Jamin’s mom Missi brought
in Jamin’s dog Kyan, and the students did a lot of comparing between the calico
cat and the husky dog. They noticed his very blue eyes, and how much fur he
has. Missi told the students what husky dogs are really good at…pulling sleds! She
also told them that he only needs a bath twice a year and that Kyan is pretty
old for a dog so he sleeps a lot during the day.
“He must be really hot in
Singapore with his fur!” – A.J.
“Let’s give him more
turkey! I think food makes him happy!” –Mei
We are heading into the
winter break, and the students continue to be intrigued by cats and dogs. We
just found out that Garfield was in an accident and is healing at home. We will
use this as our first provocation in the new year. As well as Scout’s comment
of “We should go visit a place where they have dogs and cats that don’t have
any homes! We need to make sure they are ok!”
A
study of animals in our Pre K classrooms aligns well with authentic learning in
context and being completely absorbed in the process of learning. By thinking,
feeling, questioning, communicating, and making connections, the students are
engaged in a meaningful and relevant learning experiences they can be a part of
themselves.
Including
animals in our setting (whether it be our guinea pigs, Mango and Oreo Cookie or
animals around us) encourages respectful relationships between the students and
the animals, as well as between each other. The students learn how to interact
with one another, to show empathy, to be responsible for another being, to
treat animals as part of our family/community, and to find a sense of belonging
in their world.
Children’s
relationships with animals are special, and allowing these relationships to
develop expands their affinity for living things. Many children seem to
understand and recognize the intrinsic value of animals not because of what
they do for us, give us or help us, but because they are living creatures. I
look forward to seeing how this project is propelled forward by our students.
Our
task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to
embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein
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