Shout Out!

 

Hello Science Friends,

I am so excited and I mean I am really excited. I just opened a letter from Pets in the Classroom and found out that I was awarded a grant for pets in my classroom. You really can't understand just how happy this makes me. I had a few pet fatalities last year and I was wondering if I was going to have pets in my classroom again. My kids really enjoyed pets last year and so did I. I was kind of depressed when the animals that we came to love passed.

 

 

You would not think small animals would have a big impact on a classroom environment but they do! We would open our door in the morning and we would all gather around our pets and see what they had been up to. We would talk about what they needed and take care of them for a few minutes and then start our day. My set up was kind of neat because both of my aquariums and a light up paper moon were on a tap switch so one tap and all the lights would come on and we could see what was going on. Last year I had a spot for my pets in a tucked away corner of my room under a big paper tree. I had planned on keeping the set up the same and left it up for the summer. I came back to a room with a broken window and it had rained inside my classroom and damaged the decorations in my Science center. At first I was upset because I thought it was all ready to go for the new year. After I thought about it for a while I decided I would try something completely different this year.

 

 

I am still working on my Science center even after school has started and I am finally ok with that. I have had the chance to really think about it and plan for each inch of space. I always wanted a dedicated space for Science and every other subject too but I realize that Science can happen anywhere and we investigate everywhere so with that thought in mind my Science center does not have to to be big. I just want a place or space to hold my materials and to foster independence with Science materials. And now I need some space for my pets! This time around I want my pets to be front and center.

 

 

I am so excited to be able to go and get new pets. I am already making a list of the things I am going to get. I am hoping and hoping when I get to Petsmart that they will have the LED light aquarium that I saw online, the glow rocks and the cutest little live aqua frogs for two dollars. I have to wait until the weekend for my pet shopping. Oh how I wish it were Friday right now! If you need some critters in your classroom you should consider checking out Pets In The Classroom!