There are so many wonderful things that our students can learn by caring for a classroom pet, but food, hygiene, and even the occasional vet's visit can sure take a toll on the budget!
Do you know that there's money available to help? I'd like to tell you about Pets in the Classroom, a non-profit, charitable, public foundation. The foundation is funded by donations from individuals, pet industry companies, industry associations, corporate sponsors, and other foundations. Although I don't have personal experience with this, the grant process seems to be very straightforward: one grant per teacher per year, and you find out if you're approved in just 3-4 weeks!
Seven kinds of grants are offered:
The site also has free downloadable care sheets for animals ranging from dwarf gerbils to leopard geckos. They're written for 4th or 5th grade, but we all know that a piece of highly motivating material will often be attacked and mastered by many students who technically aren't actually at that reading level yet. Just display the print-outs near where your classroom pet resides for some instant non-fiction text practice!
If you need to convince your administrator that having a pet is a beneficial and ... dare I say it ... even a Common Core-justifiable practice, Pets in the Classroom has this print-out for you.
There's even a link at the site for a quick and easy way to tell your friends about this program ... click here to "tell a teacher"!
If your students (or YOU!) are kind of crazy for cats and dogs, here are a few resources you'll love!
Here's a fun set of pet-themed 120 chart games!
It's time to share the puppy love with a freebie! This set includes a blank game board for you to use with your own flash cards, plus the two completed ones you see here, ready for your kinders and firsties to use! Just click here or on any of the images below to get your freebie!
Have fun loving your classroom pets!
Happy Teaching!
