Insect Discovery Lab of SaveNature Org

We just had three OUTSTANDING presentations in second grade classrooms by Mr. Luke. The presentations were amazing and highly engaging. The kids loved it and I would not change a thing. I will not hesitate to book them for next year!

We are a preschool in Berkeley and the Insects Discovery Lab comes out every year to give a presentation to the 4 and 5 year old science class — and they love it! The presenters are not only knowledgeable about the insects but also how to handle children of this age so everyone has a good time and everyone learns something!
We will keep having them come and are excited to hear more about the bee project!

We hired IDL for our preschoolers in Marin. So happy they drove all the way up here!
They LOVED it. You’ve never seen a group of 3 – 5 year olds more riveted! Nothing like cool, extraordinary bugs to touch and hold! The «teacher» from IDL, Madeline, was knowledgeable and did a wonderful job of keeping the kids attention, while appreciating certain challenges faced by this age group (blurting out answers, not staying seated entire time, etc).
It’s our director’s favorite event of the year.
I would highly recommend this special group to any school or special function (a kids birthday party would be totally awesome)!
Thank you IDL! You guys ROCK.

Super fun! I booked the 60 minutes insect discovery for a bbq I was having with a couple families. There were only 6 kids and the respective adults, which was a great amount to have lots of contact with the insects.
The woman came over and set up in our yard. She was very knowledgeable and also knew how to keep the kids involved. We had giant millipedes walking on us, giant grasshoppers, walking sticks, et. al. I do wish they had brought a tarantella. I was ready to confront this fear… alas, that will have to wait.

Ok, let me first start by saying that we have had this group come out to our school twice now. The first time was amazing. I loved it, the kids loved it, the other teachers loved it. We had them out again last April. They are very expensive, but come a long way to us, and bring a very valuable experience and information.
Last April, I never received an invoice before the presentation, despite asking and being told I’d get one. Then, they were an hour late and the presentation was sloppy and rushed. It forced us to alter our already full schedule and we got less time. Things happen, but then… even though I had been told, that of course, the invoice would reflect for the problems, I had to write a detailed request to them and insist upon the discount. I still might have had them back even with all of this.maybe. But then, when I kept asking for the invoice while our out of town invoice submission date was rapidly approaching, I realised that all year things had been a problem with communication at Savenature. On the day of the deadline, I received the invoice and ran it up to the office, hoping the district mail hadn’t gone out. I was in luck. Then, during the summer… in about July, I receive an email stating my account was delinquent. I send an email back that day assuring them to check their accounts and I’m sure they’d find it was taken care of, but since it was summer and certain Dates had passed, there was nothing I could do for them. Then, in August… another email claiming delinquency. I respond the same day asking them to check carefully. I get another email apologizing and telling me all is taken care of.
Today. I check my email after work. It is March 2014. The email is attached to the same email I sent in August (that had previously been responded to with… hey, our mistake…) with information so that I can contact their offices to resolve the issue.
Is this issue not resolved? Really? I cannot, in good conscience, recommend an organisation that cannot keep its communication in line and who would be so unorganised as to take hours of an educator’s time… for something I paid for.
I hope that in the future they reorganise and get themselves together. The program as originally experienced, while very expensive, was wonderful. But, for that kind of money, I expect amazing service. The Marine Mammal Center is a much better expenditure and we have had them every year for at least 15 years.
–Sincerely,
Jennifer B.

Norm Gershenz, the founder of
, visited our school on June 26, 2013. He brought a lot of exotic and amazing bugs that the students were able to pet and hold. It was fantastic! For days afterward it was all the students could talk about. The Assistant Academic Director commented that it was the best presentation we ever hosted at EC English.
It’s an experience you won’t forget. If you’re on the fence, I recommend you get off and do it! You won’t regret it. It’s also nice to know that SaveNature contributes to conservation of rain forests and tropical reefs.

My 7 year old son received a birthday voucher for a group of his friends and him to have a private tour at the Insect Discovery Lab. Tanya gave an amazing presentation and kept them all really engaged. The children were so excited to be able to hold several of these fascinating creatures. My son and his friends had a blast! It was definitely a memory of a lifetime for all of them!

Best birthday party imaginable for 12 5 year old girls. Thanks Norm for a fantastic afternoon!

These folks are great! Had them over for my six year old daughter’s birthday party and they kept a group of 15 kids (ages 2 — 10) quite entertained. Not to mention all the adults that were also mesmerized. The presentation is educational, interesting, and lots of fun. The staff is very courteous, smart, and knowledgeable. Also, the bugs were amazing! I would do this again!