Mini zoo
In today’s society in which children have all their needs covered, it is difficult to realise that, sometimes, we forget about those values that arise from being in contact with nature. Whether observing or living with them, animals teach us a lot about ourselves and our surrounding, since they make us understand and look after others. Patience, love, respect, effort, empathy … are just some of the values that we learn, showing us how necessary they become in the society in which we live.
In the following lines, we will briefly review some of these benefits:
- RESPONSIBILITY: Feeding animals, grooming them, teaching them routines, observing them while in their own environment … in short, being part of their life and understanding that they are also beings which depends on our care and love.
- SHOWING EMOTIONS: Caring for them, being gentle, pampering them … Having a pet as part of the family helps children to be empathetic and to express themselves in a more opened way. They also learn to give affection, to develop patience, love for other people and respect for nature. Consequently, this will help them with their cognitive and social development. In addition, having a pet helps young children to develop their nonverbal communication skills, helping them to independently communicate even when they still haven´t learnt to talk.
- SOCIALISATION: It helps children to develop positive values, such as respect, self-confidence and trust, coming of in a greater interaction with their peers.
- KNOWLEDGE OF THE VITAL CYCLE OF LIFE: Living with an animal helps children to better understand the process of life: reproduction, nutrition, interaction and also the process of death as part of their own existence.
For all this, at the Levante International School we are proud to have a space in which our students can directly enjoy contact with animals, interacting with them in different areas, from playing to care. Thus, we promote the above mentioned values, building a comprehensive education, not only related with knowledge but with emotional intelligence, as well as social and personal values.