I know a teacher back home in South Carolina who loved having lots of class pets, but one year had to get rid of the hamster (someone was allergic), the spider and snake (a student was petrified of them), the turtle because a parent complained they were unsanitary and her bird (forget the reason). Only the fish remained. She was a third grade teacher and she said that pets in the classroom really helped teach responsibility.
I think I'll send her a Webkinz this year for her class. Think about it - anyone who does not get their tag pulled, lose a color, or whatever you do to keep track of discipline in your classroom- has a chance to play for 10 minutes in the "WebKinz" world. They can't spend the money unless it's to buy the food for the day. Then on Friday, as a class, you can purchase another room, new furniture, and other fun stuff. Your pet's happiness and health are monitored, there are some great educational questions in there, the responsibility to feed your pet healthy food choices, and so much more also turns it into a learning reward system. Just make sure that even the kid who can't sit still and gets on your last nerve gets a chance to interact with your webkinz.
And I haven't met a kid yet who's allergic to a computer (that's kept clean), you can't get sick from a computer (that a teacher keeps clean), and who's going to be petrified of a Webkinz? (Just make sure you clean your computer - and there's no excuse!)
I think I'll get my son's teacher one this year for the class.
5 comments:
Danielle--I do something very similar, except I use clubpenguin. The child who is voted "good citizen" of the week gets to log in and take care of the penguin and his puffles. They also get to have fun and collect money for us to purchase new things for the igloo! A year subscription is only around $60! ~Teryl
That's cool! I also saw that there is a Shining Star set up and a BRATZ doll set up. The Webkinz was only $15 - which is the stuffed animal and the year on the web. WE're all happy!I'll have to look into clubpenguin though. Joey loves Penguins!
Both great ideas...Love em. Might have to have Meg do the webkinz thing...and a GREAT Christmas gift for teachers too!
http://teachingwithwebkinz.com/
Within the world of Webkinz™ there are an amazing number of opportunities for learning! On the pages of this book you will find activities and resources that encourage learning while using your students’ enthusiasm for their Webkinz™ pets! You will find the reproducibles and lessons based on the world of Webkinz™ that will not only engage children in a place where they are enthusiastic, but cause them to evaluate what they are doing, learn key concepts, and increase their brain power!
This resource will be available as an ebook download soon. Written by The Original Gadget Girl, Kathy Cothran.
Visit the website and sign up for updates for the release of this book!
http://teachingwithwebkinz.com/
http://theoriginalgadgetgirl.com
As a followup to my last message, the Using Webkinz in the Classroom and My Webkinz Companion Guide (a kid version that is a paperback workbook that the child writes in) are now available either from Amazon or in ebook format.
Visit: http://turningtoysintotools.com for more information!
The response to the book has been great! Even have some schools using the Webkinz curriculum for their summer school program!
Kathy
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