How Animals Help Students Learn summarizes what we know about the impact of animals in education and synthesizes the thinking of prominent leaders in research and practice. It’s a much-needed resource for mental-health and education professionals interested in incorporating animals in school-based environments, one that evaluates the efficacy of existing programs and helps move the field toward evidence-based practice. Experts from around the world provide concrete examples of how animals have been successfully incorporated into classroom settings to achieve the highest level of benefit while also ensuring the health and welfare of the students and animals involved.

How Animals Help Students Learn summarizes what we know about the impact of animals in education and synthesizes the thinking of prominent leaders in research and practice. It’s a much-needed resource for mental-health and education professionals interested in incorporating animals in school-based environments, one that evaluates the efficacy of existing programs and helps move the field toward evidence-based practice. Experts from around the world provide concrete examples of how animals have been successfully incorporated into classroom settings to achieve the highest level of benefit while also ensuring the health and welfare of the students and animals involved.

Research shows that keeping animals in classrooms can have profound effects on student well-being and success in school. In this practical guide, Dr. Brady Barr offers a step-by-step process for reintroducing nature-based learning experiences into 21st century schooling. Discover how to select a classroom pet, introduce it to your students, and design carefully thought-out lessons centered around the animal. Use this resource as a comprehensive guide toward the reintroduction of nature into the classroom: Become familiar with the numerous benefits that having animals and class pets in the classroom provides. Study the various obstacles that might prevent educators from keeping animals in their classroom and learn how to overcome those obstacles to achieve hands-on learning. Discover a step-by-step process for bringing animals into the classroom in a way that enriches students' lives through experiential learning. Learn the biology and life sciences of certain classroom pets, pertinent state laws regarding the use of classroom pets, and the process of keeping and caring for the animal. Contents: Acknowledgments Table of Contents About the Author Introduction Chapter 1: The Need for and Benefits of Animals in the Classroom Chapter 2: Hurdles to Animals in the Classroom Chapter 3: How to Select the Perfect Animal Chapter 4: How to Locate Animals Chapter 5: How to Write Lesson Plans Epilogue Appendix A: Tips Appendix B: How to Create Self-Sustaining Food Sources for Your Classroom Animal References and Resources Index

This fascinating book explains that some animals must learn the basics of staying alive from their mothers, while others know how to survive without being taught. Students will discover how some bird and mammal mothers teach their babies how to find food and keep safe from predators. Readers will also learn about other animal skills such as finding their way over great distances. People need help from navigation instruments, radar, or maps. Animals use cues such as the sun, stars, or Earth's magnetic field when they are swimming or flying. This book asks students to look at the skills of animals and compare them to their knowledge and ways of learning.

This book provides a multidisciplinary overview of the impact of human–animal interaction on well-being from childhood to later life. It presents a life course perspective to the study of human–animal interaction, addressing concepts of family and the role of pets therein, as well as the impact of companion animals on child development and successful aging. This book fills a gap in the existing literature by framing the study of human–animal interaction, including the role of animal-assisted interventions on well-being, in a broader social and behavioral context.

Understand the value of connecting animals and children From family pets and wild animals to toys, stuffed animals, and media images, animals are a central part of every child’s landscape. This book examines the reasons why children should interact and connect with real animals, and it identifies the rich learning that results. You’ll find heaps of foundational support and practical ideas to create authentic experiences that bring children and all kinds of species of animals together—including many adaptations if live animals are not permitted in your setting. Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood Examines the basic qualities that make animals so appealing to children Explains how animals impact children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and inter- and intrapersonal development and growth Includes an overview of the many ways animals are present in children’s lives Introduces authentic experiences with animals that are supportive of children’s understanding and learning, and respectful to both animals and people Provides real-life examples of how to bring animals into your classroom with suggestions for planning, ideas for finding the right pet, and resources for making experiences meaningful, relevant, and joyful for children Patty Born Selly is executive director of the National Center for STEM Elementary Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the founder of Small Wonders, an educational consulting company offering services to schools, faith-based communities, and other organizations, Patty has developed hundreds of classes to help programs incorporate nature, science, and green education.

Written by Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg, Tails from the Classroom: Learning and teaching through animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) is a fascinating exploration of the use of AAIs in educational settings and how they can inspire and support learners' all-round development. There is growing interest in the idea of bringing animals into the classroom, but it is only recently that researchers have gathered clear data to show the impact of AAIs on the behavioural, emotional, physical and cognitive development of children and young people. Tails from the Classroom brings together this research in a highly accessible way, illustrated with real-life case studies from a range of classroom contexts. It also includes lots of practical guidance on how to set up, manage and evaluate a project, ensuring that the welfare of all participants, including the animals, is a priority. Helen and Russell discuss how AAIs can contribute towards learning in different subject areas and across the curriculum, sharing a wide range of examples to illustrate possible starting points for teachers in a range of subject and thematic contexts - even in less obvious areas such as the arts, literature, and religious and moral codes. They also provide a historical overview of human-animal interactions, highlighting how animals have played a central part in humans' social, spiritual and cultural development. This then underpins the authors' exploration into animals' potential role in enhancing particular dimensions of children's social, emotional, intellectual and physical development and well-being. This groundbreaking book is not just for animal-loving educators, however. It is for anyone who is serious about inspiring learners of all ages and prepared to explore new ways of doing so. Suitable for educators working with learners of all ages.