They creep and crawl through the darkness, spooking all who dare to get in their way.

The hands-on “Creatures of the Night” event lead by David Stokes provides an opportunity for kids and parents to learn about nocturnal animals.

Stokes will come to UW-Whitewater at 3 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Fern Young Terrace.

This is the first event held as part of the “Never Too Young” performance series.

All ages are welcome, but the program targets children ages 1 to 11 years old.

“He uses storytelling and song to engage kids in learning about the natural world around them,” Shannon Dozoryst said, coordinator of Education and Outreach.

Stokes is a naturalist, educator and entertainer, as characterized by Dozoryst. Stokes’ performance at UW-Whitewater will feature live animals for the children to see up close. “We have designed this family friendly series to make a day at the theater a fun and affordable experience for our students and faculty and staff who have small children, as well as families in our community,” Dozoryst said.

Stokes has been educating children about these creatures for years through the use of live animals and puppets.

“I’ve been educating since 1974,” Stokes said. “I realized that kids liked animals, and they listened to me when I talked about them.”

Stokes has won several awards for his teaching skills. He won the Master Interpreter Award for non-formal interpretation from the National Association for Interpretation and the Aldo Leopold award from Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education.

Children can expect a fun-filled show including the display of many different animals, both dead and alive.

“It is Halloween time you know,” Stokes said. “I’ll bring with me skulls, fur coats, bones, etc.”

Besides “Creatures of the Night,” Stokes will teach children about other various interesting subjects, including plants, animals and fungi.

Stokes said he hopes the show will captivate the minds of children and show them even the “creepy” animals can be fun to learn about.

Along with Stokes, Dozoryst said she hopes families from the campus and the community will embrace this new inexpensive, interactive program.