I have a huge fear of snakes. My Dad was hit by a baby (tiny thing too) copperhead several years back and almost lost his leg. I go the other direction when I see one.
I absolutely love that you are teaching your children, from a young age, how to coexist with them. My son is the snake handler in this house. Anytime any of us see one we get him. He always catches it and moves it far back in the woods.
Nature is all around us, and many times it's because we have moved in on its territory. Teaching your children about these kind of things will hopefully remove the fear many of us have for things we simply don't know enough about.