Hatching Chicks | Tadpoles & Frogs | Classroom Alternatives | Outdoor Alternatives

Alternatives for Demonstrating Animal Life

There are ways to introduce students to the wonders of life that are more friendly to both the animals and the environment. Some of these include:

• Commercially-produced butterfly kits. These kits, commonly with the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) species come with an artificial diet and all you need to grow a butterfly. The transformation time is usually just a few weeks and if you time it right you can release the butterfly outdoors in the springtime.

• Guppies are relatively easy to care for. These fish need very little care (they eat the algae that grows on fish tank walls) and females give birth to live offspring about once a month. Be careful though. You’ll need two aquaria and a breeding trap to prevent the adults from eating the young.

• Get an Alberta Amphibian Monitoring Program Kit from the Fish and Wildlife Service of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. This kit is free of charge within Alberta and includes a 72 page Teacher’s Guide (aimed at upper elementary grades), an Amphibian Monitoring Manual with great information on salamanders, toads and frogs in Alberta (complete with colour photos) and an audio cassette of toad and frog calls recorded at locations around the province. With the kit, your class may choose to take part in the monitoring program and report your findings to be included in the province-wide database.

Whatever you decide, make sure you know how to care for any animals in your classroom before you bring them in. This will not only ensure the animal’s health and welfare, but will provide a positive learning experience for your students as well!