WINSTON WEEKLY©^[1]

August 10, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 32

CLASSROOM CRITTERS[2]

Classroom critters have transformed many classrooms. From guinea pigs to hermit crabs to rabbits to hamsters, critters have an uncanny ability to turn a bad day into a good one. In addition to turning a frown into a smile, critters provide important interactions and conversations.

The Classroom Critters Program in Oregon was developed by Saving Grace Humane Society, allowing teachers to foster rabbits, hamsters, rats, and mice. The non-profit organization, The Pet Care Trust offers programs to enhance knowledge about animals. Offering grants through its Pets in the Classroom program, teachers receive funds to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom. The Trust gives students access to animal-assisted therapy through its Dogs in the Classroom program. It also provides coloring sheets, multiple resources, and fun animal facts, including:

• An adult rat can squeeze into a hole as small as the size of a quarter;

• A scorpion may have at least 6 but as many as 12 eyes, but does not have good vision;
• Young Scorpions ride on the backs of their mothers for the first weeks of their lives; and
• Tarantulas can regenerate lost legs.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Find a school with classroom critters and provide support by engaging a child or teacher. From fostering animals during breaks, purchasing food, or creating resource guides about the critters, opportunities abound.

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[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2] Resources: Vera Lawlor, 5 fantastic ways pets in a classroom benefit kids and the best pets to get, www.pawtracks.com; www.savinggracehumanesociety.org; https://petsintheclassroom.org; Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg, Tails from the Classroom: Learning and teaching through animal-assisted interventions, Crown House Publishing, 2021.