Experimental Learning - Petting zoo in school

Rational of building a Petting zoo:

A Petting zoo (P.Z.) in schools can be a great place to create studies in various subjects (zoology, environmental studies, research projects, etc.). Also it can be used for helping children with behavioral problems, as a place to calm down the aggressions. A petting zoo comparing to a small cage has a lot of advantages such as; healthier and happier animals (The animals are kept in natural conditions close as possible), the students have a better view and a better access to the animals so they can work with them easier. I know about few schools that have Petting zoos as a learning corner for students. We can see that the students love to work with the animals.
I worked with elementary school pupils and junior-high students in the Petting zoo.

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Objectives of the Petting zoo:

• To expose the students to several kinds of animals they usually do not see in their every day life.

• To teach students how to raise and how to attend animals in captivity, and to teach them the animal's every-day needs.
  Usually the 'problematic' students attend the animals with a lot of carrying and love. This school procedure helps to calm down the special needing students.

• Environmental studies – In order to teach students the animal adjustments to environmental conditions, with the assimilation of the urgent need to protect animals in this world.

• To create research studies with students (we sent student's researches to several competitions and got prizes).

• To teach the class by using inspecting and observing the animals.

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Main projects

The Chinchilla project

Students attended and raised 5 generations of Chinchilla rodents. The students observed and monitored the behavior of the animals, during the day (feeding and general behavior), every day.
Special observations were taken during pregnancy of the females and on after borne Chinchilla babies.
The students learned how to report their observations and how to write a scientific report and work. Also students prepared presentations of their work and presented them in class.
A lot of my students got prizes for their work.

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Attending animals by special needs student

In every Israeli school we have special classes or special students.
Usually it is hard to get to the special students and to interest them in learning.
Working with one animal, attend him and get closer can help the all students especially the special students.
The student came every day to feed and to love the animals and it helped them as well.