But what does conservation have to do with bringing living creatures into your classroom?

First, observing live creatures encourages the cornerstone of science education, curiosity. Second, it shows how living organisms affect their environment, and promotes an understanding of ecology. And third, the study of living creatures encourages a respect for life. (By the way, students should never be forced to handle any living creature that frightens them. Let students and creatures become familiar with each other, gradually.)

General Guidelines
However, there are some general guidelines you should follow that will make the experience positive for you, your students, and your new classroom companions. For example, common sense says not to bring dangerous creatures into the classroom. A kindergarten teacher put fire ants into the classroom ant farm because the ants were readily available and she didn't have to buy them. But when the ants escaped and started biting students, she realized this was not a good idea. Fire ants, rattlesnakes, and other dangerous animals have no business in your classroom!

Besides being dangerous, wild animals, including birds and turtles, may carry harmful parasites or be transmitters of disease. Observe wild animals in the wild, not in your classroom.

Animals Need Daily Maintenance
Finally, only keep those living creatures for which you can maintain a healthy, clean habitat, even over weekends and during school breaks. This can get tricky sometimes! One time, the student who was to take the mice home for spring break came down with a bad cold, so I ended up taking mama mouse and her babies home with me. I didn't mind, but I had three cats and a dog, and they were just positive that I brought the mice home for them. I kept the mouse cage in a closed off room, but this one time the phone rang just as I opened the cage to feed the mice. I stepped away for just a moment—and that's all the time 'Eddie the Hunter' needed. He jumped into the open cage and mama mouse and all 14 of her babies jumped out. (Mice are very good jumpers.) I frantically grabbed anything I could to try and catch the quickly scattering mice. The dog thought this was a great game and laid down on the floor to watch. Oops. One baby mouse ran into the dog's mouth. The dog swallowed. But with the help of the cats, who very “thoughtfully” stared at the mice's hiding places, I did catch all the others.

Remember, it's better to have only one or two well cared for animals than several that are kept in unsanitary conditions. And speaking of sanitary conditions, students should always wear gloves when handling animals or cleaning cages. Develop the habit, right from the start, of having everyone wash their hands after handling classroom animals.

Check with Parents
It's also a good idea to check with parents before bringing any animals into your classroom. Some children have serious allergy problems, and animals could cause asthma attacks or other reactions. Sometimes it's the animal's food or the litter that causes an allergy problem, and not the animal itself. (Protozoa, insects, reptiles, and amphibians are the least likely to cause allergic reactions.)

If the Project Wild ² program is available in your area, you can sign up for one of their inexpensive teacher workshops. Or you can ask your state's wildlife management agency for advice. There are also many good books, such as Animals in the Classroom by David C. Kramer and Backyard Pets: Activities for Exploring Wildlife Close to Home by Carol A. Amato, that are filled with animal care techniques and helpful suggestions.

Keeping live animals in the classroom is definitely a challenge. But it is a challenge well worth the effort when you consider the new understanding of and respect for life that your students will develop.

Nature Conservancy is published quarterly by The Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203-1606. This magazine is an excellent classroom resource with up-to-date information on worldwide conservation efforts as well as many intriguing nature photographs in each issue. For more information about The Nature Conservancy, visit their website at http://nature.org/

²Project Wild is one of the most widely-used conservation and environmental education programs among educators of students in kindergarten through high school. The program emphasizes wildlife because of its intrinsic and ecological values, as well as its importance as a basis for teaching how ecosystems function. 

© 2005 Anne Wallingford. All rights reserved.

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