In the EW, Amy had brought a tarantula from her home in California Valley. He lived by the window in a transparent box and the children observed his movements daily. During Amy’s morning routines, she found that George had died. At circle this morning, she shared the news.
This brought up a lot of pet memories.
Chase: “I had a fish. When I woke up my parents told me some sad news. My fishies had died so we buried them in the flower garden.”
Miles: “One day, two little clown fish were in my tank and they died.”
Bryce K. said, “I had a fish that died.” Raven asked “What did you do?” Bryce K. “We flushed it down the toilet.” Raven asked “What happened to it?” Bryce K. “It disappeared.” Maddox stated, “Things don’t just disappear.”
Lola: “We got our fish in the fish tank. One was named Sweetheart, Peanut, Swimmy and then Peanut died first. Swimmy lived for a long time but all the other fish died.”
Michael: “I had four fishes. One was named Golden and I don’t remember the other fish names. One died and we buried him in the grassy spot.”
It’s a great support to have living creatures in the preschool classroom. Taking in the concept of death through pets allows teachers and parents to have conversations with children that support family belief systems and traditions. By listening to what they have to say and validating their shared feelings, we are giving value to this important part of the life cycle and helping the children build their portfolio of life’s experiences.