Stepping Out Petting Zoo Visits
On a sunny Thursday morning, the children of the Barbara C. Wilson Preschool met special visitors at the school’s first in-person event since the pandemic.
Karen and Mike Halaiko from Stepping Out Petting Zoo set up three pens with nearly a dozen farm animals for students to get to know. They also offered instructions on how to approach and pet animals. There were goats, sheep, and even a pig named Scarlett-Jo-“Ham”-son.
“Woah, I touched it,” shouted Kaleb Barreto after feeding a sheep—one of many students who learned how to take a little cup of feed and feel the animals nibbling near their little fingers.
“There’s a lot for children to learn during these visits. “We teach them how to hold animals correctly, pet correctly, that farm animals have feelings, and can learn their names,” said Karen. This is the first time a petting zoo has come to the school.
“We made a whole day of it with teachers introducing activities related to the farm in the lesson plans,” said Arlene Campbell, Curriculum Coordinator.