Bridging the Gap

Week of November 9, 2025 – November 15, 2025

by Katie McLaughlin, Environmental Educator

As we headed out with their class this field trip season, a teacher told me “I will give you a lifetime of after-school detention if we find a snake on this field trip.” 

Now, she happened to be someone I have known for the last 27 years, so I will give her a pass… Especially after actually finding a garter snake during the field trip. Her students were able to interact with the snake, and she even pet the snake! 

The most common fears of animals are critters such as snakes, spiders, even bees. But why? Fear itself often stems from personal experiences, cultures, evolution, or even lack of knowledge on the subject.

In a personal experience, something happened to you. You might have been stung by a bee, or someone you know was bitten by a snake causing that fear to form. Or maybe an adult when you were a kid had a large fear response to a spider or a mouse in the house – and you learned from them. Certain animals may have been depicted as evil or dangerous in your own culture or in folklore and pop culture you were exposed to. Can you think of a time where a snake or a spider was depicted as scary in a movie? Probably. It also makes sense that evolutionarily, many animals have learned to be fearful to keep themselves safe. There are studies of very young children having a natural fear of snakes as our brains are hardwired to be on the look out for danger. If you have never interacted with the creature you are scared of closely before, you may be unsure of what could happen. You don’t know how they are going to react. You might not know if they could harm you. These thoughts and feelings? Totally valid and even expected. 

When I come across any creature in any of our programs – I become excited. This excitement is often infectious, but I recognize that some people who are with me might also be afraid. Where I find myself bridging the gap from fear to curiosity or respect – is with knowledge.

I will still encourage them to take a look at whatever creature is out there, reminding them that this creature is probably a little scared too. We can observe and see that the snake, spider, bee, -whatever it is- is just going to go about their day. They may move differently, or be curious about us too. I remind those who are still feeling wary to give them some space, and they will leave you alone. I give the story, the background of the creature, while encouraging questions and curiosity in how we are both the same and different. Eventually leading to the fact that we share the same planet and everything deserves to be here too. 

At the end of that field trip I asked the teacher “So, we found a snake – do I actually need to serve after-school detention?” She responded with a laugh and said “No, I didn’t throw up this time like I did when I was a kid, so no detention for you!” 

We invite our members to enjoy a weekly blog written by our naturalists. Every blog will be uniquely different but always inspired by nature. We may share a memory from a recent hike at The Woods or teach you about an animal or plant that lives on the preserve. No matter the topic, we will be sharing with you our passion for nature and celebrating the connections we all have to the natural world. Each blog will be connected to a weekly set of activities and ideas to help you put nature in your hands, even if you’re at home!