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Read to the Animals
Come Read to our Animal Ambassadors
We are hoping to have an ongoing Read to the Animals event here at the museum. Each reader will get 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time with their chosen animal. The cost is $10 per reader.
Benefits of Reading to Animals
As stated by Scholastic.Com
01
Motivation
Building motivation to read can be a huge barrier for children gaining important literacy skills. The benefit to reading to an animal is that a child can pick any book they want and read aloud without the fear of being criticized for making mistakes. The child will often form a bond with their reading animal buddy which will in turn give them the motivation to come back and read aloud again.
03
Fluency
Children need practice in reading aloud just like any other skill. As a parent, there are only so many times you can listen to the same story before your brain starts to melt. We see you, we understand you, and we have a solution for you. Our animal ambassadors don't care if they hear Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. 30 times, they are just there to hang out and support your child in their reading adventure.
02
Confidence
Reading aloud can be anxiety inducing for many children. When reading to an animal, a child can read at any rate, they can stumble through words and the animal won't judge them. It helps children build a confidence in their reading ability. A child can take as long as they need to read a passage and their animal reading buddy is there to just listen and hang out.
04
Reading for a Purpose
Animals also benefit from the attention they are receiving while their reading buddy is reading to them. Children get a sense of purpose reading to their animal friend. If they sense their kindness is benefiting the animal they are more likely to continue to read to their animal friend.
Each of our animal ambassadors have unique tastes and interests. Allow them to introduce themselves!
Mac & Tuck
Hello! Our names are Mac & Tuck. We love stories about FOOD! Our favorite activities are swimming and eating... and napping. We would love books about fish!
Spiny
Hey, my name is Spiny. I am a soft shelled turtle. I am very shy. I would love it if you would read me a story about turtles being brave. I might not be visible but I am listening to you!
Cornelious
Hey there! My name is Cornelious and I am a corn snake! If you love books with humor I would love to laugh with you while you read. I love jokes and puns! They are hiss-terical.
Bailey
Hi! My Name is Bailey and I am a Bearded Dragon. I love books that have dragons as the hero! I am fighting the stereotype that dragons are the villains of the story. I also like stories about adventure!
Scorchy
Bonjour, Buenos Dios, Hi! My name is Scorchy! I am a super active Diamondback Terrapin. I love books about sports! I also love books about food!
Piggy
Hey, Hey! My name is Piggy! I am an Albino Corn Snake. I love books that have the characters going on an adventure! I love the outdoors and would love to hear you read about it!
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Crab Dip
Sup! My name is Crab Dip and I love 2 things in this world: ninjas and dancing. You might have seen my sick dance moves during the Olympics (didn't qualify me for Breakdancing...) but never the less I love to dance. I also fancy myself an escape artist. I model my form after the ninjas I have read about!
Dereka
Good Day! My name is Dereka and I love books of Princes and Princesses! Bonus Points if the story takes place in the United Kingdom (the land of my birth). I am an old soul so I do love the classics as well. Nothing like a little William Shakespeare to shake things up!
TT
Aloha! My name is TT and I love stories about the beach. I am living on island time and want to hear all about beach life. So if you have ocean tales or beach tales I am your guy!
George
Good Day! My name George. I love books about history. Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction I love it all! I also love books about dinosaurs. My motto is those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it. The way the dinos ended is a tale of warning if I ever saw one, but what do I know I'm a turtle.
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Hester & Clarabelle
Hello there! Our names are Hester and Clarabelle! We love books about races. We may live life in the slow lane but we enjoy listening about life in the fast lane. People races, Car Races, Animal Races we will enjoy it all. If you wanna go fast then we wanna listen to you!
Lafayette
Hey there! My name is Lafayette and I love stories about Maryland and Turtles! I love stories from the Chesapeake Bay. As Maryland's State Turtle, I have pride in my home state!
Brittany
Hello! My name is Brittany. I am an axolotl. I love stories of super heroes! I want stories of good guys vs. bad guys! I need "Justice for Gotham!!!!"
Monet & Stumpy
Salut! Hey! Our names are Monet and Stumpy! we love books about art! We mean we are "painted turtles!"
Toothless
Hello there! My name is Toothless! I just moved into my new home and I would love to hear stories about people being cozy in their homes. I also would love to hear stories about the ocean.
