Child Development & Guidance
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How Animals Can Help With Learning, Collaboration & Creativity in Children.
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How Animals Can Help With Learning, Collaboration & Creativity in Children.
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I cannot find the correct discussion/forum room. I was directed here by the link in “Attitude is Everything” course, and after trying to navigate the forums for 10 minutes I cannot find the right place. So my answer is to this question from that course: “Can you think of an example of a person who had a significant childhood experience that impacted them in the future, whether good or bad?”
I know someone whose mother struggled with depression, and whose home life was not a safe situation when she was young. As an adult she continues to struggle with substances, depression and anxiety…. Having worked with children at risk through an international summer camp program, I know that there are many stories like hers, but that it only takes one positive relationship with a caring adult to help a child’s brain to start to heal from the effects of a constant trauma/fight-flight-freeze state.
As a teacher for over 15 years, I have observed in my own classroom that my own attitude, and the nonverbal communication I give to students and parents is the most powerful ingredient in how a given day (week, month, year) is going to go in my class. I have learned it is paramount that I recognize the value of each student that I interact with. Kids who see that I love them, and that I expect they can and will excel never disappoint me.
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Animals are a great tool for teaching and creating an engaging classroom. Animals are cute, and interesting, and have so many different behaviors to observe, there is always something to learn from the animal world.
As an outdoor nature instructor my tips for bringing up the topic of animals in the classroom, deal with wildlife. Human-wildlife interactions are something I strive to educate my kiddos about. Conservation is important to our class. Some ideas are to talk to local programs such as local fish and wildlife/parks & rec department, to see if there are volunteer opportunities for the kids to participate in. One popular activity we have done in our class is working with parks & rec native planting, and habitat building. This helps teach the kids so many amazing things, like what animals use the same spaces they do, and how to share and conserve those spaces.
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Having animals in the classroom or even incorporated into the plans can be such a good and effective tool when it comes to working with children. From what I’ve seen be done with incorporating them not just teach them about ownership but also lets them take a chance to learn more about a subject but doing it in a creative way. Every spring we have a chance to pick themes for the week some and some of them are animals based{ what animals you’ll see in spring}. We also get butterflies to see have they evolve.
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Animals make everyone happy, and children can learn a lot from them.
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I think animals are an effective for teaching in the classroom because they get creative and are wanting to learn more. I would say finding a way to get them to read more and learn about the animal would help get them engaged. It’s real.
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I do think that animals can be an effective teaching tool in the classroom, even for the very youngest age groups. I have always felt lucky to work in a school with a fish tank, because it is an easy way to help infants and young toddlers relax, reset and regulate by looking and talking about the colors, movement and habitat of the fish.
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I think animals are great for classroom learning because they teach students empathy for creatures other than humans.
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I think animals are a great addition to the classroom. This is another way for a child to be loved and comforted and also a way to help children feel needed. As for animals require love and care. Animals I think can make kids feel less lonely or afraid.
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Samantha, I love your perspective! Animals can definitely provide comfort and teach responsibility, fostering emotional growth and empathy in children.
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I think having a class pet is a wonderful way to teach children in a classroom environment responsibility, empathy for living things and patience. This can be done with curriculum that is set up to teach them about ecosystems (science), counting (dog years vs. human years) and fine motor skills when handling said animal or refilling food and water
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Maria, you’ve made some great points! A class pet can teach valuable life skills and provide hands-on learning experiences.
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Animals are an excellent teaching tool to motivate students in their learning to be compassionate and caring of animals.
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I think animals in a classroom is a effective teaching tool because it help the children learn about responsibility as well as a interactive way to help learn about the environment.
One way you could introduce animals in the classroom setting is by getting a class pet and letting the children help take care of the pet under supervision, another way is to introduce caterpillars and watch them grow and it can help the child learn about caterpillars and butterflies.
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Lori, I love your ideas! A class pet and caterpillar lifecycle are great ways to teach responsibility and the wonders of nature.
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i believe animals a are a very effective teaching tool because the children can learn how to take care of them and they can learn what make animals different from humans.
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Yalonda, I agree! Teaching children to care for animals helps them understand responsibility and appreciate the differences between animals and humans. Great point!
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We run a farm based childcare. The children hep raise, feed, care for all the farm animals. We have a mule, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. The kids bottle feed the calves, feed all the animals, collect eggs, and play with the animals.
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That sounds like an amazing learning experience, Danielle! Caring for farm animals teaches responsibility, empathy, and hands-on life skills in such a fun and engaging way!
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Yes, animals can be an incredibly effective teaching tool in the classroom. They not only engage students but also provide hands-on learning experiences that foster curiosity, empathy, and responsibility. Animals can help teach a variety of subjects, from biology and environmental science to social-emotional skills like compassion and teamwork. Animals can enhance learning by making abstract concepts tangible and encouraging students to connect with nature. With careful planning and attention to safety, they can transform the classroom into an exciting, interactive space for discovery.
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Great insights, Preethy! Animals provide hands-on learning, foster empathy, and make lessons more engaging. With proper planning, they can create meaningful and interactive classroom experiences.
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Animals in the classroom offer, hands on learning too many aspects of early childhood education. Life stages, habitats, companionship responsibility are all practical reasonable skills they can practice and develop while in the classroom.
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Heather, you make an excellent point! Animals provide hands-on learning opportunities for many important skills, like responsibility and empathy.
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