The document discusses the idea of getting a class pet and developing children's connections to nature. It explores how playing as and with animals can help children form caring relationships with wildlife. While the educator had concerns about keeping animals in captivity, further research revealed that hands-on experiences with nature in early childhood can foster lifelong naturalists. Allowing children to explore the outdoors and engaging with animals through play may help cultivate their care for the natural world.

1. From August 2014, delving deeper from February 2015
Should we get a class pet?
Learning to Understand our Environment
“A
pet
is
an
animal
you
want
to
keep
forever.
If
you
use
toys
to
be
a
pet
they
will
never
ever
die
because
you
can
sew
them
back
together.
If
you
get
a
real
pet
and
keep
it
in
the
classroom,
it’s
called
a
class
pet.
A
living
thing
and
a
not
living
thing
because
small
animals
die
easily.
You
have
to
feed
her
and
care
for
her.
I
know
a
lot
about
pets.”
(Audra)

2. Early
childhood
is
often
described
as
a
unique
and
critical
time
for
connecting
children
with
nature.
“Nature
connections
made
in
early
childhood
are
instrumental
to
the
construction
of
values,
development
of
an
‘ecological
self’,
and
can
be
viewed
as
a
lifelong
resource.
But,
under
what
circumstances
do
these
connections
materialise?”
(Elliot
et
al,
2008,
p
10)
Over
the
year
the
children
have
shown
a
love
and
affinity
for
animals.
Children
feel
an
inherent
empathy
with
wild
and
domestic
animals
.
Children’s
first
impulse
with
some
animals
is
to
pick
them
up,
hold
them
close,
take
care
of
them
and
become
them.
Other
animals
inspire
fear
and
avoidance.
In
this
transient
life
school
that
many
have
chosen
in
living
overseas,
maybe
school
seems
to
be
the
right
place
to
begin
developing
an
authentic
connection
to
the
Earth
and
nature.
David
Sobel
reminds
us,
“If
we
want
children
to
flourish,
to
become
truly
empowered,
then
let
us
allow
them
to
love
the
earth
before
we
ask
them
to
save
it.”
What
can
we,
as
educators,
do
to
foster
children’s
natural
curiosity
about
their
world?
How
do
we
measure
a
‘connection’
to
the
natural
world?
And,
where
do
we
start?
We
have
also
made
a
commitment
to
spending
as
much
time
outdoors
each
day
as
we
could,
ensuring
that
children
had
time
to
explore
the
outdoor
environment,
tend
the
gardens
and
develop
a
relationship
with
the
outdoor
environment
at
kindergarten.
David
Attenborough
once
said
that,
“People
are
not
going
to
care
about
animal
conservation
unless
they
think
that
animals
are
worthwhile.”
However
when
Audra
proposed
that
we
absolutely
must
get
a
class
pet,
I
was
not
sure
how
to
respond.
I
found
myself
in
a
situation
of
conflict.
My
personal
feelings
drove
me
towards
deep
sadness
at
being
complicit
to
living
creatures
being
held
captive
in
cages
for
our
own
pleasure.
I
carried
out
my
own
research
into
the
connection
between
developing
relationships
with
animals
in
childhood
and
future
protection
of
wildlife.
Reflecting
on
my
observations
of
children,
I
realised
that
they
naturally
become
animals
in
their
play,
taking
on
characters
and
trying
to
understand
them
from
the
inside
out.
When
I
considered
the
books
in
our
class
library,
I
noticed
that
it
is
surprising
how
frequently
animals
play
a
central
role.
More
often
than
not,
either
the
characters
are
animals
or
the
people
are
interacting
with
animals.
Animals
play
a
significant
role
in
the
evolution
of
children’s
care
and
the
natural
world
and
in
their
own
emotional
development.

3. I
discovered
that
the
many
ways
that
children
play
at
being
animals
and
at
interac6ng
with
animals
has
the
poten6al
to
develop
future
desires
to
protect
animals.
Perhaps
projec6ng
feelings
and
human
characteris6cs
onto
animals
facilitates
rela6onships.
It
makes
animals
and
people
part
of
one
larger
family,
with
kinship
rela6onships
and
rules
for
sharing
and
care
taking
that
weave
clans
together.
“By
idenAfying
with
a
number
of
animals
in
turn,
the
child
discovers
a
common
ground
with
other
beings
despite
external
differences
between
himself
and
them.
Anthropomorphism
at
this
stage
is
essenAal...By
pretending
that
animals
speak
to
one
another,
he
imposed
on
them
a
pseudo-­‐humanity
which,
although
illusionary,
is
the
glue
of
real
kinship.”
(Shepard,
P.
1983)
Doing
further
research,
I
found
that
prominent
naturalists
describe
a
fascination
with
capturing
animals
in
childhood.
Harvard
entomologist
E.O.
Wilson
comments,
“Hands
on
experience
at
the
critical
time,
not
systematic
knowledge,
is
what
counts
in
the
making
of
a
naturalist.
Better
to
be
an
untutored
savage
for
a
while,
not
to
know
the
names
or
anatomical
detail.
Better
to
spend
long
stretches
of
time
just
searching
and
dreaming.”
(Wilson,
E.
1994)

4. Grateful
to
the
children
for
causing
me
to
think
and
wonder,
we
began
to
investigate
Audra’s
proposal.
Initially
Audra
asked
for
the
children’s
first
thoughts
about
class
pets.
The
children
shared
their
ideas...
“If
you
bring
a
dog
it
might
scratch
me.
I
don’t
want
a
dog.”
(Hudson)
“If
we
get
a
tiny
puppy,
we
get
used
to
it
when
it
gets
bigger.
It
would
be
cute.
My
cat
took
a
bath
yesterday
in
the
sink,
but
he
didn’t
like
it.
We
should
get
a
cat
because
he
looks
cute
when
his
hair
sticks
out.”
(Audra)
“Bird
is
not
very
scared.
You
can
get
bird
cage
so
they
wont
get
out.”
(Yuta)
“Maybe
a
parrot
because
my
sister’s
friend
has
a
pet
parrot.”
(Jacob)
“A
kitty
and
a
mummy
cat
because
there
are
so
nice.
A
little
cat
can
be
wild.”
(Rachel)
“Hamster.
I
like
hamsters.
Hamsters
are
cute.
Hamsters
can
be
our
class
pet
because
hamsters
are
not
dangerous.”
(Mahnoor)
“But
they
die
easily.
My
sister
said
that
every
time
she
had
a
hamster
it
died.”
(Liam)
“One
time
I
go
to
the
pet
shop
and
there
is
10
hamsters
and
then
the
people
said
it
is
going
to
die
easily.
So
I
don’t
want
a
hamster.”
(Yuta)
“A
rabbit
because
rabbits
are
cute.
So
much
fur
and
it
can
die
easily
if
you
pet
them
too
much
they
die
easily.”
(Mahnoor)
“A
wolf.”
(Bogac)
“Turtle
because
Audra
and
me,
we
want
a
turtle.”
(Clara)
“Wolves
are
too
dangerous.”
(Mahnoor)
“Turtles
are
better
because
they
don’t
bite
us.”
(Clara)
“Baby
wolves
don’t
scratch.”
(Bogac)
“If
we
get
a
wolf
....”
(Clara)
“The
daddy
wolf
can
come
and
scratch
us.”
(Will)
“But
there
are
no
wolves
in
the
pet
store.”
(Jacob)
“An
owl.”
(JJ)
“Can
we
get
a
turtle
and
a
guinea
pig
?
I
had
a
guinea
pig
in
Australia.
It
didn’t
die.
It
just
went
off
to
a
different
home.”
(Audra)
“If
we
get
a
turtle
its
much
better
because
it
won’t
bite
us.”
(Clara)
“A
guinea
pig
would
be
fine.
You
can
have
a
big
cage.
You
can
actually
hold
him.
We
can
have
a
pet
turtle
and
you
can
hold
them.
It
can
be
in
a
big
circle
cage.
It
can
be
in
the
book
corner.
We
can
read
it
a
story
before
it
goes
to
bed.”
(Audra)
The
children
had
a
lot
of
ideas
to
share
and
listened
well
to
each
other,
sometimes
offering
more
problems,
sometimes
offering
possible
solutions
or
knowledge.

5. “Yes,
because
they
follow
you.”
(JJ)
“Yes
because
I
like
pets
because
sometimes
they
like
you.”
(Jacob)
“Yes.
Grade
5
need
to
have
a
pet.
Grade
5
had
a
pet,
but
it
bite
the
friend
of
my
sister
and
now
they
don’t
have
a
pet.”
(Clara)
“Yes,
because
I
want
to
pet
it
and
give
it
food.”
(Nicole)
“But
what
happens
if
it
scratches
us?”
(Will)
“I
have
a
pet
that
is
a
dog
but
it
is
trained.”
(Nicole)
“But
it
wouldn’t
be
trained
because
if
it
doesn’t
know
you
it
would
scratch.”
(Liam)
“Yes
because
I
don’t
have
a
pet
at
home.
There’s
a
problem
with
having
a
pet
that
walks,
sometimes
pets
only
like
one
kid.
Maybe
we
should
have
a
fish,
a
rainbow
fish.”
(Bogac)
“But
then
we
can’t
take
it
home.”
(Clara)
“But
this
is
a
class
pet.”
(Audra)
“But
the
pet
doesn’t
like
the
dark
in
the
class
when
no
body
is
there.
We
need
to
give
it
dinner.”
(Clara)
“Who
will
look
after
the
pets
in
the
night?”
(Peppa)
“My
dogs
are
trained
to
fetch
a
ball
and
bring
it
back
to
me
but
they
are
back
in
Australia”
(Will)
“Yes,
because
owls
can
be
at
night
and
I
don’t
need
to
bring
it
home,
but
I
like
guinea
pigs
and
bunnies
too.
Or
a
fish
because
fishes
can
be
different.
I
like
angel
fishes.”
(Audra)
“Yes,
because
I
like
pets.
I
don’t
have
a
pet
at
home.”
(Aurelia)
“I
had
a
classroom
pet
before.
I
had
a
fish.
It
was
nice
but
some
of
them
were
dead.”
(Bogac)
“Yes,
in
EC2
we
had
some
fish
and
they
dies.
A
fish
is
good
but
if
we
have
a
tub
of
water
in
the
bus
it
will
spill.”
(Clara)
“My
dog
,
if
she
doesn’t
know
people
she
jumps
on
people
and
she
might
scratch.”
(Hudson)
“Yes,
I
like
to
have
a
fish.
A
fish,
you
put
a
fish
in
a
tub
and
it
will
not
die.”
(Luis)
“I
like
cat
because
cute
but
my
dad
and
my
mum
say
no
because
Indonesia
cat
too.”
(Rena)
“A
dolphin.
I
like
dolphins.
But
I
know
we
can’t
have
a
dolphin
at
school.”
(Peppa)
Although
everyone
enthusiastically
exclaimed
that
we
should
have
a
class
pet,
still
more
points
to
consider
emerged
from
this
conversation.
I
invited
the
children
to
participate
in
a
thinking
routine
to
help
them
to
critically
analyse
the
proposition
.
What
if
you
are
allergic
to
pets?
The
hospital
is
far
away.
(Clara)
But
where
would
we
get
the
animals
from?
Bunnies
are
cute,
dogs
are
cute,
ponies
are
cute.
(Audra)
Yes,
ponies
eat
carrots,
so
thats
easy.
(Peppa)
Can
I
get
a
horse?
No,
a
pony?
No,
a
flying
unicorn?
(Audra)
But
unicorns
are
not
real.
(Peppa)
Would you like a class pet?Would you like a class pet?
Yes No
Do you think we should have a class pet?

6. Thinking about class pets
Need to know
Suggestions
Excited aboutWorries
Having a pet
Playing with a pet
Taking care of a pet
Talking to a pet
Walking with a pet
Does the pet like to be alone or not
alone?
How to train a dog
How to be nice to the pet
Where to get food
Will the pet get hurt?
Being bitten
Germs
The pets might eat our food
It might run away
It might die
Who will take care of it at night ,
in the morning and in the
holidays?
Where will it go to the toilet?
Will it be scared at night?
Will it be lonely at night?
Will it be scared of us?
If we have fish, get two tanks
Will is an expert about dogs
We should train the dog
We need a cage
We need to study more about pets.

7. We
had
many
conversations
both
with
the
whole
class
and
with
individual
or
small
groups
of
children.
The
more
I
listened
to
the
children
with
an
open
mind,
I
found
that
they
were
really
showing
a
more
empathetic
understanding
of
the
rights
of
the
living
things.
Time
after
time
the
children
explained
that
the
animals
that
they
would
like
as
pets
need
family,
friends,
homes,
water
and
to
be
healthy.
The
way
the
children
could
feel
an
attachment
to
the
needs
of
the
creatures,
which
they
thought
were
so
in
tune
with
their
own
needs,
gives
me
hope
for
the
sustainability
of
the
Earth.
Once
the
emotions
have
been
aroused,
a
sense
of
the
beautiful,
a
feeling
of
sympathy,
pity
,
admiration
or
love,
I
hope
that
the
children
will
search
for
more
knowledge
about
the
source
of
the
emotional
response
and
seek
to
take
care
of
it.
Pets have birthday parties.
“A
cat
family,
mum
,
dad,
baby,
big
sister
and
a
li5le
sister.
They
are
not
scared
together.
They
are
together.
They
are
not
scared.
They
like
to
play
together.”
(Aurelia)
“Dog
family.
They
have
a
school
called
JIS
too.
They
have
bags.
Dogs
are
looking
through
the
window
and
they
can
see
different
dogs.
The
dogs
are
happy.
They
are
happy
because
they
are
in
school.
It’s
their
first
Fme
at
school.
They
have
their
own
water
bo5les.
They
are
happy.
They
are
not
scared.”
(JJ)

8. Wondering and
wandering through
non-fiction texts
The
children
still
had
many
wonderings
so
we
looked
at
non-­‐fiction
books
to
try
to
find
out
more.
The
children
recorded
information
and
tried
to
use
several
different
texts
and
then
made
conclusions
about
what
they
had
learned.
This
focus
on
research
has
an
emphasis
on
gathering,
analysing,
synthesing
and
reflecting
on
information
gained.
The
child
is
the
inquirer
and
there
was
a
strong
focus
on
being
able
to
access
and
make
sense
of
information
from
various
sources.
This
inquiry
helped
to
develop
the
children’s
capacity
to
think
and
learn
independently
and
ultimately
to
be
able
to
inquire
for
themselves.
“
I
find
out
hamsters
have
babies.”
(Rena)
“Rabbits
have
babies
too!”
(Clara)
“Fish
need
fish
food
and
they
don’t
eat
our
food,
and
they
need
water.”
(Will)
“Dogs,
you
have
to
name
them,
so
they
know
what
their
names
are
called.”
(Luis)
“Fish
can
bite.”
(Hudson)
“I
found
out
rabbits
eat
rabbit
food
and
carrots.”
(Nicole)
“Hamsters
know
when
it
is
bedtime
and
morning
time
and
time
to
drink.”
(JJ)
“There
are
fish
with
puffy
faces.”
(Liam)
“Fish
need
water
and
small
food.
Sometimes
the
big
fish
eat
the
bread.”
(Yuta)
“Hamsters,
some
are
white,
some
are
brown.”
(Aurelia)
“Persian
cat
is
a
type
of
cat.”
(Rachel)
“Hamsters
need
a
cage
and
tunnels,
things
to
crawl
through,
things
to
play
with,
spinny
things.”
(Peppa)
“Hamsters,
if
the
water
gets
dirty
,
you
need
to
change
it,
you
have
to
clean
it
every
morning,
that
will
be
tiring.”
(Audra)

9. The
children
offered
many
reasons
for
having
fish
for
a
class
pet....
• They
don’t
get
scared
• They
are
not
loud
• They
don’t
bite
you
• Fish
do
entertain
you.
They
swim
around
and
we
watch
them
• Fish
is
a
good
pet
because
they
can
entertain
you
and
show
you
how
to
swim
their
style
• They
are
not
so
messy,
but
all
the
other
pets
do
messy
things
but
you
do
have
to
clean
the
water
• We
have
to
remember
to
feed
them
Finally we get some fish!

10. Fish!
The
children
were
delighted
with
the
arrival
of
the
fish,
even
the
children
who
would
have
preferred
a
different
type
of
animal,
seemed
to
connect
with
the
fish.
“They
are
so
cute!”
(Audra)
“Do
you
want
to
know
what
my
favourite
one
is?
It’s
that
small
one
with
the
stripe.”
(Luis)
Keen
to
discuss
what
they
had
already
noticed,
we
had
a
meeting.
“My
fish
copied
me
when
I
did
a
trick
in
the
water.
Can
we
train
our
fish
to
do
tricks?
Like
jumping
up
in
the
air
and
splashing.”
(Audra)
“I
saw
them,
they
were
confused
by
the
reflection.
Maybe
they
thought
it
was
a
friend
but
it
was
actually
them.”
(Jacob)
“Maybe
they
can
spin
in
a
circle.”
(Hudson)
“Jumping
like
a
dolphin.”
(Luis)
“Maybe
if
they
can
jump
in
the
air,
close
to
each
other,
it
could
be
a
show.”
(Hudson)
“I
saw
a
dolphin
show.
I
saw
them
jump
high
and
spin.”
(Luis)
“I
see
a
dolphin
show
a
long
time
ago.
The
dolphin
touch
the
red
ball.”
(Yuta)
“Maybe
fish
can
do
that?”
(Hudson)
“Through
the
hoop
and
over
the
stick.”
(Yuta)
“Fish
toys,
a
tiny
ball.”
(Luis)
“We
need
a
hoop
for
the
fish.
If
you
want
the
fish
to
go
up
in
the
air
through
the
hoop.”
(Mahnoor)
“If
they
don’t
have
a
toy,
it
won’t
be
so
much
fun.
The
big
ones
need
toys
and
the
small
ones
need
some
and
the
ones
that
sleep
a
lot.”
(Luis)
“We
need
some
houses
for
the
fish.”
(Bogac0
“The
tank
is
the
house.”
(Jacob)
“The
tank
is
not
the
house.
My
brother’s
fish
had
a
house
inside
the
tank.”
(Hudson)
“We
can
make
some
toys
for
the
fish.”
(Audra)
“Maybe
I
can
make
a
ball
in
the
art
room.”
“One
time
I
made
a
house,
it
was
small,
maybe
I
can
bring
it
for
the
fish,
wood
and
sticks.”
(Jacob)
“I
can
make
a
box
for
the
toys.”
(Bogac0
“If
it’s
a
clay
ball
it
might
hurt
the
fish.”
(Yuta)
“Maybe
use
wire...”
(Audra)

11. It
seemed
to
be
of
great
importance
to
the
children
to
make
the
fish
tank
fun
for
the
fish.
Ideas
grew
about
playgrounds,
toys
and
houses
grew
in
the
discussions.
They
thought
of
many
things,
including
small
details,
such
as
how
a
fish
might
use
a
set
of
monkey
bars,
and
ways
to
make
the
tank
beautiful.
These
ideas
were
transferred
into
graphics.
“Swings.”
(Bogac)
“The
fish
will
do
the
swings,
up
and
down.”
(Luis)
“I
think
they
can’t
do
swings
because
they
are
normal
fish.”
(Bogac)
“They
can
go
on
their
stomach.”
(Liam)
“How
about
a
slide?”
(Bogac)
“But
the
water
might
stop
them
from
sliding.
They
can’t
swim
down
the
slide.”
(Jacob)
“Maybe
the
slide
could
be
opposite
of
the
normal
slide.”
(Yuta)
“A
flying
fox!
They
can
swim
on
the
flying
fox.”
(Jacob)
“Jumping
is
fun.”
(Bogac)
“A
trampoline!”
(Jacob)
“A
climbing
wall.
Climbing
on
their
bellies.”
(Hudson)
“An
obstacle
course.
They
can
go
through
things.
They
can’t
climb
on
a
climbing
frame.”
(Jacob)
“A
roller
coaster.”
(Bogac)
“The
water
can
be
the
roller
coaster.”
(Hudson)
“A
water
coaster...
no
a
fish
coaster!”
(Bogac)
“Plants.”
(Seii)
“Flowers.”
(Jacob)
“Fishy
bars
with
stairs
to
up
on
to
it
and
then
they
can
slide
on
it.”
(Liam)
“Or
do
sports
like
bowling.”
(Jacob)
The
children
began
to
construct
things
that
the
fish
would
enjoy.
They
were
so
thoughtful
about
how
the
fish
might
feel
and
tried
to
find
ways
to
help
the
fish
to
be
happy
in
their
new
home.
“If I was a fish with all these ideas, I would be excited!”

12. Reflections
We
had
many
conversations
about
pets
and
I
could
not
document
everything
here.
The
decision
to
have
fish
for
a
class
pet
was
grounded
in
research
and
was
a
democratic
decision.
The
children
have
travelled
far
on
their
journey
to
connect
with
nature.
The
ways
in
which
they
have
become
more
respectful
towards
animals
is
heart
warming.
This
project
has
provided
an
opportunity
to
create
empathy,
a
feeling
for
other
creatures
that
I
hope
can
develop
into
a
willingness
to
care
for
other
creatures
.
Through
research
and
wondering
they
have
a
shared
bank
of
knowledge
about
the
needs
of
living
things
which
also
has
an
emotional
connection
with
what
living
things
may
need
for
happiness.
Our
intent
from
the
beginning
of
this
year
was
to
help
the
children
to
understand
that
we
are
all
connected,
not
only
to
each
other
but
with
nature
as
well.
We
wanted
to
offer
the
children
opportunities
to
extend
their
perspective
of
togetherness.
“True
education
flowers
at
the
point
when
delight
falls
in
love
with
responsibility.
If
you
love
something,
you
want
to
look
after
it.”
Pullman
2005
We
can
not
expect
children
to
take
responsibility
for
the
natural
world
if
they
never
had
a
chance
of
experiencing
it
in
delightful
ways.
Without
direct
experience
,
it
is
unlikely
that
children
will
acquire
a
deep
intuitive
understanding
of
the
natural
world,
which
is
the
foundation
of
sustainable
development.
If
we
are
to
safeguard
the
future
of
life
on
earth,
then
we
must
allow
children
to
develop
an
intimate
relationship
with
nature,
to
understand
but
more
importantly
to
feel
the
interconnectedness
of
all
living
things
and
to
see
their
own
place
in
the
world.
Learning Journey: Learning to Understand our EnvironmentLearning Journey: Learning to Understand our EnvironmentLearning Journey: Learning to Understand our Environment
Enduring Understanding:
All living things have needs which
must be met in order to survive.
Compelling Question:
What makes a living thing, a living thing?
Essential Questions:
What is a living thing?
How do living things survive?
How do living things survive in different places?
Concept:
Survival
References:
Sue
Elliot
(Ed)
(2008).
The
outdoor
playspace
naturally
for
children
birth
to
five
years.
Pademelon
Press,
N.S.W,
2154
David
Sobel.
Beyond
Ecophobia:
Reclaiming
the
Heart
in
Nature
Education
David
Sobel
(2008)
Childhood
and
Nature:
Design
Principles
foe
Educators.
Stenhouse
publishers