Parties, Events, Education and Outreach
Papaya Pythons, coming to you!
We're based in Northern California near the Bay Area. If you're in the same area, read on!
Click to expand the section below that best represents the type of event you'd like!
Whether you're planning a reptile-themed birthday party for a young, future-herpetologist or a team building event for your business, you can count on Papaya Pythons to entertain, educate and enhance the experience. With our team of reptile & amphibian ambassadors and their human scientist friends, we offer unique, custom experiences that all ages will enjoy.
Popular packages include:
- Birthday Party Reptile Show - basic reptile anatomy, genetics, and meet & greet (can be scaled to any age group)
- Teambuilding: the Science of Communication & Trust - a cross-species experience to refine & enhance interpersonal relationships
- Public Speaking - How to Slither into Good Habits - a minimally 2 hour, interactive workshop with individual and team challenges to help even experienced public speakers increase their presence, timing, and intonation. (recommended for businesses)
- Scientific Seminars - advanced comparative vertebrate anatomy, advanced genetics, & reptile meet & greet (recommended ages 14 & up)
- Evolution & Nature - experience a plethora of diversity, from plants to mammals in this hands-on approach to evolutionary genetics (can be scaled for all ages)
Basic rates provided below - contact us to start planning your next Papaya Pythons Experience!
Rates
| Charge Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Event |
|
| Mileage | $0.75 / mi, as measured by originating from Walnut Creek on Google Maps (whichever is closer) |
Education and Outreach
To qualify for these rates, you must be a public institution, or the event must take place in an area otherwise accessible to the general public. If this is not true, please check the "Parties and Events" section above.
Here's the nutshell (or "tl;dr"):
We are professional science educators who
provide hands-on demonstrations using
reptiles & amphibians,
where we teach about science.
The longer version:
Who are we?
I'm Donnelly and this is my partner Philip, and we want to help bring science directly to people (science gets lonely in the lab).
Donnelly has her PhD in genetics (so she was in school a really, really long time) and she started doing SciComm work as a graduate student.
Philip is a computer programmer who started doing SciComm with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley many years ago.
Together, we want to help educate folks about genetics, snakes, reptile husbandry & general science. Let's talk about our team...
This is Peter - he's one of our ambassador animals. All of our abassadors go through a series of temperament tests and stress tests. Some reptiles and amphibians, just like some people, don't like being around crowds and our tests determine who loves it. Only ~28 out of over 200 non-venomous reptiles and amphibians tested have passed. This rigor ensures the utmost safety for both our ambassador animals and all of their new, human friends.
So what do we do?
We provide hands-on demonstrations where we teach about science, nature, research, science careers, genetics, snake anatomy, and habitat loss.
In order to get folks excited about science & the world around them, we use our animal ambassadors, a ukulele, a bunch of plants, posters, handouts, etc - we're open to anything that starts the conversation about science.
Where can you find us?
While we try to put educational materials
online whenever possible, we predominantly
work in person in the northern and central
California areas (especially Sacramento,
Woodland, the Mount Shasta area, & the Bay
Area). Over many years, we've built
relationships with educators in six school
districts to offer hands-on demos for
grades K-12 (and their teachers) from
professional scientists. This allows students
to see and discuss science in action instead
of just reading about it.
We also partner with other science outreach groups, such as the Sacramento Powerhouse Science Center and the Sacramento & Woodland Libraries to bring snakes and science to an even broader community. We've done events and booths for shows and museums, like the California Academy of Sciences, too!
Rates
| Charge Type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Event |
|
| Mileage | $0.50 / mi, as measured by originating from Walnut Creek |
Are you a school or educational program in the Northern California area?
We know that there are many schools that lack access to science experts and expensive learning tools. If your school or education program is one of those, we offer completely free outreach programs, just for the sake of bringing science and education to the public. These free events book far in advance, so please contact us about availability.
Please inquire to learn more.
All payment for private events is due upon arrival by credit card or Bitcoin (or requested invoice paid no later than arrival). If you would like to pay by personal check, there will be a $25 surcharge. There is no additional fee for businesses or not-for-profits using checks and payment is due by the next billing cycle after the event date.