First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘hamster history’

Having hamsters can be an enriching part of any homeschooling family’s curriculum.  Hamsters are appealing as pets, plus they are easy to maintain and require very little living space.  They can not only be used as a part of your science curriculum, but can be used for any subject – math, language arts, social studies, etc. Learn more about the history of hamsters.

Before deciding whether or not you want to incorporate hamsters into your curriculum, consider the fact that you will be making a commitment of at least 2 to 3 years.  You cannot simply have them for a few weeks and them turn them loose – chances are they will end up being eaten by a predator or dying of starvation in the wild.  Setting hamsters free is not a humane or generous gesture, and simply giving them to a pet shop might have them end up being dinner for a hungry snake.  Carefully contemplate your choice.

Document your homeschooling activities through writing, photos, etc., and keep this for your records.

Once you have decided to get a hamster, decide on how you will use them.  You can choose to simply have one hamster and use him for observation and entertainment, or you could have more than one and use him and her to study things such as genetics, mating rituals, social order and other subjects.There are countless possibilities.

For language arts, you can use one or more hamsters to inspire fiction or to exercise writing skills in nonfiction topics.  Children can describe the characteristics of the hamster, day-to-day activities, how the hamster came to live in the family, and a host of other topics.Assignments can be given on the observation of any signs of illness.A good activity is keeping a daily or weekly journal.

For math lessons you can calculate food consumption, water usage, and the cost of supplies.  You can also calculate things such as how long a bag of bedding material will last if x is used per day, per week, etc.You can calculate population projections if you breed your hamsters.  Budgeting is another subject you can use, and you can give the children the responsibility of staying within a certain budget each month for your hamster.Children can learn to calculate the amount of profit you get from selling any baby hamsters.

Science is the subject most suited for this type of project.Children can learn about a host of scientific topics including breeding, and animal husbandry.Children can attempt to do selective breeding and create new, desirable traits in their hamsters.A great lesson in vet treatment techniques can be learned if your hamster becomes ill.A good lesson for children to learn (with adult supervision, of course) is how to tame a hamster.

The best lesson for children is learning to be responsible for another living creature.  They learn responsibility, empathy, compassion, respect and patience.Children can also mature in a loving way.

Remeber to stop by our online pet store for all your hamster’s needs.