Live Animal Assemblies - Who doesn’t like animals?

One very popular type of program available to schools, and one that has
been around for a long time, is that involving live animals brought into the
school. Let’s face it, animal acts have been around forever, going back to
Vaudeville, and visits to the local Zoo have also been perennially popular with children. But with funding cuts, schools are looking for alternatives to field trips.

Today, schools looking for ideas for school assemblies are presented with many different types of activities involving live animals. In some areas the local Zoo will offer an outreach program and these are usually a great deal, and often rich in great educational content for the students. On the other extreme there are petting zoos and groups or individuals that offer entertainment oriented animal shows ( dog and pony shows?)

But in between you will find a large number of  programs where the animals are used to teach a broader lesson. Commonly, animals will include a variety of reptiles, such as large snakes or lizards, along with several small mammals. Chinchillas, possums and groundhogs are among the smaller mammals often seen. Additionally, larger mammals may tour as well. Kangaroos, wallabies, and a slew of exotic critters are often seen. More rare but still found in programs occasionally are the large, predatory animals such as tigers, though when they are available these are most often seen as cubs. Many professional presenters frown seriously on the use of exotic and endangered animals, as they feel this contributes to the demise of a proud species.

One example of a program with a lesson is Animals and the Environment, where 6 to 12 animals are presented to the audience and children are allowed to touch some of them. The animals are used to hold the attention of the audience (and boy, do they ever!) while the presenter gives the students a lesson in how environmental issues are impacting wild animal populations.

Whichever way you opt to go, bringing animals to the building is almost always a big hit with the kids, and a great idea for an assembly for school. But just remember, animals are living creatures and accidents do happen..... oooh! eeeayh!... yuck!...   :-)

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN