Kids Go Wild With Jungle Creatures

News release

13th July 2012

Youngsters from The Old Station Nursery will learn how the animal kingdom would fare in the Olympics when they get up close to critters next week as part of their learning about the natural world.

The children at the Marina setting in Lincoln will compare how fast a millipede or cockroach might run the 100-metre sprint, how high a rabbit could leap in the high jump, what a hermit crab might do in a wrestling match, and what kind of competition a rat might give other animals when it comes to swimming and climbing.

The activity, being brought into the nursery by ZooLab UK on Wednesday 18thJuly, is being introduced as a way to encourage children to learn about animals, as well as drum up excitement for the 2012 Games, which are just two weeks away from opening.

Nursery Manager Sam Waite, who is also Quality and Compliance Manager for The Old Station Nursery, said it is an innovative way to introduce the children to both the Olympics and exotic creatures.

“ZooLab will be talking to the children about each creature’s physical ability and comparing them to the athletes in the Olympics,” she said. “They will look at things such as the African land snail, whose ability to carry such a heavy home on his back could be compared to weight lifting.

“ZooLab will actually be bringing many of the animals with them so the children will have the chance to handle them and learn about what they eat and the habitats they come from. I’m sure they will all want to take turns touching or holding them.”

Animals due to visit the nursery include a rat, tortoise, snail, cockroach, millipede, tarantula, frog, toad or newt, stick insect and hermit crab.

The visit will take place between 2pm and 3pm on Wednesday 18th July.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Managing Director of The Old Station Nursery Sarah Steel set up the first nursery in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, in 2002 when she left the army and was unable to find suitable childcare for her two children. There are now 13 settings.
• The company won the Business Development category of the Nursery World Awards in November 2008 and was shortlisted for the Nursery Chain of the Year award.
• Visit www.theoldstationnursery.co.uk for more on the company.
• ZooLab UK is a national company with ‘rangers’ working across all counties. The ZooLab family of animals are cared for by the rangers in their own homes where their welfare is paramount. The animals are chosen specifically by the firm for their ease and comfort of working with humans over extended periods of time.
• Visit http://www.zoolabuk.com/ to find out more about the animal visits.

Cerri Delaney
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
cerri@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @cerridelaney

Tags: