Birds in the Classroom: Part 1: Introduction

My name is Maya and I am a preschool teacher from O'ahu, Hawaii, with a passion for birds.  Previously, I have always had fish as pets because they have been easiest to care for and were the only realistic pet I could keep in past classroom environments.  My classrooms in the past have either had no ventilation or light (wooden jealousy windows) when I wasn't there or have been at a location that did not allow pets other than fish.   

This school year I was moved to a campus where I have my own portable with central air, many large windows, and is a space where I can have more than just fish.  I didn't intend to have birds as classroom pets because they are a very big responsibility - and I will discuss this in detail later - and I have my own parrot at home but, through a long and sad story of people who couldn't keep their birds anymore, I ended up with little bundles of feathers in my class in August 2012.

Meet Froot Loop, an American Cinnamon Pied lovebird.

Meet Crunchberry, a Medium Green (split to Orangefaced) lovebird.

If you are thinking of a bird as a classroom pet, there are many things you will need to think about.  Some questions to ask yourself:
- Will the noise of a bird(s) distract your students or disrupt learning?
- Are you financially able to provide for the bird(s) care and vet bills?
- Are you willing to cook for the bird(s)?
- Are you able to designate a space in your classroom for a large cage and activity area?
- Will you leave the bird(s) in the classroom or take them home at night, on weekends, on breaks?
- If you plan to leave them in the class, does your classroom provide ventilation at night and light on weekends?

While birds are absolutely adorable, they are a very big responsibility - think two year olds that never grow up - and can be a big financial burden.  In coming blog posts, I will go over what should be required in order to have birds as classroom pets.  Part two will discuss the diet these feathered friends need.

To be continued...