A simple experience such as children learning about animals is cute and charming, (and indeed, it is!) but there’s so much more going on here than meets the eye. Children are drawn to animals of all kinds. There is definitely something special about children’s interest in animals. Research shows that humans’ innate interest in animals is biological: we are drawn to species that are “other” than human and in many cases have an instinct to want to care for or nurture creatures that are small and vulnerable.
Many educators are concerned that children will yell, chase animals, or even squash bugs. It’s true that children will likely do all of these things! It’s normal, part of how children are learning to play with their own power and explore vulnerability. The truth is, children are doing these things to learn. They want to know “what happens if I……” and the best way to find out is to try it. When they see the effects of their behaviour on animals, children learn about their own capabilities and the impacts that they have. For example, if Bobby chases the family of ducks, the children will learn that the ducks will scramble away.
Our visitors consisted of ‘Frog’ Daisy & Doodles (our pet Guinea Pigs), ‘Hedgehog’, ‘Tortoise’ and ‘Cassie’ the Hen.