From developing self-confidence to learning how to build healthy relationships with others, taking care of animals has many benefits for children.
At Drachman Montessori Magnet School, students in Ms. Rebecca Carreon's class are getting to do just that. Sandy McPadden, a parent volunteer, who works with Little Lotus Rescue and Sanctuary, which takes in animals in need of care and a new home, brought in two lionhead rabbits that were rescued from an empty home after their former owners abandoned them. The bunnies have been at Drachman since early September.
While the rabbits await their forever home, students are learning how to properly care for them, which includes giving them the right food – hay in addition to pellets – and cleaning out their enclosure. On long weekends and school breaks, the bunnies go home with Sandy, and she ensures their grooming and veterinary needs are taken care of.
The bunnies aren't the first animals at Drachman. The school also has chickens on campus and a beloved pig named "Fig" has been a visitor. But Ms. Carreon says the bunnies are the first animals to live in a classroom.
Interested in adopting these furry friends? Sandy says they will be available for adoption soon, so stay tuned!
