” by Colin McCarthy.
- Any book at the children’s reading level that covers a large variety of different reptiles and their natural habitat will do.
- Let the children decide on a reptile included in the books, or assign each child a reptile. Just make sure that you have habitat information on the reptiles chosen. If you do not have access to books, you may also use information found on Reptiles Alive Animal Album. Click on an animal and detailed information about each will be displayed.
- With art materials, each child will make their chosen reptile out of a rock.
- Making Rock Reptiles!
- Cut out long rectangles or ovals with construction paper to use as legs. Legs are glued on the underside of the rock.
- Heads can be made with a triangle. Glue the very edge of the longest side of the triangle to the top edge of the rock.
- Tails may be made with really a long triangle glued like the head on the other side of the rock.
- Snakes can be made by using the rock as the head and gluing a forked tongue on one end and a really long piece of paper as the body.
- The rock reptiles may be decorated with paints, crayons, and markers. Eyes may be drawn on the heads with a marker or paints if you do not have googlie eyes.
- Making the Reptile's Biome!
- Children must now find out what kind of habitat their rock reptile lives in:
- RAINFOREST
- DECIDUOUS FOREST
- GRASSLAND
- WETLAND
- DESERT
- OCEAN
- You may discuss particulars the particulars of each type of habitat with the class. A short guide to get you started on habitat discussion.
Some questions to ask for each habitat are:
Where do reptiles go when it gets to cold for them?
Where do they go to warm up?
Where can they hide?
Rainforest
Lots of huge trees, leaves do not change color, so many they block out the sun
Very wet, hot, and humid
Not many plants growing on the ground
Deciduous Forest
Many different trees of different ages, leaves and seasons change
Lots of possible ground cover
Small meadows, streams
Not as wet or humid as the rainforest
Grassland
Lots of grasses, flowers, very few trees, possibly farmland
May be ponds or streams
Could it be windy here?
Change in seasons
Wetland
Ground is covered in water or mud everywhere
Trees, grasses or other plants may grow out of the water
Desert
Hot during the day and cold at night
Very little water, humidity, and rain
Could have plants like cacti, and tufts of grass or scraggly trees
Or could mostly be sand and rocks
Ocean
Open, very large space
Can reptiles live where the water is cold?
They must come to the surface to breathe
Now the children are ready to make a habitat for their rock reptile. Find out from the books where their species lives. Decorate a shoebox as the animal’s habitat. Get creative with construction paper, paints or anything else – even natural materials like sand, sticks, and leaves. Have the children keep in mind what actually exists in their habitat. Deserts don’t have a ton of trees and water, but rainforests do. They may even have fun thinking about their reptile’s needs. Do they need a rock to warm up on, a log to hide under, or a hole to hibernate in?
This is a great project to finish at home. Children can talk about what kind of reptile they made and where it lives. They may write about the reptile and where it lives and describe their diorama.
Reptiles Alive Teachers Guide Book List
General Reference Books
- The Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians: Tim Halliday and Kraig Adler (Facts on File, 1986.)
- Living Amphibians of the World: Doris M. Cochran (Doubleday, 1967.)
- Living Reptiles of the World: Karl Schmidt and Robert Inger (Doubleday, 1957.)
Reptile Reading
- PreK-2. Portraits of reptiles in their natural habitats with simple, informative text.
- About Reptiles: A Guide for Children: Cathryn Sill (Peachtree Publishers 1999.)
- Grades 1-3
- Chameleons Are Cool; Martin Jenkins (Candlewick Press, 1998.)
- Verdi: Jannell Cannon (Harcourt Brace and Co, 1997.)
- PreK-1. A colorful, fun visual game.
- Hide and Snake: Keith Baker (Harcourt Brace and Co, 1995)
- PreK-3. Children find that reptiles aren't so yucky with a beautiful illlustrations.
- The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book: Jerry Pallotta (Charlesbridge Publishing Co, 1990.)
- Eye Wonder Reptiles: Simon Holland (DK publishing Inc, 2002.)
Great Photography and Facts:
- Lets Read and Find Out Snakes as Hunters: Patricia Lauber (Harper Collins Publishers Inc, 1988.) Well paced, short, and informative introduction to snakes.
- Box Turtle at Silver Pond Lane: Susan Lorman (Soundprints Smithsonians Backyard Series, 2000.) Fictional account of a day in the life of a female box turtle with beautiful illustrations.
- What's A Reptile?: Bobbie Kalman (Crabtree Publishing, 1999) Appropriate for ages 9-12.
From a popular science series with general information on reptiles.
- Reptiles: Dr. Allen E. Greer (Barnes and Nobles Books, 2003) Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Engaging book with lively text, photos, and illustrations.
- What is a Reptile? Lola M. Schaefer (Capstone Press, 2001) ISBN 0-7368-0868-X.
Appropriate for agesPreK-2
- Outside and Inside Alligators: Sandra Markle (Simon & Schuster, 1998) ISBN 0-689-81457-7
- DK Pockets - Reptiles: Mark Lambert (DK Publishing Inc, 2003)Appropriate for ages 9-12
A guide to the worlds reptiles with color photos, diagrams, and maps.
Environmental Books:
- Worms Eat My Garbage: Mary Applehof (Flower Press, 1982) ISBN 0-942256-03-4
- 2 Minutes a Day for a Greener Planet: Marjorie Lamb (Harper & Row, 1990) ISBN 0-06-250507-6.
- Another Use For...101 Common Household Items: Vicki Lansky (The Book Peddlers, 1991) ISBN 0-916773-30-2
- Earth Book For Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment: Linda Schwarts (The Learning Works I.)
Reptiles Alive Teachers Guide Glossary
- Adaptation - Behaviors or characteristics that help a plant or animal species survive and reproduce.
- Amphibian - a cold blooded vertebrate that lays eggs in water, does not have scales, and produces a mucus from glands in the skin. Most amphibians go through metamorphosis. They are adapted to life on land as well as in the water. Examples are frogs and salamanders.
- Carapace - The upper portion of the shell of a turtle.
- Carnivore - An animal that eats other animals
- Cold-blooded - an improper term for reptiles and amphibians. Click on the link to learn more. Also see ectotherm.
- Conservation - Protection and planned management of natural resources to perserve them.
- Diversity - Having a large number of distinct plant and animal species.
- Ecology - The study of the interrelationships between animals, plants, and their environment.
- Ecosystem - A natural unit including living and nonliving things and their interactions.
- Ectothermic - An animal that maintains its body temperature by behavioral means such as seeking shade or basking in the sun. Reptiles are ectotherms. Compare to poikilotherm.
- Endangered - A species with so few individual survivors that is could become soon become extinct.
- Endothermic - An animal that is able to maintain a constant body temperature independant of the outside temperature. Mammals are endotherms.
- Gator Hole - The hole or well dug by alligators during the dry season. It provides drinking water to other swamp animals during a drought.
- Habitat - The arragnement of food, shelter, and water suitable to an organisms needs.
- Herpetology - The study of reptiles and amphibians. From the greek word herpes meaning creeping thing.
- Herps - a short hand term for reptiles and amphibians.
- Invertebrate - An organism that lacks an internal backbone or spine and instead has an external skeleton.
- Jacobson's organ - A region of chemically sensitive nerve endings found in the mouth of herps allowing them (especially snakes) to have an excellent sense of smell.
- Keratin - A hard, fibrous protein produced in the epidermis of reptiles. Hair, fingernails, rhino horns, and scales are made of keratin.
- Melanin - A dark brown to black pigment found in cells; a common pigment giving skin this color. Melanin is produced when humans are out in the sun, producing a tan.
- Mammal - Warm blooded animals that give live birth, have hair or fur, and produce milk.
- Metamorphosis - A physical change of form from a larva to an adult. Most amphibians go through this change. Example: a tadpole grows legs and loses its tail becoming a frog.
- Nocturnal - Animals that sleep during the day but become active at night to hunt and feed.
- Oviparous - Lay eggs that hatch outside the body.
- Plastron - The lower part of a turtle shell, belly.
- Poikilotherm - An organism whose body temperature changes according to the temperature of its surroundings. A fish is a poikilotherm, they do no try to regulate their body temperature by basking in the sun or hiding in the shade.
- Reptile - A group of ectothermic vertebrates that are covered with dry scales composed of keratin. They breathe air from hatching and do not go through metamorphosis.
- Scavenger - An animal that eats dead plants or animals.
- Species - A group of organisms isolated reproductively from other organisms. Individuals within a species can produce fertile offspring only with other individuals of the same species.Threatened - A species that is still abundant in its natural range but declining in numbers and is likely to become endangered in the near future.
- Threatened - A species that is still abundant in its natural range but declining in numbers and is likely to become endangered in the near future.
- Tympanum - The eardrum.
- Vertebrate - An animal that has a backbone.
- Viviparous - Producing live offspring from within the body of the parent.
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Specific Curriculum Objectives Reptiles Alive! LLC Programs Compliment in the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning:
Virginia Standards of Learning (S.O.L.’s) Matched by Reptiles Alive Programs:
- Capture the attention and imagination of students, while introducing the concepts and ideas in the Virginia Standards of Learning. Reptiles Alive! LLC presents a theatrical and interactive live animal programs. The Teacher’s Guide provides lesson and activities meeting even more SOL requirements. Our guide may be accessed at: www.reptilesalive.com
- Kindergarten – K.2.a, K.4, K.6 The five senses and corresponding sensing organs are discussed while comparing human and animal senses. Animals are used to describe different properties of matter including shapes, colors, textures, speed, and relative sizes. The basic needs and life processes of different animals are discussed. Needs such as: food, water, shelter, and air; the life cycle, and juvenile characteristics are all covered.
- Grade 1 - 1.5, 1.7b Animal life requirements such as air, food, water, and shelter are covered in all programs. Physical characteristics of different animals are discussed along with other characteristics including the difference between wild and tame animals. Specific types of habitats animals live in are also discussed. We also talk about the relationship between seasonal change and animal behavior.
- Grade 2 - 2.4, 2.5, 2.7, 2.8 Amphibian metamorphosis is covered in many of our programs, and you can special request this topic if needed. Students will learn how organisms are interdependent with each other in an ecosystem in all of our programs. Adaptation to the seasonal changing of the environment by animals including hibernation and camouflage are covered. In addition, students will discover plants play a vital role as food and shelter in an animals life during all our programs.
- Grade 3 – 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8b Various behavioral and physical adaptations in animals are covered in all of our programs. Relationships among organisms in food chains and the diversity of life in differing ecosystems are also illustrated. Animal life cycles and human influences on species survival are also discussed in most of our programs.
- Grade 4 – 4.5 Students discover how animals interact with each other and their environment in each of our programs.
- Grade 5 – 5.5 Students learn reptiles are vertebrates by comparing them with human anatomy in all of our programs. Vertebrates and invertebrates are compared in many of our programs. A large variety of distinguishing characteristics between different species are illustrated in all of our programs.
- Grades 6 6.3, 6.9 Students discover reptiles rely on solar energy to provide adequate body heat for essential internal processes. Students will also investigate how the management of renewable resources affect animal life.
- Life Science – LS.4 Animal needs and factors influencing life processes are discussed in all of our programs.
- LS.5 The classification of different species based on differing behavioral and physical characteristics is covered in all of our programs.
- LS.7 Interactions between species, energy flow in a food chain, and the complex relationships found in various ecosystems are all covered.
- LS.8 Interactions existing between individuals within a population are discussed in many of our programs.
- LS.9 Predator/Prey relationships, competition, and symbiotic relationships are discussed in all of our programs.
- LS.10 Students discover how different animals have adapted to different ecosystems during all of our programs.
- LS.11 Hibernation and factors that decrease population size are topics in some of our programs.
- LS.12 The impact of human activity on animal populations and ecosystems is covered in most of our programs.
- LS.13 Reproductive strategies and the role of DNA are discussed during some of our programs.
- LS.14 Mutations, adaptation, natural selection, and extinction are covered in some of our programs. Discussion of evolution and how the environment can lead to new species is discussed only upon request.
- Biology 7 Structural similarities among different organisms are discussed in all of our programs.
- BIO.8 Reproductive strategies and the effect of environmental pressures on populations are discussed in all of our programs. Natural selection, new species emergence, and scientific explanations for biological evolution are covered by request only.
- BIO.9 Nutrient cycles and energy flow through ecosystems are discussed in many of our programs. Students learn about human impact and the effects of natural events of animals within an ecosystem in some of our programs.
Call to book your Reptiles Alive! LLC (703) 560-0257
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Reptile Encounters! An especially exciting supplement to your live animal show where the audience has the opportunity to talk with the educator after the show, touch natural artifacts (skulls, bones, skins, etc...) and even touch a live animal. Reptile Encounters Fee: $130 per hour.
- Fees:
$130 per hour ($75 per half hour)
If you want Reptile Encounters without the live animal show, please see our Live Reptile Zoo Exhibit.
Live Reptile Zoos!
(Great for Fairs, Festivals, & all kinds of Special Events!)
- Live Reptile Zoo Displays for Fairs, Festivals and Special Events!:
Visitors at your special event will have close encounters of the wild kind! Live animals, natural artifacts (skulls, bones, skins, etc...) will be displayed along with photographs and information. You can choose a special theme for your zoo or let us pick our favorite exhibit animals.
- Fees:
Zoo: includes 8-10 live animals: $395 for the 1st hour, $195 for each additional hour.
An additional travel fee will be charged to locations more than 30 miles away from Annandale, VA. Please call for details. 703-560-0257
Hands On Shows For School Classrooms and Other Small Groups:
- Reptiles: Up Close & Personal- is an exciting classroom program for groups of 25 or less. Students will learn about wildlife while meeting live animals up close and hands-on!
- Fee:
One 45 minute show for ages 6 & up : $235; additional shows back to back: $165.00.
One 30 minute show for ages 3 & up : $215; additional shows back to back: $115.00.
Travel fee charged to locations more than 30 miles from Annandale, VA. Shows booked to start at 5:00 pm or later will be charged an additional $50.00
Reptile Field Trips:
- Take an adventure into the wild with Reptiles Alive! LLC. Our educator will guide your group through local parks or natural areas to search for reptiles, amphibians, and other wild animals. We strongly suggest a limit of around 10 people to make the trip extra exciting.
- Fee:$100 per hour.
Slide Shows, Classes, and Workshops:
- Hawaiian Sea Turtles
- Snake Deterrence & Removal
- Natural History & Identification of Native Reptiles & Amphibians
- Herpetological Husbandry
- Introduction to Reptile Rescue
- Reptiles in the Classroom.
Fee:$225 for a one hour program. Longer programs may cost more. Prices may be negotiable for animal rescue groups, police, and other emergency workers. We can create custom programs if needed.
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Reptiles Alive!LLC
