Spotlight Saturday!

It's Saturday again and I'm linking up with Kindergarten Dragons to put the spotlight on a great grant opportunity that you need to get in on!

I'm an animal lover.  At one point in my young life (age 9), I was sure that I needed to be a veterinarian.  And then I found out that it takes as much school as a Dr. and there aren't a lot of talking opportunities with animals (and I love to talk), so, I bagged that idea and decided that teaching was a better choice for me.  I have received enough degrees to have the equivalency of time spent to get my doctorate and I have had every animal known to mankind grace the counters and shelves of my classroom but I made the right choice!  :) 

My classroom has been home to rabbits, iguanas, corn snakes, ball pythons, Colombian red tailed boas, birds, chinchillas, frogs, toads, fish, turtles, rats, mice, chicks, praying mantis, ladybugs & aphids. I'm sure there were others in there but you get the picture.  I LOVE ANIMALS!  And more importantly I find that fewer and fewer families keep any kind of pet these days so it is a great experience to let kids be responsible for a pet in the classroom. 

Now, if you are wondering which has been the best pet in 19 years of teaching I'd say hands down the snakes.  I know, I know, many of you are freaking out at the thought but hear me out!  They are extremely clean, low maintenance, quiet, safe and a great teaching tool in many ways!  In light of the fact that the bottom line with classroom pets is that the teacher is responsible, this is a real plus.  Now, when it comes to my favorite pet overall, I would have to say Rosie the Rabbit.  She was so sweet and she would stretch out beside my kiddos when they read and sometimes she would hop out into the hallway and visit other classrooms.  Problem with rabbits is that they are everything snakes are not...high maintenance.

So, I'm sharing all of this with you to tell you about a great grant opportunity that will most likely be funded.  It's called Pets in the Classroom.  It's pretty simple.  You fill out the forms, they send you a letter and you head to the participating pet store and get your new class pet.  They even have sustainability grants to help you pay for maintenance the following years!

Check it out!  It's a great way to add a new learning experience to your classroom community!

Now hop back over to Kindergarten Dragons and see who else is linking up for Spotlight Saturday!