School was never like this

When was the last time, someone walked a raccoon on a leash through your classroom? If the answer is "never," it only means you have not experienced Zoo School. The past week at the California Living Museum (CALM) in Bakersfield children in grades 1-6 not only had a raccoon in their classroom, they also received visits from a barn owl, tortoise and gopher snake.

Zoo School children study the movements of CALMÕs ambassador animal raccoon Tuesdays-Fridays, from 8 a.m.-12 p.m., for five weeks during the summer, CALM's Zoo School lets imaginations run wild as it teaches youngsters about animals that live in the world around them. One student, Nadja Scholl, who has taken the courses four years-in-a-row, was busy pinching, pushing and shaping clay into the form of a kangaroo rat, as part of her study of mammalogy.

"He's my favorite animal because he's cute, has little arms and humongous legs," Scholl said. "I like animals and come here a lot. I want to be zoologist when I grow up and this is helping a lot."

Earlier in the day, CALM Manager Debby Kroeger introduced the previously-mentioned raccoon to 40 students in the facility's amphitheater. As he wandered around, alternately checking out a pine cone, plastic pipe and rubber wading pool, Kroeger explained how the raccoon was found in the wild by a concerned citizen and brought to a vet. It was determined the animal was blind. Since it could no longer survive in the wild, CALM agreed to become the raccoon's new home.

"Today, you've been studying mammalogy," Kroeger said to the children. "So, why do you think the raccoon is a mammal?"

"Because he's got fur," one young boy shouted.

"Yes and what else," Kroeger asked.

"Its babies are born and not hatched out of an egg," came the quiet answer from a young girl. "And it nurses its children."

"Very good," said Kroeger.

And while the raccoon wandered on his leash, searching for treats Kroeger would leave him, the children studied and Kroeger taught. They learned raccoons are nocturnal, that they are more efficient at catching their prey when their paws are wet and they are omnivores that will eat just about anything including trash left in open containers.

"Can he see colors?," one inquisitive youngster asked.

"No, mammals can't," Kroeger replied.

"We can," came the youngster's response.

"You got me there," laughed Kroeger. "Let's say most mammals can't see colors."

Back in the classroom, young Joshua Stevens was crafting an unusual looking mammal from clay and fielding questions.

"I've called it 'ostrich maganus' because it has the essence of ostrich in a time when dinosaurs lived," Stevens said. "I've made its eyes bigger. It has four claws instead of two. It gives birth and has a pouch. See the tail? It's two intertwined tails with stegosaurus-like spikes it can swing around to whack enemies with. As you can probably tell, I like science, especially studying dinosaurs and how they evolved."

Parents who have young, budding scientists of their own at home or children just looking for a fun place to spend a week during the summer, can check CALM's Web site at www.calmzoo.org or call (661) 872-2256 for more information.
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