By Duncan Bick

Last updated at 11:56, Saturday, 02 March 2013

Creepy crawlies invaded a primary school – but they had been invited.

A scorpion at Jericho School

‘Delighted’ youngsters at Jericho Primary School in Whitehaven were visited by Silverband Falconry and an array of amazing animals, ranging from scorpions to the humble stick insect and a tortoise.

Expert Richard Coope said: “They loved it.

“They like being scared to death by the scorpion.”

He also took along some slightly more sedate animals when he was at the school.

This include some lizards which the children watched tucking into some crickets.

Mr Cooper, who is based in Penrith, said: “I started doing this job because I had a primary school teacher used to get us interested in animals.”

Lisa Egan, a teaching assistant at Jericho, explained that the visit was part of the build up to work the school will be doing next week.

It will be focussed on a book all of the pupils have been studying called The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry.

The week will involve a range of activities which will tie in with the school curriculum and will all be related to the book.

Many of the animals shown to the children today would be common sights along the Amazon.

Miss Egan said: “It’s great because the children never get to see these sorts of animals on a day-to-day basis.”

She added: “They have had a fantastic day.”

First published at 11:38, Saturday, 02 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk