Tarantulas

By Barbara Spalding of Homeroom At Home

Tarantula myths debunked; a new appreciation for these giant, fuzzy creatures.

We are happy to partner with Academy of Natural Sciences to provide this exhibit review as part of a sponsored arrangement. The opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

The Academy of Natural Sciences opened its “Tarantulas: Alive and Up Close” exhibit this past Saturday, January 30. It will show until May 30th, 2016 with a small admission price. Get all the details here.

 

With an invitation a couple months back, we waited for what felt like “forever” for a five-year old but finally the media preview date arrived. Victoria was afforded the day off from school to attend this event, and again this was because spiders are a big deal to her and I knew she would get a lot out of this day trip. Upon check-in, she was given a tiny notebook and pen, and from there we began our journey.

In usual Academy fashion, the exhibit has a variety of show pieces to include an interactive map, photo cut-out and plenty of easy to digest narrative and picture displays. Personally, I appreciated the “Anatomy of Tarantulas” oversized book display. The Tarantulas exhibit has a colorful backyard back drop area and tarantula costumes perfect for photo ops and imaginary play.

 

 

Victoria, being in Kindergarten, isn’t exactly the best note taker… but that didn’t stop her from paying absolute close attention and attempting to capture the important facts that Invertebrates Specialist, Karen Verderame was sharing in the Opening Presentation.

 

Victoria, never without a question, took an opportunity to ask Ms. Verderame what tarantulas like for breakfast before moving about the live spider exhibits. Thank you to Philly Voice for quoting Victoria and capturing the perfect picture of my little journalist in action, as well as this quick snippet on 6 abc news.

That little notebook came in handy, when Victoria learned about the most impressive species of tarantulas. She was quick to copy the name of her new favorite into the notebook. And if you’re curious, her favorite tarantulas are Martinique Pinktoe sporting a unique ability to change from a bright blue color as spiderlings into pink/purple legged adult tarantulas. And then that little notebook accompanied every question she had for the Academy’s staff.

This tarantulas exhibit is ideal for spider enthusiasts, like my daughter, AND those who fear the creepy-crawlers because there is so much misunderstood about these arachnids. I loved NJ.com coverage of this event to highlight some of those myths and truths.

This article first appeared on the blog Homeroom At Home on Feb. 5, 2016.