A new school year has started for some of you teachers, and will start soon for the rest of you!  When do you plan on introducing your classroom pet?  If you don’t have a classroom pet yet or haven’t introduced your pet to the students yet, here are a couple of fun ideas to incorporate into your lesson plans that will help your students learn in the process!

Have your students create a proposal as to why they should have a classroom pet and which pet they should get.  The students can review classroom and school policies to make sure that having a pet will meet the guidelines.  They can research the costs of maintaining a pet as well as the proper care that will need to be provided in order to have a pet.  Have them outline in the proposal how the class will take care of the pet.  You could even create a contract that lists how the students will be responsible for and treat the pet and have them sign it.

Another way to introduce a classroom pet to students is by inviting a guest speaker to come talk to your class about your classroom pet.  Your guest speaker could be a veterinarian, animal rescue worker, pet store owner, or other animal expert.  Brainstorm with your students on questions to ask the speaker.  Have the speaker talk about what your pet likes, how it should be cared for, and the health concerns and treatments of the pet that the students should be aware of.

How do you plan on introducing your pet to your students?  If you have fun ideas that you would like to share, please post them on our Facebook page so that other teachers can benefit from them as well! And if you do not have a classroom pet and are interested in getting one, be sure to visit the Pets in the Classroom website for some great information and to apply for our grant!