What child doesn't want to have a puppy, a kitten, a bunny, a guinea pig or even a goldfish? Often such a purchase is made on impulse and from emotion. Because admit it: they are so cute when they are little! Often one does not realise that keeping such an animal in the long term involves a lot of responsibility. The care tasks that the children took in the beginning, increasingly fall on the shoulders of the parents. This often results in conflicts of which the pet eventually becomes the victim. It is neglected, disposed of or even abandoned....
To prevent this, we want to raise awareness among students so that when they buy a pet, they learn to make responsible and sustainable choices.
Did you know that..
annually 21,000 cats and 10,000 dogs end up in a shelter?
There are a lot of students who have pets. Map out with the students who all have a pet. Have them list the type of pet they have and where it came from. Then engage with the questions below.
About me
- Who likes or dislikes animals? Which animals? Why?
- Who has an animal at home? More than one? Which animal(s) is (are) it?
- Where did you get it? Why did you want this pet?
- How long have you had your pet?
- Is it difficult to take care of your pet? What kind of care does it need? Do you like it? Why (not)?
- Who cannot/may not keep a pet? Why not? (lack of space, cultures, values, norms, allergies...)
- ...
About the pet
- Does keeping a pet require a lot of care and time? Who takes care of it (mainly)?
- What do you do with your pet when you go on holiday?
- Where did you buy your pet? Where can you buy animals? What is the difference between an animal from a shelter, from a breeder, from someone else...?
- How much does it cost? Per week/month/year?
- How does your pet feel in its cage/house? What does it do all day?
- What kind of food and care does your pet need to be healthy?
- What is the difference between a pet cat and a stray cat? Where does a stray cat come from?
- Whose cat has been sterilised or castrated? What is it? Why is it important?
- Is your cat or dog microchipped? What is this? Why is this important?
- Who has a special pet (snake, gecko, turtle, frog, spider...)?
- Where does your pet come from originally (e.g. dog = wolf)?
- Can/may you keep such animals? What about the care?
- What is your animal allowed to eat? Can animals eat what we eat?
- Do animals have a passport? What does it look like?
- How old can your animal become? How big can your animal become?
- Who has given away or had to give up a pet? How did that happen? Where did it go? How did it make you feel? These questions require a careful approach!
- Does everyone in the world keep the same types of pets? Or are there differences?
Animals and people
- How did the keeping of pets originate?
- In which professions do you come into contact with animals?
- There are also animals that work. Do you know any examples?
- Dogs (guide dogs, detection dogs, guard dogs),
- Horses (carriage, fairground, police)
- Circus
- In advertising or film (Nero from FC De Kampioenen)
- What is animal neglect and animal abuse?
- What can you do when you notice an animal is not being treated well?
- What does your town or city do for animals?
- Is there an Alderman for Animal Welfare in your town or city? What does he or she do?
- Litter is also bad for animals. Why?
Explore with the pupils whether keeping a class or school animal is feasible. Also take into account the needs of the animal. Do not take nocturnal animals, for example. Above all, find out why you would keep a class animal.
Together with the pupils, look at the advantages and disadvantages of keeping animals in the classroom/school. Have the pupils calculate the costs (food, cage, vet...) of keeping a class/school animal. Set a good example. Get a big enough cage and provide enrichment.
Set up clear agreements with the class/school about who will take care of the animal (also during the holidays) and what to do if the animal falls ill.
- Animal shelter: A visit to an animal shelter is worthwhile! However, there is a good chance that the pupils will hear some distressing stories. Do not avoid this, but prepare them for it. Draw up a questionnaire with the pupils in advance of what they want to know. Do not limit the questions to dogs and cats, but open them up to birds and other animals that have been kept as 'pets'. Ask why the animals end up in a shelter: lack of time, allergy, housing, but also a badly locked cage or bad registration of a dog. It is very difficult to find the owner of dogs that are not properly registered and get lost. Also check Dierenwelzijn/Vlaanderen.be.
- Veterinarian: Before starting to keep a class/school animal, pay the veterinarian in the neighbourhood a visit. Have the pupils ask about the animal’s care and feeding. Invite the veterinarian to the school at least once a year, or go there with the class/school animal to get it checked out. Find a vet who can tell the children about the responsibilities of keeping an animal and the importance of preventive check-ups of nails, teeth, eyes...
Interview:
Did (great) parents keep pets (in class/school) in the past? How did they experience keeping a pet as a child? How (and by whom) was the animal cared for? Keeping animals (in class/school) is quite a responsibility. A godparenthood, where older pupils teach the younger ones how to care for the animals, gives them the opportunity to grow into this.
In case the class/school chooses to keep (domestic) animals, make clear agreements (in advance) with some parents (and/or local residents) about the weekends and holiday periods. Establish a rotation, provide a backup caregiver, and communicate clearly about who does what and how.
Children's farm: If the school is considering keeping (small) farm animals (chicken, rabbit...), a visit to a children's farm can be interesting. Also prepare this trip well in advance with the pupils.
- Communicate your project through all channels. Regularly evaluate the actions and adjust if necessary.
- Let the pupils explain their research, conclusions and proposals for action to the management and/or school board. Dare to ask for a clear commitment.
- Make the plans known within the school group (and/or other schools you are in contact with). Exchange experiences.
- Inform your municipal environmental department of the plans and results. Frame this clearly within animal welfare.
- Organise a moment at which you announce the plans and goals to the parents, school population, etc. in a fun way. Prepare yourself (or the pupils) well and substantiate with arguments.
- A (class) puppet in the form of an animal and/or a play in which the actors portray (domestic) animals, is useful to introduce the theme/problem in a fun and visual way. It is best to repeat this regularly so that the theme continues to live on in the class/school.
- Bring the class/school animal in festively.
- Link the research results of the pupils to a show (exhibition, stage), e.g. during the open door, school party, etc.
- Formulate a specific, measurable and achievable (SMART) target. Communicate this at the start. Evaluate the actions regularly and adjust them if necessary.
- Children like to give their class/school animal a name. Organise (e.g. together with the parents' committee/association of friends) a competition or election for the best/ original name... and communicate this through all school channels.
What I didn’t know
Not all animals can be kept just like that (at home/in the classroom). Only the mammals on the "positive list" are allowed to be kept by everyone.
Golden tip!
Inquiry-based learning invites the pupils to (also) ask research questions themselves. This can be made 'real' with a narrative design: for example, the headmaster asks to investigate whether a class or school animal is feasible. The pupils imagine themselves in the various roles within the story, and from there investigate the feasibility of a class or school animal.
- huisdierinfo.be
- Gaiakids.be: the educational website of GAIA
- plattelandsklassen.be
- Groenkennisnet.nl: classes about animal welfare
- Konijnenportaal.nl: classes about animal welfare
- Dierenwelzijn/Vlaanderen.be
- lessenaanbod over dierenwelzijn in de klas