I'm talking about a fun container that will get them excited about earning this incentive. So, now that we've covered the basics of what Desk Pets are, let's talk about how to best manage them in your classroom! Click here to subscribeon Apple Podcasts. Its the perfect size to sit on their desk. Explore resources by theme, topic, strategies, or events. But it doesnt have to be seen as a punishment, just a natural consequence. You will need criteria for how students can earn a Desk Pet and accessories. Instead of focusing on individual rewards such as desk pets, I would encourage you to have your students work towards a class goal to help build a sense of community and teamwork. Ill show you how some teachers are using their desk pets in this post to give you some great ideas to try it out in your class. Printable Alphabet Worksheets To Turn Into A Workbook. I started to think about how I could make tiny, cheap erasers fun. Use food erasers for this. Students can then decorate the box with art supplies and place more permanent decorations. This post contains affiliate links, if you click through them I will earn a commission. It can be used during transitions, as a brain break, used to teach literature and science, as manipulatives, behavior management and I have seen some teachers use it as an incentive to keep students desks nice and tidy. What does it eat? Hi Im Nadia, a fellow mom with a passion for childhood education. Make sure to label the containers with your students names. What I love about this is that it's a natural consequence that is very simple to enforce and it means that students have a fresh start every single day. They can use their own creativity to come up with fun ways to make their pet unique. She also discusses the rules and responsibilities of adopting a pet with the class. Head to Target, of course Begay was in the popular dollar section of the store when she noticed a bag full of adorable erasers, and the idea for desk pets hit. I release fresh, new content every single week and I don't want you to miss out! The original idea came from Marissa Begay, and at first, I didnt get it. Also buy small plastic containers for storage on your students desks. Will you use Desk Pets with your students? How excited would your kids be to see this display in the class? Set clear boundaries and prepare a Desk Pet Daycare. Even kindergarteners can have a Desk Pet. I had my doubts, but this one worked for me. This pack has 60 pieces and I love that it includes home items like pans, cups, toothbrushes. There are lots of ways for students to earn additional pets and other goodies. When the students earn five tickets, they can purchase a desk pet. Write this on the whiteboard or large poster paper. One of the favorite parts of having desk pets for kids is creating homes or "habitats" for their pets. They can be turned into a fun reward system and a great incentive. Whether youre practicing clock-reading skills with a game of time-telling Bingo or practicing math skills with equivalent fractions bingo, desk pets make for the perfect game pieces. Have you seen the new desk pet idea that is all over Tik-Tok? 3. Which are fruits/vegetables? Required fields are marked *. You can use Google Slides or Seesaw to create pet habitats and assign them to students. She sends this note home with the students and each student gets a desk pet and a plastic container for their pet. Desk Pet Daycare CenterDesignate a spot on your desk that is a dayare so the pets can be babysat while they take their timeout from the classroom. Chaylor & Mads is more than a lifestyle blog because a portion of the proceeds go to help those in need throughout the world. Just click here to review, select Ratings and Reviews and Write a Review and let me know how this podcast is helping you inside your classroom! Limit the number of items inyour Pet Store. The containers pictured below are around 2 inches x 2 inches, which is the perfect size for a Desk Pet Habitat! Establish clear boundaries. Desk pets are the perfect size for students desks because they are pretty small and allow students to have use of their workspace. Join the WeAreTeachers Influencer Network. Each time you leave a review, Apple Podcasts recommends my podcast to other new teachers so they feel a little less alone as they navigate their first few years of teaching. Consider desk pets as a seasonal strategy (not an, 3. They were introduced to the world from teacher, Marissa Begay on Tik-Tok and since then everyone fell in love with them. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news from our team. You also might want to limit the amount of items in the pet store at any given time to make it easier for students to make their choice quickly. This includes their name, the pets name, the type of pet and the date of adoption. Activities include letter crafts, weekly letter activities, play dough mats, and SO much more! If your kid loves the zoo, this zoo animal life cycle is perfect! Use that to your advantage when it comes to adopting their desk pets. After some research, it turns out Desk Pets are actually a positive reinforcement strategy I can get behind. You can create a writing activity around desk pets. This means that if you make a purchase using my link, I make a small commission at no cost to you. Then, send the desk pets and their accessories home with your students (but keep the box for their habits so you don't need to buy more), and tuck it all away until the next season. Are you looking for hints and tips for teaching handwriting in your primary classroom? Consider using punch cards to let your students earn accessories and food items for, I just released my Desk Pet Starter Kit on TpT! Mrs. Castros students can purchase anything from the pet shop with 2 tickets that they have earned for good behavior. If you love the coins, she uses you can find similar ones on Amazon. Get your Desk Pet Starter Kit and check out the following eraser bundles to get started! Have students write about the day in the life of their desk pet or a story of what their desk pet did before they became their pet. If youre looking to use Desk Pets to teach your kiddos about responsibility, youre going to need desk pet applications! Learn how your comment data is processed. Ensure that you set up very clear boundaries around when students are allowed to have their desk pets out. Paper Doll Template Weather Dress Up Seasons Activity. Students will want to tell you all about their petits name, favorite foods, favorite games, etc. (Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. The other part of managing desk pets in your classroom is going to be the amount of time that it could take for students to purchase accessories in the pet store. Using the Shape Hunt Worksheet, the first player records the shape that they have landed on in the graph provided, e.g., rectangle, diamond, octagon, oval, square, pentagon, circle, or triangle. Dr. Lori Friesen | Beginning Teacher Mentor. We only recommend items our team loves!). That might just up the motivation factor. Click the pic below to check out these adorable bundles now (and please note that I may receive a small affiliate link if you purchase through links on this page at no extra cost to you). Set aside some writing time for students to write stories or biographical writing about their pet. Youll want to make sure that students know what the expectations are in order to have these pets. They come in different sizes so be sure to check the measurements. Ever read a childs plea to their parents to get a puppy? Thats exactly the sort of thing desk pets motivate! How could animal erasers possibly benefit my students? Some teachers make this part of a whole group lesson, and others have students earn the pieces to create their habitat. This one is fun because you can get a combo of animals and food. Younger kids can also practice counting by using their desk pets as counters in 10 Frames! 1. I encourage having these available just during schooling time. Come up with some healthy classroom expectations and boundaries with the students. Students can enjoy them like they would a real pet without the mess! At the end of this post, Ill show you where you can get some for your class. Challenge the other students in each group to guess the numbers that are missing. 7. If you're teaching a unit on marine life, maybe you want to let your students earn marine life desk pets and create habits for them! If you want to create a pet shop with extra items that your students can purchase, then check out below links to my favorite desk pet accessories. FOR SCHOOL ACADEMY, Beginning Teacher Talk Private Facebook Group, 4 Mistakes New Teachers Make with Classroom Management (& How to Prevent Them). The concept behind desk pets in the classroom is pretty simple. In the 2019-2020 school year I found myself in a new positionwith students who are highly motivated by rewards and prizes, Begay tells Teach Starter. Occasionally, Bullseyes Playground items are listed on the Target website, such as these Reward Erasers.. Lets just say we get really excited about math! Plan a shopping day into your schedule so that students know exactly when they will be able to shop for new pets, food or goodies. And of course, theyre a great classroom reward systemand option for behavior management in the classroom and a way to incorporate those mini erasers into your daily classroom activities. Once your students adopt their pets, they get to keep them at their desk hence the name and what comes next is up to you. 101 JFK Parkway | Short Hills, NJ | 07078 | (973) 921-5500, Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. Then create desk pet habitats. Get fun activity ideas delivered right to your inbox. Whether built into the day or earned, students will want to play with their Desk Pets. Have them add some research to their pets backstory. Another alternative to a pet hotel is to let your students build habitats. 4. Provide each group with a small handful of desk pets and a hundreds chart. Find out why teaching handwriting is important and more! Wondering the best way to get the desk pet trend going in your classroom? one easy price. Another idea is to get these small plastic containers and then label them with the students name. I know it's tempting because we all know how much your students would enjoy these adorable little pets, but take the first month to ensure that you have clearly taught your rules and routines. The actual pets can be digital stickers or animal clip art. ColorPop 50% off all lip products ends 7/31. Check out these tips for using Desk Pets in any classroom: As with anything in the classroom, setting perimeters is important. Here are some realistic ones if you want to incorporate learning to count money and here are some generic ones. Take your class on an educational adventure over multiple lessons. Use these ideas for Grandparents' Day and National Grandparents' Day crafts in your classroom this holiday! Curriculum-aligned resources to engage and inspire your class. The desk pet movement was created by elementary school music teacher and viral TikToker Marissa Begay, who began posting about them in late 2020 as a prize bin alternative, only to see her video (and idea) go viral. Youll be practicing literacy skills while introducing students to this new system. A worksheet to use when learning to link repeated addition to multiplication using arrays. Its all in the presentation, right? You might not have the space for a large habitat to stay out on student desks, so have students draw their desk pets habitat on a piece of paper. When they have it, they place their desk pet on the correct number. Desk Pets are a new craze taking over TikTok and teacher blogs everywhere. For your middle mathematicians, try using desk pets to guide students on skip counting by multiples and multiplication tables in their hundreds charts or hooray arrays! Host of the popular podcast,Beginning Teacher Talk,and creator of the innovative literacy program for 1st and 2nd grade,Dogs Help Kids Read and Succeed, Dr. Lori is dedicated to serving educators and inspiring learners. The possibilitiesare truly endless!. At the end of the day the pets will go back to their homes and watch the class throughout the week. If the student is not following the rules then she will have to babysit the pet for the day on her desk. Teachers are using these as a reward system where students have their little pets and are able to earn food, treats, and other desk pet accessories. This will also help you to notice what your students are really into and what the most popular items are, so that you don't I purchase sets of erasers that aren't very popular with your students. You can find them at the dollar store, at Target Dollar Spot, or on Amazon. Provide your students with the cards and a pile of desk pets. You can find similar little desk pet containers here. Health & Nutrition: Which of the foods are healthy? If that last set just wasnt quite enough for you, this one includes 62 animals. I knew that solution would not be sustainable for me!. Fun With Mama is about creating memorable moments with children through art, creativity, educational activities, and fun experiences. As a fun extra project Emily encouraged her students to create a habitat for their pets with construction paper, Q-tips, cotton balls, popsicle sticks or anything else that they have around the house. Use a point system where students redeem their points in the Pet Store. Where does their animal live? Note: Just be sure to check that the size is correct before you order. Read the full disclosure here. This is just one option, with 32 erasers and a variety of animals included. Desk Pet Ideas: Your #1 List for Desk Pets in the Classroom - Pencils & Planners, Class Decoration Ideas (Top Trends This Year), 67 Best Flexible Seating Ideas for the Classroom, 23 Unique Bulletin Board Ideas to Try This Year, Bookshelf Design (How to Style a Bookshelf). Were big fans of the math mystery pictures route, not to mention teaching number sequencing, skip counting, patterns OK, we wont go on. SAVE 20% oN ANY ITEM IN THE SHOP WITH CODE: FUNMAMA20, Kids activities, Art, Books for kids, and Preschool Activities, Written by Angelica Torres Published on February 10, 2022 Updated on May 6, 2022 Leave a Comment. Students are to sound out each word, then clap to determine the number of syllables. When you use students desk pets in their learning, they will relate to the content better and be motivated to participate. If you like this post you may also like these |, 35 Brilliant Classroom Management Ideas for 2021, Teacher Toolbox Create the Perfect One for Your Classroom, [] Desk Pets | Why Add Them to Your Class This Year []. I love the idea of creating an adoption center to get your students excited about earning their desk pets. For the younger students, it would be fun to read a letter written from the pets to the class. Below check out some options to contain the animals. So whats a teacher to do when theyve got a problem? Students browse the pets and then write about the pet they want to adopt and why. I love the idea of displaying your desk pets in a pretty container like Janelle, a fourth-grade teacher from Oregon. Play continues with the next player rolling the die, moving their Desk Pet the corresponding number of squares and recording the shape that they have landed on in their graph. Get a desk pet application for the lower grades or one for the upper grades: Encourage responsibility in your classroom with this desk pet application. There is a lot that they can learn about their animals. Accessories can include food, habitats, toys, and friends (all of which are other mini-erasers). Looking for a brain break idea for your students that requires no additional planning and can be done spontaneously? You can order these by clicking here or on the pic below. Assign one student in each group to cover a few numbers on their chart with the pets.. Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, or 99 Cent Only Stores are great places to check out for inexpensive Desk Pets and accessories. Or, combine this strategy with a specific unit of study. Heres a similar plastic apothecary jar that they would look great in. The Desk Pets program in a classroom would replace other kinds of rewards systems such as class currency or marble jars. Whether teacher-created or co-created with students, come up with a simple list of rules for Desk Pets that all members of the classroom community agree to and understand. Long term, why not tie in those science standards and challenge students to build their Desk Pets a habitat! Your information will not be shared. Pick a specific day or time during the week that students can visit the Pet Store to buy food, accessories, etc., for their Desk Pets. This is to be expected, kids cant get enough of them! There are 100 pieces in this pack. Put together a little Desk Pet store and include lots of goodies that students can earn. Empower your teachers and improve learning outcomes. Youll just need to adjust the ways that they will earn rewards and modify your expectations to include these little learners. And it's no wonder - they are super adorable, and if implemented thoughtfully, they can be a wonderful and relatively inexpensive classroom management strategy inside your classroom. A post shared by Hunter | Kindergarten Teacher (@thatcolorfulkinderteacher). There are lots of places to shop around for Desk Pets, many of them reasonably priced and inexpensive. And you dont have to stop at classroom rewards with your desk pets. Allow each player to choose a desk pet to place on the Start star. Don't start the school year with desk pets. That means if you make a purchase through one of these links, at no extra cost to you, this site will earn a small commission. You will want to rotate the items for sale to make the shopping experience exciting. Find out why math vocabulary words are so important and how to teach them in your classroom. Offer ends 7/31.22, There are some great benefits to having Desk Pets in the classroom. Include language that is just right for your students along with images. I would also encourage you to have students create and sign a contract with you before they earn their desk pets so that everyone is clear about what the rules and expectations are around having desk pets in the classroom. Until next time, remember, just because you're a beginning elementary teacher, there's no need for you to struggle like one. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Make sure that your classroom pet policy is posted in the classroom somewhere where students can view it easily. Before you introduce Desk Pets to your students, make sure you have a Desk Pet Policy planned out to go over with the students. Give it a try, these little guys are so much fun and kids just love them. At the end of the day, I want my students to put their Desk Pets away to minimize the risk of them getting lost or disappearing. I love the idea of Animal Control coming around at the end of each day to take the pets to the Pet Hotel for the night. You can incorporate some bonus lessons using the food: History: Find some erasers that have a good assortment of foods from other cultures. We love this activity for helping students break words down into syllables: This hands-on activity for early readers is very similar to the syllable one! Click the play bar below to listen to this week's show now: Desk pets have become all the rage since several teachers first shared this idea on TikTok. You can also choose to get a desk pet home, Ill show you some different options for that too. Please note that this post contains affiliate links. Wouldnt they have fun with this? (So important!). Here is an example of some erasers that include Asian foods. You can also discuss food groups and sort foods into categories (healthy/unhealthy, food groups, etc.). If you are unable or uninterested in purchasing a container a small box would work great as well. For example, in December, students can earn Christmas-themed collectibles for their pet homes. They can be used for an incentive, a classroom management technique or just for fun. But there are a few more creative ways that teachers are using desk pets in the classroom as well. Consider using punch cards to let your students earn accessories and food items fortheir desk pets. IF YOU LOVE KIDS ACTIVITIES, YOULL LOVE THESE PRODUCTS! You can order this Pet Store display container by, 2. It just came to me right then and there Desk Pets!'. One day youll carry them in your arms and then, I love you a bushel and a peck. Instead of using your desk pets to identify the correct number of syllables, students can show theyve got a handle on the concept of initial sounds by placing their little peton the image that makes the same initial sound as the letter. I hope you like this fun idea of adding desk pets to your classroom this year. For storage ideas, consider jewelry or craft supply organizers. If it were my classroom, I would probably only allow desk pets to be out when students are working in dependently at their desks, and only if they didn't distract them from their work. Options include bead storage cases, beauty product containers, or even baby food canisters for everyday homes. You might want to limit the amount of time that students have to spend in the pet store, and perhaps only allow pet store purchases to be made on Fridays. Mrs. Castro, a kindergarten teacher, created a ticket system. >>>, LEARN WITH LORI INSIDE R.E.A.D.Y. Print the resource here! Subscribe to our curated library of teacher-designed resources and tools for In Mrs. Castors classroom the pets can only come out to play on Fun Fridays. They can also keep a math journal where they document their earnings and savings. I'm glad you found me! Heres what desk pet creator Begay has to say: Need science fair project ideas for 3rd graders or 5th graders? You can use a small square container or a jar with a lid. Heres what Emily, a Kindergarten teacher does. Island VacationSend the pet to an island vacation (again, in a special part of the room). Here's a brilliant idea from Miss Lower, a fourth-grade teacher. Incorporate the Desk Pets! You might consider having other items available for purchase such as stickers to decorate their habitats or mini pet blankets made of small squares of material. Purchasing a class set of small plastic containers like the ones pictured below and attaching your students' names to each is a great way to keep your students' desk pets safe and contained. Other teachers have set up desk petdaycares, pulled them into Fidget Friday activities, and a whole lot more. I have seen Desk Pets used in many ways, Begay says. Hooray Arrays - Multiplication Facts of 12. Buy mini erasers, and tell your students that they can now have these cute critters for their very own pets. The nice thing about having punch cards is that you won't have a whole group of students wanting to spend time in the pet store all at once, because of course students are not going to earn their reward all at the same time. Be sure to check out myFree Printable Stick Puppets: The Three Little Pigs for more fun ideas. At Targets Bullseyes Playground (also known informally as the Target dollar spot) you can often find packs of seasonal small animal erasers and a variety of mini erasers. You might consider having other items available for purchase such as stickers to decorate their habitats or mini pet blankets made of small squares of material. A post shared by A L L I S O N -TPT author (@teachfromtheheart8). Creator of theR.E.A.D.Y. They have them on Amazon too, my favorites are at the end of the post. As an extra motivation for your students why not really put those desk pets on display. Second-grade teacher Brianna Price lets her students earn pet accessories so they can provide their new friends with food (more erasers, of course! In my head I was thinking that the erasers alone would not be enough to keep my students motivated, she explains. Jill, a 5th grade teacher from L.A. repurposed a cookie container from Target, added some cute googly eyes and created this fun container to hold the colorful erasers. I think it might be fun to have the pet store available for viewing when students have free time, so they can check it out whenever they're finished the regular work, but only be allowed to make a purchase at a specific time. We will be sharing some great Desk Pet ideas including how to incorporate them into the curriculum and tips for management. Audibles Get 3 free months of the Amazon Audibles subscription and get 3 free audiobooks. Get weekly info, freebies, surprises, & support. Kids absolutely love these because they are fun to collect, especially when it comes to earning accessories and food items for their pets. A science unit on habitats could involve students creating a habitat for their pet. The 7 Key Elements of a School Crisis Plan. They will love imagining where their pet is from and designing a space that is just for their special friend. Ms. Luis, a second-grade teacher, has coins that the students can earn for positive behaviors that they can spend to adopt a pet. The question of the hour who started desk pets? Use simple apps that help you do all kinds of useful things. Ideas, Inspiration, and Giveaways for Teachers. This dress up activity for kids is perfect for creative play. They really do become a special pet that students care for at school. Babywearing =, Some might think I started all over again, diapers, Notes from an American South African Bundles that you can download with one click. Bonus, students can write about their pets vacation during free writing time. You might find that these novel little creatures cause a little bit of a distraction to your day, at least at the beginning. Copyright 2021. Creativity knows no bounds with these cute little creatures. For the youngest mathematicians, try Critter Skip Counting. You can learn more here. Are you subscribed to my podcast? How Walt Disney Would Manage Your Classroom: Part One, How Walt Disney Would Manage Your Classroom: Part Two, How Walt Disney Would Manage Your Classroom: Part Three, How to Prepare for Your First Day and Week of School: Four Steps to Success. Identify times students can get out their desk pets and simply play with them. Students can earn points for whatever you feel works for your class: completed homework, following directions, acts of kindness, etc. If you. Nothing can get your students pumped up about persuasive writing quite like penning a few sentences about something they really want. Typically, desk pets are miniature erasers in the shape of animals and their related accessories & food items. 6. If youwantto check it out, just click the image below: I hope that this episode is helpful for you as youstart thinking through how to best prepare for the school year. I started spending tons of money on prizes for my 350+ students. With students all living 6 feet apart, these small animal erasers give kids a friend right at their desk and a little bit of comfort in a confusing time. Students adopt a pet and can earn food and accessories for their Desk Pet. You can set up a fun time out area for the companions. New goodies delivered to your inbox every week! Sign up for our e-mail. My simple solution is to put a bin labeled Pet Hotel by the door where students drop their Desk Pets (in their individual labeled containers) on the way out. , Get 3 free months of the Amazon Audibles subscription and get 3 free audiobooks. One of the cutest ways Ive seen to introduce Desk Pets to the class is to set up an adoption center (by @thirdgradefarmhouse). And desk pets have given us a whole new twist on this old favorite. URSKYTOUS 60Pcs Animal Erasers Desk Pets for Kids 62Pcs Animal Erasers Bulk Kids Pencil Erasers UMIKU 100 Pack Animal Pencil Erasers 3D Desk Pet 70Pcs Animal Erasers for Kids Desk Pets, 3D Take 48 Packs Clear Small Plastic Containers 50 Set Clear Plastic Mini Cupcake Boxes Muffin Pod 24 Pack Small Clear Plastic Storage Containers 20 Pieces Round Pot Jars Plastic Cosmetic OULII Clear Plastic Jewelry Box Organizer Storage Slime Containers with Lids - 12 Pack Containers Free Printable Stick Puppets: The Three Little Pigs. Use these teacher-tested tips! Brianna, a second-grade teacher has both the large erasers and the mini ones too. I really think itll make a memorable experience for your students. Then the label just takes it over the top. Plus, you can use them to practice writing and during a science unit on habitats! You may just have more fun than the kids with this one! You might want to add new things to the store every Monday to keep things fresh so that there is a rotating offering in your store with not too many things included all at once. All rights reserved. The youngest player has the first turn. You can create any criteria you want for eligibility to become a pet owner. One way to do this is to set out collectiblesseasonal items that only come out in particular times of year. Mrs. Castros students next get to fill out an adoption certificate. A post shared by Emily (@sunshineinkinder_). Or in springtime maybe Spring Buddies are available such as butterflies or bunnies.

Sitemap 14