Animals in the Classroom

Many teachers add a bit of life to their classes by including a guinea pig, turtle or other creature as the classroom pet. While these additional classmates may be fun for kids to care for, with a little effort, a richer curriculum that cultivates compassion and a deeper appreciation for animals and nature is possible, with the potential result of creating a future animal and nature-friendly society.

If you’re not a teacher, volunteering to help with the activities below would be welcomed by many a teacher.

Animals can be celebrated in a classroom by covering a portion of a wall or floor or having blackboard trim that includes collages made of magazine photos, paintings of favorite animals and photos from an animal-shelter field trip. Images of animals in their natural habitat are best.
Have your class research animal species or parts of the world that need help. Form a relationship with an organization that is actively helping that species or part of the world by receiving their newsletter or doing a fundraiser to support their efforts.
Instead of going to a zoo, a trip to, or a film about, an animal sanctuary or an animal-free circus would provide an opportunity to discuss humane treatment of animals and alternatives to confining animals to captivity for entertainment purposes.
If you are an animal lover, perhaps you could help create a Junior Humane Society Club as an afterschool elective. The club could engage in activities such as organizing pet food drives, raising funds for animal relief during natural disasters or for a local organization that helps animals or their habitats. Clubs can also perform a play or concert to raise animal awareness.
KIND News, a monthly publication produced by the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE), is available to K-6 classrooms in North America. This resource is full of articles, celebrity interviews, puzzles, project ideas and other items of interest aimed at inspiring respect for animals and positive action.

Other Resources
farmsanctuary
nahee
nwf.org
savethemanatee

Read more: Children, Family

Inspired by Building an Ark by Ethan Smith with Guy Dauncey (New Society Publishers, 2007)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Robert O.

3:46PM PDT on Jul 8, 2011

Animals are great teachers!

send a green star

Camilla V.

1:19AM PST on Mar 1, 2011

as long they animal is treated with love, care and respect, are aloud to get out the of the cage , bowl it is ok

KS G.

12:32AM PST on Mar 1, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Zion R.

10:14PM PDT on Oct 3, 2010

I suddenly remembered my grade school days when my classmates and I took turns taking care of Yertle the turtle, Bubbles the goldfish, and Mortimer the frog :)

Lisa Z.

8:49PM PDT on Oct 2, 2010

Shared on Facebook!!! :)

Penelopa T.

3:04AM PDT on Oct 2, 2010

Very good idea! "Warning"! There are different sorts of kids ; some of them are "set" to hurt, wound, or to mock helpless beings... this idea envolve a real educational process...

7:09PM PDT on Aug 14, 2010

Animals, if loved and properly cared for, would be pleased to serve humans in th class room.

But a gold fish bowl is too small.

Fish have been proven to have as much intelligence as a cat or a dog.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7.

This also applies to mercy to animals.

Bon L.

6:52AM PDT on Aug 9, 2010

Auguste F.

6:09AM PDT on Apr 24, 2010

but, you have to remember, maybe that animal doesn't want to stare at one wall for the rest of his or her life. You have to put yourself in that animal's shoes and see if THEY are benefiting.

Buffy F.

9:19AM PDT on Apr 7, 2010

I hope this really help kids to respect, love and learn about animals.