Students Enjoy "Touch Tour" of Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus

Students from Perkins Lower School and Deafblind Program recently took a trip to the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus at TDBankNorth Garden. The students met clowns, tried on costumes, touched a real live elephant and were entertained by a talented performing pooch.

A crew from New England Cable News (NECN) was on hand to film the "touch tour" and capture the exciting experience behind the scenes at "The Greatest Show on Earth." Circus performers and teachers described costumes and circus animals as the students got up close and personal and used their hands to get a better understanding of each concept.

Kathy Heydt, a teacher in Perkins Lower School explained the significance of the trip in an interview with NECN: "Someone will sit next to them at the circus and say, oh, there's an elephant it's really big..it has a long trunk...this way, they've touched it, they've felt it, they're going to have a much better idea of what an elephant is."

Leo Acton, Ringling Brothers' boss clown, told NECN: "We want them to have a chance to experience the circus the way that everyone else does - to really pull it in with all their senses."

Watch video and read the story of the experience at NECN.com.