By Bianca Peters, co-producer of the WOW! Nature film
I’m standing next to a girl about 10 years old, and we’re both looking at the screen in front of us. She’s wearing an apron that’s way too big and holding a paintbrush in her hand. There are some light green paint splatters on her face. She turns to me with her big brown eyes and asks if the presentation on the screen can be paused for a moment. She wants to get a really good look at the Lesser Antillean Iguana before continuing to paint her own iguana, Iggy.
The children on St. Eustatius have started the WOW-ies program. The WOW-ies are the mascots of WOW! Each island has its own WOW-ie, a specific animal that tells stories about nature. You can find them on social media, in educational programs, and in creative workshops. For example, on Aruba, we have Coco the burrowing owl (shoco), on Bonaire, Rosi the flamingo, on Curaçao, Didi the deer – yes, Curaçao has endemic deer! – on Saba, Tuti the turtle, on St. Eustatius, Iggy the iguana, and on St. Maarten, Peli the pelican.
I’ve paused the video, and now a Lesser Antillean Iguana is staring back at us from the screen. The girl leans in closer to examine exactly what the iguana looks like. I ask her if she knows the differences between the endemic Lesser Antillean Iguana and the invasive green iguana on the island. Without taking her eyes off the screen, she explains perfectly that “her Iggy” doesn’t have stripes on its tail or a large scale on the corner of its jaw. Her Iggy does have a row of lighter scales under its jaw, though. She just wants to make sure she paints that row correctly.
Using the back of her paintbrush, she counts how many scales are under the jaw, then walks back to her seat to finish painting her Iggy. A few days earlier, the whole group had sculpted their own Iggies out of clay, and today is the day they get to paint their dried creations.
Together with the nature parks on the six islands, local artists, the Caribbean branch of the Cultural Fund, Kooyman, schools, and after-school programs, we’ve developed this project. We’re trying to help children see and learn about their own environment in a fun and creative way. Park staff visit classrooms to explain more about the island’s WOW-ie. Then, a local artist takes over, and the kids get to create their own version of the WOW-ie. Of course, we also take them out into nature to see the WOW-ies in real life.
On Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Eustatius, the first WOW-ie sessions have already taken place. On Saba, the children made their own Tuti the Turtle out of papier-mâché. On St. Maarten, Peli the Pelican came to life with pieces of fabric and sewing thread. And on St. Eustatius, the kids eagerly sculpted Iggy the Iguana out of clay. Preparations are in full swing on Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire to start similar sessions in May.
The art projects are nearly finished, and Park Ranger Jobo from STENAPA – the nature park organization on St. Eustatius – has reappeared in the classroom to take the children out to see a real Lesser Antillean Iguana. Time to meet one in the wild! The kids excitedly follow Jobo to the bus, which is waiting to take them to a spot where he recently saw an iguana.
When they arrive, they’re in luck! It takes a bit of searching, but soon they find a real Lesser Antillean Iguana. Jobo skilfully picks up the iguana and immediately reminds the kids that they shouldn’t try to do this themselves if they spot one. Judging by their wide-eyed faces, I’m not too worried – they can see that iguanas are pretty big in real life!
Jobo goes over what he explained in class a few days earlier about the iguanas and their habitat. Seeing the iguana up close makes an even bigger impression. After answering all their questions, Jobo and the kids carefully release the iguana back into the bushes where they found it. Still amazed, the kids climb back onto the bus, excitedly chatting about everything they’ve learned over the past few days.
Back in the classroom, the girl asks me if she can take her Iggy home yet. She wants to show it to her mom. If we can inspire kids like this and make a difference in how they see their environment, then the mission of the WOW-ies is a success!
