Actually, the classroom parents are looking forward to this topic. As I said before, we have 3 rescued vultures at the center where I work, and the children enjoy visiting them frequently, watching them eat, and we always thank them for being the cleaners of the earth. They have been VERY interested in vultures lately, and I only chose topics based on their interests at any time.
I think it is unfortunate that we, as adults, feel a need to impress upon young people the (often mislead) images of certain things that our culture has tainted with irrational fear. 3 year olds are wonderfully free of many irrational fears we develop over our lifetimes. Is it rational to be afraid of approaching a real vulture? yes. Is it rational to be afraid of a picture of a vulture and learning how they live? absolutely not.
Am I going to do a projectile vomit demonstration all over the classroom and bring in a carcass and show creepy Hollywood images of Vultures ripping apart flesh, maybe encourage the kiddos to go out and touch a real vulture? No, that would obviously be wrong.
What I can do is teach them how to identify different types of vultures out on our hike, teach them what vultures do to help the earth, bring in some real vulture feathers and eggs for them to touch, get them excited about learning and remind them, as I always do, that this is a wild animal that we can only observe and respect from afar.
I hope that if you do have children, you will not always let your own fear hinder your child’s natural sense of wonder.