The Garden Project

Imagine you and one other person are in charge of seven lizards, a tortoise, a few tarantulas and 26 snakes - you want to do a good job! Each animal has its own dietary requirements, likes and dislikes. As you may imagine, the cost of feeding them adds up quickly while trips to the grocery are a Sisyphean task.

So why do we garden? Isn't that even more work?

- It's the healthiest option for the animals.
Many animals cared for by Kerri and myself are herbivores or omnivores. Who knows what pesticides or synthetic fertilizers were used or picked up during travel? These products can have harmful effects animals who depend on fresh produce. We choose to garden organically so that we control what the animals eat.
The animals get more nutrients from local or home grown food. Produce that travels cross country or across the state are older and losing nutritional value.

- In addition to animals, we also care about keeping a healthy environment. 
Gardening is good for the environment. Plants convert carbon into oxygen. The more plants we have, the less carbon, which can help slow the climate changing.
Gardening organically is also good for the ecosystem. Since we aren't motivated to kill all the bugs interested in our produce, poison is not being spread to the local animal and plant population. Our yards are healthy homes for slugs, bugs, and birds who spread seeds to create even more plants.

- We spend less time and money at the store.
Sure, gardening is a commitment. We spend time, money and effort to research and grow our plants. But honestly, it's one of those things that doesn't feel like work. Kerri and I both love being home with our beasties and even more so, spending time outside. Getting our hands in the dirt is therapeutic and relaxing. I'd rather spend my time and money in the backyard than in line at the market.
*Although let me interject that we do support local farmer's markets for the items we can't/don't do ourselves. Staying local means staying seasonal and we aren't exactly pros.

What did we plant?

- So much!
Between the two of us, we grow Collards, Kale, Zucchini, Dandelions, Hibiscus, Hostas, Mustard
and a growing variety of herbs and flowers including Basil, Marigolds and Geraniums.

As proud as we are, I know we aren't perfect. Kerri and I have goals for the garden, environment and our beloved animals. Keep up with the garden and animals on Facebook and Instagram!




-Brittany Roger
The Drawing Zoo

Losing a Friend

On Monday November 30th, we announced the passing of our beloved Leopard Gecko, Jupiter. The announcement was probably "enough" to appropriately handle the loss. But Jupiter was an animal companion of mine, Brittany Roger, for nearly 7 years and I would like to take the time to honor her. 

The animals at The Drawing Zoo are not like other zoo animals. They do not come from other zoos, we do not import them, trade or breed them. They are not on any permanent display, and usually come from homes that can no longer provide care.  

Jupiter was very young when she was in need of a new home. For 6 and 1/2 years I kept her warm, bathed her, watched her shed, and giggled every time she stalked a bug with her tail twitching behind her. When The Drawing Zoo became incorporated, she was one the "go to" animals. Her bright colors, hypnotizing pattern, slinky movements and those huge eyes made her an awesome model. 

Earliest picture of Jupiter

Students were always curious about her tail. "Why is it purple?" "Why is it puffy?" "Did she lose her tail?" "Can her tail grow back?" I had a huge learning experience last summer when I came home after a class to find Jupiter stuck in one of her logs and her tail limp, unattached on the floor of the cage. I was horrified. It turned out that she had gained some weight and I didn't consider how that would affect her. When she crawled into her favorite log and the like Winnie the Pooh - got stuck. Apparently, she was so stressed that she dropped her tail! Until that point, I thought that geckos dropped their tails when being chased by a predator. Now I know any kind of stress will do the trick. We immediately broke her free with no further harm done and quarantined her until the tail began to re-grow. 

Just finished lunch!

Jupiter was special. When she slept, she looked like a rolling pin. When she ate, she looked like a panther. When she stretched, she reminded me of a baby stretching their short digits. She was beautiful whether she sported a long or nubby tail. She travelled well and always seemed in a good mood. Student's faces lit up when they saw her and she inspired some beautiful artwork. We will miss her dearly.

-Brittany Roger
The Drawing Zoo

Multisensory Learning

The Benefits of Multisensory Learning

Most education systems cater to the left brain learning style. "Memorization, repetitive drills and test taking are all processes that work well with left brain, auditory learners." (Young Rembrandts)
But what about the students who are primarily visual- spatial and tactile learners? These students use sight, touch and an activity in order to learn effectively. The more senses involved, the better the learning. This idea is usually referred to as "multisensory" learning. 

 Educators can use art as a way to develop learning skills that are essential to children. Art is a visual and tactile activtiy that meets visual-spatial learners' learning needs. Multisensory activities such as art, provide a redundancy of information that helps with comprehension and memory. 

http://faculty.ucr.edu/~aseitz/pubs/Shams_Seitz08.pdf
http://www.youngrembrandts.com/how-it-works

Making Connections

The Drawing Zoo receives many emails and inquiries about volunteer internship opportunities. Who wouldn't want to make are and love animals? Take it from Trenton Jung, a MICA grad who has become a spokesman for our program. He posted his experience here, http://micainternships.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-drawing-zoo.html  and has inspired other artists to pursue their goals. 

Trenton's goals included working with the National Museum of Natural History, where Brittany Roger (The Drawing Zoo's founder/owner) also had experience photographing animals. Since his time with The Drawing Zoo he has moved from Baltimore to DC and splits his time between a job and internship working at the National Museum of Natural History in Entomology. Somehow he even finds time to freelance. 

It was a pleasure working with you, Trenton. Glad to see you're doing so well! http://www.trentonwjung.com/