06/23/2025
🦎🐢 What an unforgettable Friday at Hilltop! 🐍🕷️
On June 20th, the children were thrilled to welcome Mr. Drew and His Animals Too for a wild and wonderful visit! They were absolutely amazed to meet all kinds of fascinating creatures—snakes, cockroaches, lizards, tegus, tarantulas, frogs, tortoises, and turtles! Laughter, curiosity, and excitement filled the room as children engaged with the animals and listened to fun, educational facts from Mr. Drew himself.
Experiences like this enrich our play-based, emergent curriculum by bringing learning to life. They spark natural curiosity, support language development, and encourage thoughtful questions—all while helping children build empathy and understanding of the world around them. Animal encounters also create meaningful connections to science and nature, giving children real-world context to concepts like habitats, textures, and movement. Most importantly, they make learning fun—and when learning is joyful, it sticks!
Did you know? Mr. Drew runs a nonprofit science education center? Formerly located in Lewiston, the center is relocating to Poland and will reopen this August. According to their website, The Education Center features over 200 rescued, rehabilitated, or relinquished animals, many of which visitors can touch or hold. The center also includes a geological exploration area with fossils, rocks, minerals, bones, and more—perfect for hands-on, interactive learning that aligns beautifully with our educational philosophy here at Hilltop.
We encourage families to check out their page for updates on the grand opening and to show your support for this amazing nonprofit doing impactful work in their community. For more information, visit:
🔗 https://www.mrdrewandhisanimalstoo.com/education-center
We love supporting other non profit organizations who share our mission of meaningful, child-centered experiences and learning through discovery, empathy, and exploration!
