The Family Pet By Jan Pierce
Build Your Child’s Science Observation Skills with Mini-pets Kids love pets and families are enriched by the companionship of dogs and cats and other furry creatures. But maybe you’re not ready for prime time pets
nature. Or, pick up a tarantula at the pet store: lots of kids love them for their “creepy” value. But here are some other choices.
just yet. If your children are old enough to observe the antics of insect pets and you want a low maintenance pet experience, an insect is the perfect choice. In Japan and Europe it’s quite common to keep insects as pets. Young children look forward to keeping and caring for crickets, katydids, mantids and beetles. The Japanese favorite is the giant Stag Beetle. Pet shops provide bamboo cages and other habitats plus the food items necessary for their care. What are your choices? Well, there are many insects readily available at your local pet shop or from online distribution websites.
Mantises are predators and require other live bugs as a food source. They will eat flies, moths, crickets or cockroaches. Preparing the living environment is simple: Just use an aquarium with a mesh cover, place natural objects such as twigs, rocks, soil or sand inside and be sure to have at least one twig that reaches the top of the aquarium for molting time. Mantises can be held gently. They like high humidity so mist daily with spray from a water bottle. Mantises have a short lifespan -- six months at the most.
I’ve steered away from spiders although many think they are fantastic pets. Spiders come with the ability to bite and some are venomous. Still, if you’re the adventurous type, you can go out in your own back yard and capture a pet to keep for a time before releasing it back into
We all know ants are industrious little creatures. They are fascinating to watch as they go about their work. There are the traditional ant farms in which soil is the medium or the newer types of containers in which gel allows for clearer observation. Some of the gel farms are illuminated with LED lights in various colors for a striking ant
Making Observations and Asking Questions Boost your child’s basic science skills of observation and data collection using this simple process. a Gather a journal or homemade booklet, pencils, colored pencils or crayons and
a magnifying glass. a Spend a set amount of time from five to ten minutes to simply observe your pet. What do you see? a Date your entry and write or have an adult write about:
14 UTAHFAMILY.COM BACK TO SCHOOL 2014
home presence. Ants eat seeds, pollen, sugar and some eat other insects. The usual variety of ant in store-bought farms is the Harvester Ant. These are vegetarian and can be fed with grain or seeds. Small crumbs of bread or biscuit will give them the sugar and fat they need. The gel ant farms require no feeding as
• Any movement observed • Interesting body parts of your pet • Creature interactions • Changes over time • Anything surprising or interesting a Jot down any questions you
there is food in the gel. It is great fun to purchase butterfly or moth cocoons and then wait in anticipation for them to hatch. The cocoons require a wintering period of time before they will begin the hatching process. Most will hatch in May or June.
have for further research. a Draw a picture of today’s observations. Repeat this process several times a week and note changes. This is a good time to introduce simple graphing skills.