As the school year gets off to a start, a brand new Bridgeport Parks and Recreation’s Little Explorers series gets under way too.

 

Running Sept. 5 through Sept. 29 at the Benedum Civic Center are four weeks of classes featuring “Endangered Animals.”

 

“We’ll talk about different endangered species – including the tiger, the panda, the killer whale and leatherback turtle – and why they are endangered and what’s causing it,” said Anita Jesmer, Little Explorers instructor.  

 

Open to children ages 3 to 7, classes begin the first week of September with the following class time options: 6-6:45 p.m. Mondays, 10-10:45 a.m. Wednesdays, 6-6:45 pm. Wednesdays and 10-10:45 a.m. Thursdays.

 

Cost for the four-week session is $35. To register, stop by the Benedum Civic Center office or call 304-842-8240.

Included in the study of endangered animals will be craft projects.

 

“We’ll make tiger masks, panda ‘piggie’ banks and leatherback turtle jewelry,” Jesmer said.

Little Explorers is a longtime program of Bridgeport Parks and Recreation, designed to expose young children to science while having fun. All sessions feature a targeted educational component and hands-on experimentation. In the past, sessions have included birds, reptiles and amphibians, weather and the environment and even dinosaurs.

 

Editor's Note: These photos were taken during this past summer’s unit on tarantulas as a representative of Eastern Pet Supply visited, bringing along a Pinktoe, Chilean Rose and a Cobalt Blue. Read more about that unit and see additional photos HERE. Jesmer is pictured above, left.