Pet Projects
By Beth Waltman
A living, breathing science project probably lives in your house
right now: your family pet! Since science is all about observing,
hypothesizing, and drawing conclusions, pets make the perfect
specimens for health or behavioral studies. Even a dog or cat
can be observed for the effect of play, exercise, training and
teaching attempts. This is the point where Adam's job of naming
the animals and presiding over creation coincides with man's attempts
to understand the natural world through science. We have the opportunity
to instill in our children nurturing respect for our God-given
world. Our pets often benefit from the increased attention, also!
We used all these arguments and more to persuade my husband that
an Australian bearded dragon would provide, not just one more
mouth to feed, but a fascinating family project. My son Samuel
fell in love with this foot-long reptile via internet research.
He spent months choosing a lizard that had a reputation for friendliness
and ease of care. We insisted that he learn all about the special
feeding and habitat requirements before we stepped into a pet
store.
If your child desires a pet to observe, you might want to set
parameters. Ask your child:
1. How long are you interested in caring for this pet?
2. Are you willing to clean up after it?
3. What is the cost of care and feeding? Are the children willing
to contribute to veterinarian bills if the animal gets sick?
4. What do you hope to learn from this pet?
The first fair question is the life span of the animal. We now
have a Florida soft-shell turtle with a life expectancy of fifty
years! Naturally, Samuel must make future plans to release it
into the wild once it reaches the size of a dinner plate. His
lizard will live 12-15 years if it remains in normal good health.
This means that I'll be caring for a bearded dragon when my son
is in college! Since I had this information before he purchased
Draco, I'm mentally prepared to take over the zookeeping. If your
family isn't ready for a commitment of this scope, consider rodents,
which make a more economical choice and live only 2 to 3 years.
Polywogs or tadpoles take only a month or two to complete their
fascinating cycle from egg to frog form. Slugs and snails can
be collected briefly, housed in a coffee can and fed kitchen scraps.
Then they can be released.
Another consideration in choosing a pet is maintenance and clean-up.
If your
family races to soccer games, piano lessons, and church activities,
a new puppy may be neglected. A tank of tropical fish may fit
more into your time availability. Part of the student learning
experience must be that the children share in the clean-up. A
cute, cuddly kitten requires a clean litter box! Incorporate the
idea that responsibility for an animal's physical and emotional
well-being accompanies the joy of pet ownership.
Expense is a factor in choosing pets. Exotic lizards and turtles
require special lighting for health and warmth. Without the appropriate
UV rays, their bodies don't produce enough calcium, resulting
in skeletal deformity. Tank size also affects growth, health,
and contentment. I recommend that students keep notebooks charting
how their animals seem to feel with each change in habitat. Samuel
observes that every time he moves the rocks and limbs around in
Draco's tank, the lizard perks up and appears more alert.
Food for exotic pets can require a maintenance plan. We order
1000 live crickets at a time and house them in vented plastic
containers for Samuel's lizard. The insects require special feeding
in order to provide essential nutrients for Draco. We get to observe
the whole food chain and speculate on ramifications of disruption
of the chain in the wild. Thus, we absorb a lot of scientific
facts while considering the health of a bearded dragon. The expense
is much greater than an hour spent watching the Animal Planet
on television. But, the impact on my son is beyond estimation.
Before purchasing a pet, consider which veterinarian you will
use and probable health or illness of the breed of animal. Lethargy
is always a sign of poor health. Poor appetite is another noteworthy
symptom. Any pet deserves appropriate veterinarian treatment if
illness arises. Part of our caretaker role in God's world is respect
for living creatures. Pets are not inanimate toys for our amusement.
We learn from them, love them, and enjoy them, but they are not
toys. If they become ill, they shouldn't be thoughtlessly disposed
of and replaced. Thus, continuing care must be figured into the
projected cost of a pet. Helping to pay for an animal causes a
child to personally commit to its care.
When our lizard seemed sick, several people suggested that we
simply release it and go get another one. Samuel felt personal
responsibility for its well-being. After research and a trip to
the veterinarian, we discovered that it had some easily eradicated
parasites. Draco continued with bizarre scratching and digging
behavior, and subsequently laid 17 eggs! Now, we recognize Draco's
cycles and call the dragon "she" instead of "he."
Samuel still won't allow us to rename her Dracarina.
Unit projects spring naturally from raising pets. Our children
have written comparison/contrast papers about their animals. They've
composed passionate prose about how much they have loved slugs
in spite of public opinion. Samuel has charted food intake at
a time when his dragon's appetite was poor, bringing math into
the equation. Both Krystal and Samuel spend endless hours on the
internet and in the library researching optimum diet and exercise
for our pets. We even found a recipe for home-made collie chow
and dog treat biscuits! Thus, although our pets are a beloved
part of the family, they've taught us many lessons in English,
math, and science.
Copyright © 2001 Eclectic Homeschool Association