Maybe the title is a little misleading. I’m not writing on how to homeschool your pet or letting your pet homeschool your children. And just how would I put “give your child the ultimate homeschooling experience with a non-human creature” in a short title?
One of the richest experiences a child can have is owning, loving, and caring for a pet. As homeschooling parents, we can take this one step further. It’s turning pet ownership into a well rounded learning experience.
To optimize learning, let your child or children research a fish, a reptile, an amphibian, a bird, an insect, and a mammal (or two) as a possible future pet. Younger children can draw pictures, use library books and the internet. Older children can also draw detailed pictures, taxonomy, library books, and the internet.
Depending on the rule of your household, a pet can be chosen from the list of approved critters. Allow each child to write a detailed schedule of care with specific instructions for the animal. Each child should also write the specific areas they will help with: feeding, cleaning, exercise and so on. Older children can calculate veterinarian care (if applicable), food and grooming costs. This also helps you as the parent see any potential areas of hardship or problems. This isn’t to say that you will wind up with a household zoo. Besides learning the life cycle, habitat and even history of the animal, this is allowing them to see if their chosen animal really does make a good pet. This should also give them an idea of the amount of care and time involved in maintaining the animal’s health.
Choosing, owning and caring for a pet is not only a love endeavor. It teaches compassion, responsibility and can be a lot of fun. Pets also lower stress, lift moods, provide constant companionship and entertainment, offer protection, give children something to be responsible for, and help teach non-verbal communication. It’s also another way we as homeschool parents can help build strong, lasting memories with our children.
