Nature stories come alive

  Wednesday, June 24, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

A small group of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds listened attentively Wednesday as Delia Lister, director of Pittsburg State University’s Nature Reach Program read a book about creatures that come out only in the night.

The story really came alive for the youngsters when Lister brought out a live screech owl, which sat calmly on her gloved hand as Lister talked about the bird’s life would be like in the wild.

The youngsters also got to feel an owl’s feathers, examine an owl’s talons and hear the sounds they make. They even learned that an owl must vomit out the bones and other parts of their prey that they can’t digest.

“My brother vomited,” one little boy chimed in to giggles across the room.

Following the story and the time with the owl, the children toured the collection of animals housed in Nature Reach.

“Children’s books are full of stories about animals,” Lister said. “This is one way to make the story really come alive. Even the youngest children are curious about the animals in the world around them and it’s never too early to cultivate in them an appreciation for the natural world we all share.”

Each year, PSU’s Nature Reach, part of PSU’s Life Science Education Program, takes programs to schools and classrooms across the Four-State area. For more information, call Nature Reach at 620-235-4727, email Lister at dlister@pittstate.edu or visit the Nature Reach website at www.pittstate.edu/naturereach.