An academy of creatures

Reptiles, amphibians and arthropods — oh, my!

Kids got up close and personal with a tarantula, turtles, an alligator, a python and lots of other creatures at Ensign Intermediate’s Nature Academy after school Monday.

Bottles of hand sanitizer were used liberally throughout the afternoon, as kids touched, played with and petted the creatures, provided by John Minko, the Lizard Wizard.

They also learned fun facts like how snakes smell using their tongue, and how leopard geckos store food in their tails.

Minko taught kids how to hold an alligator properly, and enforced safety techniques.

He has a background in animal handling and training for films, and now brings the animals to kids at schools and libraries.

“My house is like a zoo,” Minko told the students.

A favorite was Minko’s blue-tongued kissing lizard, Miss Daisy, who “kissed” several students with her tongue.

“Daisy loves kissing boys,” Minko told the giggling crowd of middle-schoolers. He turned to one student.

“Richard, have you ever kissed a girl before?”

“No,” the boy replied, sheepishly.

Daisy gave him a touch on the finger with her tongue, and the girls in the room squealed.

“Some of them are nervous at first, but then, by the end of the show, they’re totally comfortable,” Minko said.

More than 100 kids are registered in the school’s Nature Academy.

Participation has risen dramatically in the last two years, which teachers attribute to an increased effort at teaching science at Ensign’s feeder schools.

“It’s good stuff; it gets them turned on to science,” chemistry teacher Bernard Jain said of the academy. “Everything they do is 100% free. They learn about chemical reactions, geology, biology.”

The school’s Nature Academy and other aspects of its science program, such as substitute teachers and supplies, are paid for by anonymous grants from the public through the Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation.

At the academy, the funds cover transportation fees, guest speakers, field trips, snacks and all other aspects of the program. Kids don’t pay for any part of it out-of-pocket.

“It’s really fun, and it’s free,” said student Tice Bell-Bourges, 13. His favorite activity so far has been designing and sailing his own boat.