Can Pets Help Kids With Schoolwork And Make Them Clean Their Rooms?

Thursday, March 1, 2001

Pp Gan Pets Help Kids With Schoolweork And Make Them Clean Their Rooms? (NAPSA)—While it’s been known for some time that caring for the family pet can help children learn responsibility at horne, teachers have loarned that keeping a pet in the classroomaids students in the devel- pmentof mmportant individual characteristics and teaches valuable life lessons both ia and out of the classroom setting. According to Dr. Alan Beck and Dr. Anthony G. Bud, -Fr., of Purdue University, the presence of pets in the classroom can facilitate and improve specific childhood devel- opment processes including basic communication skills, self-esteem and confidence levels and social interaction abilities. Recent surveys and studies conducted by industry experts and associations have also shown classroom pets can: * Increase enthusiasm for school and learning * Decrease disruptive class- room behavior * Teach stress and anxiety management Help children learn to value nature Assist children in math and science lessons such as weights, measures, basic anatomy and reproduction Funda Alp, spokespersonfor the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), says parents may want to take a lesson from teachers when it comes to encouraging geod behavior at home. “Teachers reward students for completing a task on time or fol- lowing directions correctly by allowing them to feed the class pet or take it home for the weekend,” Alp said. “Parents can adopt the same principal at home when children clean their rooms without being asked or take the garbage out when told.” APPMAoffers the following suggestions for rewarding good behavior with responsible pet care: * “Spring-cleaning” a parakeet cage, hamster habitat, goldfish aquarium or lizard quarters for “spring-cleaning” their bedrooms without being asked * Naming a newfurry, feathered or finned friend received as a sift for “acing” mid-term exams Giving the pup an outdoor bath for finishing an assigned book on a summerreading lst * Taking the family dog for a walk in the park for raking all the backyard leaves * Bringing the class parakeet, guinea pig or turtle home for the winter school vacation for baby- sitting a little brother or sister on three consecutive Saturday afternoons * Combing the dog’s wet hair following a frolic in the snow for shoveling the walkway on a day whenschool is closed And, when a child pleads with a parent to bring the class pet home for the weekend, parents should not be so quick te say, “No.” Before adding a pet to your family, Alp suggests a trial visit. Adopting a pet for a weekend or during a school break provides parents with an excellent way te find out if a child is ready, willing and able to have a pet of their own,” she said. For information about respon- sible pet care including a list of seasonal pet care tips and information about the health benefits of pet ownership, please check out APPMA’s “The Pet Owner’s Manual’ at wiww.appma.org.