Homeschooling With Two Cats: How Is Having Pets Advantageous in Our Homeschooling Journey
Sefid and Mallows
Five Top Advantages of Having Sefid and Mallows, The Yin Yang Twins, in our Homeschooling Journey
Five weeks of prodding and my husband and I finally agreed to take Sefid and Mallows home. My daughter had been so persistent this long to convince us. She promised to do whatever it takes to keep these two lovely kittens. It did not take a week before I realized that it was a wise choice to take these two kitties home for multiple reasons:
1. Kids Learn to be more responsible;
2. Sparks enthusiasm for kids to learn more about animals and do researches on their own;
3. Offers a great opportunity to exercise cleanliness, sanitation and healthy habits;
4. Opens a wide variety of topics that are interesting to kids including, but not limited to, behavior and interacting with peers;
5. Our Homeschooling journey definitely had a twist - a giant step for a more exciting and productive homeschooling moments to cherish.
The Yin Yang Twin Kitten
Someone called them the Yin Yang twins because they resemble the yin yang symbol when they sleep.
Behaviorally, they manifest contrasting and complementary traits.
Check the video below to see.
Teasing, Engaging in Fights and Making Up
Cat or Dog?
Which pet do you like more?
Who Will Clean the Poop and Pee? How Pets Enhance Sense of Responsibility; Diligence and Voluntarism
Many parents are hesitant to get pets because of the additional work it requires - cleaning, feeding, caring. I told my daughter that having kittens in the house is the same as having a baby to care. While it is a pleasure to pet kittens, it comes with responsibilities. She pledged to take care of them by herself and she is doing a really great job. At the age of ten, she always see to it that the poos are disposed of properly. Before the kittens were taken home, she had been researching on how to train them poo and pee in a litter box. Successfully, she did it well. Sefid and Mallows do their thing only on their litter boxes.
My daughter spent considerable time researching about pet care specifically on cats. She tried to fit in her homeschooling curriculum anything that is cat related.
Our homeschooling goals of enhancing sense of responsibility, encouraging our kids to be diligent and to manifest voluntarism are definitely achieved more efficiently with the presence of Sefid and Mallows in our home.
Interest in Zoology Upgraded to a Higher Level: How Animals Behave, their Nature and Traits
My daughter's homeschooling topic in one of the quarters this school year is about different animals. She had initially shown interest in marine animals so we had our family fun travel in a beach where she can see different tide pool creatures. Her interest in animals was heightened when she had these two kittens. She would research about the anatomy of cats, their nature and traits. There were days that she would repeatedly utter that she wanted to be a zoologist someday.
It became part of our homeschooling day to hear a trivia or fun fact about cats from my daughter. She would mention an interesting detail that she learned or she would interpret what it means if a cat behaves in a particular way. For instance - why do cats eat grass. The video below shows Sefid and Mallows in the garden and nibbling on plants. The description detailed why.
Why Cats Eat Grass
Toilet Train Cats
Social Skills Learned: Pets Have Feelings; Display Affection and Emotions
When Sefid and Mallows arrived, my daughter's daily activities changed. Most of her hours are spent taking videos of her new pets. The video at the start of this article is her favorite. Sefid, who is more adventurous, energetic and aggressive was teasing Mallows into a cat fight play. On the other hand, Mallows who is usually timid and calm tried to escape from Sefid's claws. See what happened next when Mallows turned angry.
My daughter noted several things she learned from this video. Mainly, it is about interactions. She recalled how his brother would sometimes tease her and try to agitate her. She learned how siblings should deal with a fight and how to make up. When you watch the video, you will surely come up with the same reflections as my daughter's. Her homeschooling day was certainly one to be marked productive!
Fun and Surprises: We Learn While we Enjoy and We Enjoy While we Learn
The fun and surprises are steadfast: we learn something new each day and we have fun with our two kitties. Allow me to conclude this article by sharing how Sefid reacted to his mirror image - seeing his reflection for the first time, see how he reacted. It is a fun activity with Sefid which allowed us to arrive at the conclusion that he is an amiable cat.
