Lynn Hirshman

Gilpin County

The third of four Be Wild Wise! Workshops was Saturday, May 11, at the Gilpin County

Library. The Library’s meeting room was set up with tables for crafts and snacks, and a

singalong area with a flipchart showing the words to the Wild Wise song next to Rhonda

Horwitz-Romano’s guitar.

Children ranging in age from about 15 months to eight years, plus some mothers, sat in a

semi-circle as Horwitz-Romano and Kathy Peck led them through each verse of the song,

which taught them how to act around the wild animals they might come upon in our area.

Most of the kids indicated that they had already seen local moose, elk, coyotes and

bears, and had clearly been tutored already by their parents: when asked what they were

likely to see if they encountered a baby animal, they yelled “Mama!”

After the singalong, they were led to create and decorate noisemakers that would let our

wild friends know they were in the area. Afterwards, the children made animal masks and

acted out how to react should they encounter those animals. For their final activity, the

kids mixed healthy snacks from the variety of options available.

Horwitz-Romano paid tribute to the moms in the room on this Mother’s Day weekend by

saying of the group, “I had a lot of help — there are a lot of wild women in the room!”

It’s not too late to learn the Wild Wise song. Bookmarks with the song and advice on how

to be Wild Wise are available at the Library and other sites in the County, and there’s

another kids’ session at the Gilpin Library on Wednesday, May 22, at 10 a.m.

For those who can’t make that one either, here’s the song.

Be WILD WISE

(Sung to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”)

If you know you're WILD WISE shout HOORAY!

You know you can be safe every day.

We can live hand-in-hand,

with the animals in our land.

If you know you're WILD WISE shout HOORAY!

When you see a MOOSE he probably won’t see you.

Back away, be quiet, that is what you do.

Stand still behind a tree

and the MOOSE will let you be.

But you never, never, never run away!

When you see a BEAR, LION or COYOTE.

stay still, get really big and get real noisy

Wave your hands up in the air,

walk together, don’t be scared.

But you never, never, never run away!

When you see an animal baby, back away.

You know its mama won’t be far away.

If she sees you, calmly talk,

and backward you should walk.

But you never, never, never run away!

If you know you're WILD WISE shout HOORAY!

You know you can be safe every day.

We can live hand-in-hand,

with the animals in our land.

If you know you're WILD WISE shout HOORAY!