- [Announcer] iQ: smartparent is made possibly in part by The McCune Foundation and The Grable Foundation.

- On today's episode of iQ: smartparent, we are celebrating all things animal.

And oh yes, this little guy, he's real.

His name is Bob and he's just one of the animals you'll meet as we explore science, art, and media with a wildlife twist.

Here from an artist whose work celebrates nature and shares important messages about conservation.

Meet a 10-year-old boy who turned his love of dogs into a social media sensation and uncover the secrets of the creatures living in your own backyard.

That's all coming up on today's iQ: smartparent and it starts right now.

(bright music) Welcome to iQ: smartparent.

I'm your host, Darieth Chisolm.

Animals brings us everything from joy and awe to education and inspiration and that's why today's program is all about animals.

We're kicking things off with guests from The National Aviary, the nation's premier bird zoo located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

And so let's welcome Patricia O'Neill and Cathy Schlott along with artist, Lindsay Wright-Durko and we've got a special little guest with us, a penguin named Disco.

Welcome ladies and Disco!

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- So here on iQ: smartparent, we talk a lot about the maker movement and we've certainly focused on that in previous episodes but in this case, I wanna talk a little bit about the maker project that you have at The National Aviary called Wings and Wildlife.

- Yeah, absolutely!

Yes, we've had an opportunity over the years to work with local makers and artists who have bee%n inspired by nature and the local resources that we have.

Both Wings and Wildlife and the maker challenge have enabled us to bring in makers who have inspiration surrounding birds and offer products in our gift shop that help us to connect people to birds and to conservation through art in a very unique way.

- Yeah, and Lindsay, you're one of those artists.

- Yes, I am.

- Yeah!

So tell us about your inspiration for painting and drawing birds.

- Oh, I love all animals so birds are great but I've always been interested in all animals.

I love to go out into nature and sketch.

So I did bring a few of my sketchbooks here.

So I love going out, finding things to draw.

This is something that I've actually drawn at The National Aviary with the maker challenge.

I was featuring the rhino hornbill, a bird species there.

I love to go find stories and then just kinda put them in my journal, whether that be just visually.

so I also have one of just some penguins.

So just visual or I like to throw in some words, kind of add a little bit of detail and education.

- So for instance, with Disco that we have here, how are you inspired to sketch about penguins when you see a penguin like Disco.

- I think it's great to go and sketch in nature and actually be outside, be there in the experience.

Whenever you're drawing something, you're looking at it again and again and again so it really helps you have that familiarity with your subject and make that an experience that's relevant to you and that you'll remember later.

So having a live subject is really gonna help you have a great learning experience and also have a better drawing.

- Yeah, we also know that Disco is a little artsy himself.

- Absolutely!

- In fact, you have a painting that Disco did.

- I do, yes!

This was a painting that was created directly by disco and it's part of their wellness program at The National Aviary and we offer these in our gift shop.

People can actually take home a painting that was painted directly by one of our penguins.

- Yes, so tell us a little bit about what people learn about science and conservation when they see penguins and they get to experience them.

- Well, African penguins are a critically-endangered species.

So I think when people go and they see the penguins, they see how adorable they are, they see them interacting with other penguins, they get curious about them and then they wanna learn more and that ties directly into the conservation of these species because you want to learn.

And then when you find out how amazing these creatures are, you wanna be able to go and help them.

So you're learning about science, you're learning about habitats, you're learning about ecology, you're learning about how all the animals interact and what their role in the environments are as well as ours.

- Yeah.

So we know you brought along another friend and so we'll let you do some swapping out and I'll turn to these ladies and we'll continue our conversation.

What's interesting with Disco's painting that you feature that and I think that's pretty unique and I'm sure that when people come and they see this, they think to themselves, wow, look at what these animals, the art that animals can create.

- Absolutely.

I think that you are naturally drawn to what you are curious about.

So we offer opportunities for people to get up close with birds from around the world that they may not see otherwise.

They also get a chance to take home something that can act as a memory of that experience and hopefully it inspires them to want to learn more and also to help conserve the natural resources that we have.

- Yeah, and so do you find that the children are really learning a lot in this process?

- Absolutely, yes.

We can provide a real-life context for what they're learning in their classrooms and we also give them a chance to explore what they're curious about.

- Yeah, well I'm pretty curious and as I'm sure you are because you can hear our owl friend, Mike the owl.

- Mike the owl is a Eurasian eagle owl.

So they're found in Europe and Asia and can be found down into parts of Northern Africa.

Eurasian eagle owls are one of the larges owl species in the world.

- So when you see a beautiful owl like this, what inspires you to sketch and draw and paint.

- I think it's great to just have that, as I said, that experience, that familiarity, that relationship with a live subject whenever you're drawing.

It's also really important to take your observation skills that you would use in the scientific process and take that and apply it to drawing so you're looking at birds, you're looking at nature, you're questioning things, you're observing things, and then you're documenting it visually or sometimes just through notes and a journal.

So yeah, it's very inspiring.

- Those are great tips.

What would you advice kids who are interested in doing things?

- I always tell people don't worry about what you think the final product's gonna look like.

Worry about the experience.

Don't go trying to erase or trying to make it look like a perfect drawing.

We want it to just have showing what happened so that you remember exactly what happened.

So a lot of times, I will just draw.

If something's wrong, I'll note it.

I'll just write a note.

That wing's too small, that beak should be longer, and then whenever I'm going back and maybe I'll turn that drawing into a fully-rendered illustration, I will look at my notes and make sure that I make those corrections or just add a little bit more detail to it.

- Yeah, yeah.

What would you encourage children to do as it relates to really getting creative and being in a maker space this way to just allow their own experience with the birds to come alive?

- Absolutely.

I would simply to get out in a green space and take pencils, take paper, a blanket, and you can go into a park, you can go into a forest, or even your own backyard and begin to sketch or doodle or write down words that helps you to remember the experience that you have.

- Yeah, and Cathy, what would you say?

- Well, there's a whole word with birds out there that people don't even notice.

It's just about looking up and being part of the experience and starting to pay attention.

But for me, it's also about look how, or just listen to the owls.

Listen to the things that are happening around you.

There's a lot of music going on in the world around you that might inspire you in other ways.

It may inspire you to learn to dance or to be part of learning instruments, to sing, to make noises like the animals around you so there's just so many different components that these birds can inspire you to learn about and to enjoy.

- And how does this build an appreciation for conservation?

- If you don't have an emotional connection or any connection, then you're not going to be inspired to want to protect those habitats and protect the species.

So when you learn and get up close with Mike the owl or with Disco, it inspires you to do something to do more and that is going to help build conservationists.

That's gonna make us all conservationists and our children are gonna be conservationists because they're gonna want to be part of that world.

- Yeah, definitely.

And Lindsay, what would be your final advice to help children just really build that link between science and art and curiosity?

- Oh, definitely getting out into nature, going out on those green spaces, and not being afraid.

Just don't look at that blank page and think, oh my goodness, I have to make a perfect thing.

Just draw lines, connect them, just write down words.

Anything that you wanna do to get your experience out there, don't be afraid to do it.

- And that's the best advice of all.

And thank you, ladies, so much for being here and thanks to Mike the owl.

Well, no doubt about it.

Pet ownership is on the rise.

Having kids and pets in the same home may get hectic but studies show plenty of benefits too.

Check this out.

(bright music) (lively music) Pets offer fun and affection but experts also found a number of health benefits to having a four-legged friend in the family.

(pleasant music) One study found that children who grew up with a dog spent more time engaged in outdoor physical activities than children without a dog.

(pleasant music) But that's not the only health benefit.

Early exposure to household pets like cats and dogs can reduce the risk of wheezing and developing eczema.

Studies even show petting a cat can help lower blood pressure and pet ownership also helps to reduce stress and anxiety.

(pleasant music) Here on iQ: smartparent, we often talk about smart ways for kids to consume media but right now, we're going to meet a young man who makes media.

He is 10-year-old Gideon and his social media account is called I've Pet That Dog!

and he has nearly 150,000 followers.

So welcome, Gideon, to the show!

- Thanks!

- [Darieth] So excited to have you here.

Your mom is joining us as well.

- Hello!

- And we're glad that you're here.

So let's see.

You're all over social media.

- Yes.

- Yes.

All the big social media channels and we know that a lot of people love petting dogs but you decided to do something different with this.

Why?

- I just think that dogs are amazing creatures and I think they should have some fame.

- So tell me about I Pet That Dog!.

- Well, I Pet That Dog!, well my website is just pictures of dogs but in my Twitter account, I ask questions and then I get the information and build up a story to tell about them.

- [Darieth] I'm assuming you've got some help and your mom has come along with us.

- Yes, mm-hmm.

- Right?

- Yes.

- So how is it that you help him with the social media accounts and posting to the website and really generating the interest that he has?

- I'm not sure I do much to generate the interest but I help with putting up the posts and things like that.

I'm monitoring the account but this was all his idea.

He wanted to take a picture with each dog that he met to remember the dog and the experience and then he asked to put up the stories.

- [Darieth] And how much work does that take?

How much time does it take?

- We go out about three times a week to find dogs.

I do a lot of the background things so he does not have to.

The account has kind of exploded and I don't want him to spend hours on it.

- Yeah, how do you guarantee his safety and protect his privacy since he is so young on social media and having a website?

- Well, I think, again, I monitor all the notifications.

I monitor what he's posting.

He's known around town now.

It has definitely become a little more interesting.

- We wanted to do something special for you so we invited a dog for you to meet.

(laughs) If you wouldn't mind, you can pop up and say hello and you can let us know how this process works.

- Okay, yeah!

- Yeah?

- Hello!

- Good girl.

Hello!

- Hi!

(laughs) What's your dog's name?

- This is Basti.

- Hi, Basti!

(Shani laughs) - It's hard to get a dog to look the way you want 'em to.

- Yeah, she's not exactly a TV dog.

There we go.

All right.

There we go.

- Hey!

- [Mom] Basti!

Hey, pup!

Get in, come on in there!

(camera shutters) Hi!

There we go!

- I'm so glad you had a chance to meet Basti!

- Thank you.

- So come on back over.

Let's continue our chat 'cause I'm pretty fascinated with-- - Hi, Basti!

- I'm gonna sit right here.

- You turned this into more than just a hobby which is very interesting.

So what are some of the questions do you ask the dog owners?

- I normally ask, do you have any funny stories about your dog?

What's unique about your dog?

Well in this case, does Basti have a favorite toy?

- Yeah, so Shani, how about you tell us?

- Yes!

She does.

We have this snake that has little squeaky toys in it and so now, unfortunately though, the squeakers are all gone and it's just really the shell of orang fabric from what used to be a snake.

She likes to tear through things so we have to get really tough toys for her.

- Yeah, yeah.

So Gideon, I have to know.

What are you going to write about Basti and having met him?

- Well, I'll have to ask a few more questions, if you don't mind.

- Yeah, go ahead!

- To know.

Do you have any fun stories about Basti?

- Oh, yes.

She's really great with, obviously, kids and cats as well but there was one particular story where she met a very old turtle named Harold and Harold was not as interested in the dog experience so he went in his personalized home studio and Basti was just so upset that her friend was gone and so she took it upon herself to just very gently, ever-so-gently, just knock on his shell.

(Shani laughs) Naturally, Harold was not home at that moment, no solicitors, but yeah, I thought that was really a really tender moment that you don't really see between reptiles and mammals, maybe.

- Yeah.

What else would you need to know?

- What is Basti's personality?

- Well, what would you say?

What do you think about her?

- Happy, unique, everything special.

- Yeah, thank you!

- Well, hi, Basti.

How are you, darling?

- Yeah, she's really friendly-- - Hello, little girl.

- And very curious about stuff and she really loves food so that's why we really get along.

- And what do you hope that people get out of seeing your posts?

- I hope they get happiness and realize that dogs are just amazing creatures.

- Yeah.

Can you remember, mom, whenever he first got started with this and what were you thinking when he said, hey, I wanna do this!

- I was kind of confused.

I didn't know what he meant and wasn't certain if it was something he would stick with but it's been 2 1/1 years now and he just keeps asking to meet more dogs and we keep going out and finding them.

- Yeah?

All right, guys.

Well, it was so fun having you here and really getting to see you in action, Gideon.

Thanks so much for being here and I bet all of you all wanna know what is Gideon going to write about Basti and his experience with us.

You can find that out at his website and we will have a link from our website.

Meantime, research shows pets can help kids learn about patience, compassion, and responsibility.

(laughs) But that only happens if parents introduce pet ownership in practical-- (everyone laughs) - All right.

(everyone laughs) (pleasant music) - Children love pets but caring for one is a big responsibility.

Follow these tips so your furry family member can have a safe and loving experience in your home.

(pleasant music) Assign age-appropriate tasks when it comes to feeding, playing with, and cleaning up after an animal.

Introduce new tasks one at a time so children aren't overwhelmed by their new responsibilities.

Make sure your child understands that the pet's wellbeing depends on these tasks so they can't be ignored.

(pleasant music) We've all read about exotic animals in nature magazines but what does it take to research and write those articles?

We've gone straight to the source so let me welcome our final guest today, wildlife writer, Jason Biddle, and Mallory Sickle is also joining us from The Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

And Mallory, you also have brought along a few interesting creatures so we'll get to you in a moment with those guys but let's start with you, Jason.

You've written for several publications.

What's really been encouraging you to be a wildlife writer?

- Well, I think my mom would say I was always that kid that was poking dead things with a stick and looking for crayfish under rocks and as I grew up, my professional education wasn't writing but I always wanted to get back to that sort of nature world.

- [Darieth] And you probably have a job that a lot of kids grow up wanting to do.

- It's a dream job that I didn't know existed until I had it, basically.

- [Darieth] Yeah, and so you write for a Smithsonian magazine as well as The National Geographic and you've been featured as a recipient of The National Geographic Society.

This is all pretty exciting but as a career path.

- Yeah, it's surprising but I've managed to make an active career just working on the weird animal beat which is wonderful.

- Yeah, and it is very wonderful.

So Mallory, let's bring you into the fold.

- Sure!

- You've got Bob with you.

- Yeah!

(Darieth laughs) - So tell us a little bit about Bob and what's happening there.

- Bob is a corn snake and he's part of the living collection at Carnegie Museum of Natural History and we use him to educate families, children, people of all ages.

- [Darieth] Because I would think that most people, when they think museums think replicas, not live animals.

- Right.

- But that has gone very successful there.

- Yeah, absolutely!

So we find that having the living collection really helps to bridge the gap between our specimens and people and make the connections between them that way.

- That probably really helps to reinforce their learning is because they get to handle or see the animals live while they're learning about them whether in school or at the museum.

- Absolutely!

Studies show that people retain more knowledge about animals when they get to interact with a live animal.

- Jason, we have some cockroaches that are in front of us but I understand that you like them.

Obviously, you write about these types of things.

- What I love about cockroaches, and I wrote about this for the Smithsonian, is that you can find them everywhere.

There are 5,000 species of cockroaches all across the world.

There are really only about 15 species that humans interact with and that we are terrified of and that represents less than 1/2% of all cockroach species on Earth.

We really have no idea the biodiversity of all the cockroaches.

There are some that can glow, there are some that can fly, there are some that actually look like ladybugs.

Cockroaches are just beautiful animals.

- A lot of kids obviously are fascinated by animals and many of them have to write papers and so I would assume they find animals to write about.

When you think about the discovery that one has when they get to learn about the differences with animals when they're alive versus Wikipedia or online.

- Yeah, I think Wikipedia can actually be a great starting point.

My recommendation would be to go where the wonder takes you because everybody knows what a cockroach is but there are a lot of things we don't know about cockroaches that I think if you drilled down into those things that are interesting, you'll be able to educate people and yourself in a way that is exciting and not a boring research project.

- So now, so who is this little guy that you are bringing to the set?

- Sure!

So this is Lupe.

Lupe is a coatimundi.

She's from South America and she is in the raccoon family.

Here in North America, we all think about raccoons.

You probably think about raccoons being around your garbage cans.

And honesty, coatimundi is in the same family and kinda takes on the same role throughout Central and South America as well.

So they are frequently found around the garbage and whatever else, they are omnivores and very curious and intelligent animals.

- Yeah, and Jason, when you see very interesting, exotic animals like this, what inspires you to write about them or what are some of the first things that come to mind that you think readers would want to know?

- Well, I think first of all, I didn't know coatimundi existed until only a couple of years ago and I'm somebody that writes about animals for a living so I think that there's an amazing amount of diversity that's out there that we just don't see.

There are so many cool animals on Earth that are just waiting to be talked about and learned about.

So I like to focus on animals like coatimundi that people are not used to seeing and the more you care about something, the more likely you are to save it.

- So you said you reveled in the weird and icky.

So what is it that kids can learn about being in the weird and icky?

- Well, I think there's an idea that nature is this beautiful, pristine place but in reality, it's a really icky, dirty place where you have animals eating each other, you have lots of bizarre things happening and I think that those are great places to again, sort of get yourself interested in these ecosystems and that the way that they interact with each other and I think it's okay to focus on things like poop as a way.

Everybody knows pandas but I read a story a couple of years ago for slate about the importance of panda poop.

We're learning things about the way that not only their own microbiomes work but could lead to medical discoveries based on what we're finding inside of panda poop.

- Wow!

Well, that's interesting.

Panda poop, I will be interested in reading that.

So let's see, Mallory.

Who else do you have?

I think I know what this is.

- So speaking about weird and icky, this is an animal that usually gets kind of a bad rep.

This is a striped skunk and they're found in North America.

His name is Pepperjack.

We do have his brother at the museum as well.

His name is Gouda so we named the after stinky cheeses because you most normally correlate a skunk with smells.

These guys have been descend but skunks are actually really important to have in our backyards because one of the things that they eat are ticks and they help to cut down on things that could hurt us so it's really important to learn about animals that might seem icky because they actually all serve a really important purpose.

- Yeah, yeah.

They certainly do.

What are some of the most important things I think that families or parents that are watching can take away about really engaging with animals in nature and doing it safely?

- Yeah.

So doing it safely, you do have to remember that when you're going out to engage with animals in nature, that you have left your home and you're entering theirs.

So it's important to be very respectful and we like to go by the saying that you should take only pictures and leave only footprints while making sure to enjoy the surroundings around you that keeps you safe and keeps the animals safe and protects their habitats.

But in addition, to remember that the love of animals spans far longer and wider than just for children, that it's for all ages and it's something that everybody can enjoy making the connection with an animal.

- And Jason, what's your final advice about getting kids excited about learning about animals but writing about them as well.

- Well, I think Pepperjack's a great example that you don't have to go to the Amazon or to Africa to find interesting animals.

We have an enormous amount of biodiversity in our own backyards and animals like this have fascinating things that even though everyone knows what a skunk is, you might not know that their black-and-white coloring is sort of a warning sign for nocturnal predators or that the scent that we all associate with skunks is actually a kind of biological chemical warfare.

The more that you learn about all of these animals, even ones that are seemingly common, the more you can get interested in science and nature and biology and-- - Yeah.

And conservation as well.

- Absolutely.

- Yeah, yeah.

Well thank you so much for being here with us!

- Thanks for having us.

- Thanks, yeah.

- [Darieth] And I'll thank all of our little pets along the way too.

- We will.

(everyone laughs) - Thanks so much for you watching as well.

We hope that our guests have inspired you to take inspiration from nature and we hope that your family is excited to consume media and make media that's all about animals.

Thanks for being here and we'll see you again next time for more iQ: smartparent.

(pleasant music) Want to learn more about iQ: smartparent?

Visit us online at iQsmartparent.org for more episodes and additional tools and resources.

Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to share your thoughts on being a 21st century parent.

(pleasant music) iQ: smartparent is made possibly in part by the McCune Foundation and The Grable Foundation.

(pleasant music)