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...

Hatching Eggs?

I received and email from one of our readers, Heather asking for advice on purchasing an egg incubator.  I have never hatched eggs in my classroom, but thought maybe you could help her.  If you have and know of an incubator, please comment below.

I have to say, that I am not entirely for the process of incubating eggs.  I adore chicks and ducklings.  I have raised an orphaned duckling and rehabilitated it back into the wild.  Yet, I have heard too many horror stories about hatching chicks/ducklings.  For example, this one, where a custodian accidentally knocked the plug out of the incubator and the teacher came back to school in the morning to more than a dozen dead quails!  One of my best friends, also a fellow animal lover, hatched duck eggs with her kindergarten class and had a hard time finding homes for all the healthy Peking ducks.  She did not want to return them to a farm because she did not went them to be killed.  She could not set ducks "free," since wild birds are territorial and will peck at and chase out intruders.  She ended up giving the healthy ducks to a petting zoo.  The ducks that struggled hatching and therefore had birth defects, required tons of vet visits and special care.  These ducks became her pets and guess what, ducks can live 20 plus years!  After 5 years of caring for the two remaining special needs ducks, she finally found a local rescue group that would take them.

As with any class pet, I want you to be informed and realize that these creatures will be your financial and physical responsibility.

More Critters Outside the Classroom

Linda of Primary Inspiration also has a bird feeder outside her classroom.  She created this great little word wall to help the students write about what they see.  She also posted about Valentine's day bird treats.  Click on the picture below to go check it out.

Critters OUTSIDE the Classroom

So many of you have commented that you are not allowed to have critters in your classrooms.  How sad for you and your students!  Here is a way to incorporate animals into your classroom without having them physically inside: get a window bird feeder!  I got mine from Amazon.com and it was so cheap.  (I have included links below.)  The students love watching a bird at the bird feeder.  The bird feeder is also attracting squirrels.  As we were reading Scaredy Squirrel's Travel Journal, this little buddy decided to peek in the window!  The kids thought it was hysterical.  We are going to start feeding him nuts so he comes back often.

Me with Scaredy Squirrel.

Friends of a Feather

Click the picture above to get your fee birds tree map.