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Kids' pet projects: Oreo, Emma, Heidi
By EVE LEBERSON, Times Staff Writer TOWN 'N COUNTRY -- Third-graders at Woodbridge Elementary are unusually excited about science class this year. They will spend the next nine months caring for their own classroom pets: Oreo, the guinea pig; Emma, the rabbit; and Heidi, the hamster. They're not just mascots. "We do a whole unit on different habitats," said science teacher Susan Flora, who keeps Oreo in her classroom. "So it ties in really nice with the science curriculum at school." Trina Urso said the bunny and hamster in her classroom will not only help her teach biology, but they will give children valuable lessons in caring for animals. "A lot of kids don't have animals," she said. "This will give them a good experience on what it is like to have a pet." Already, she said, they are lining up to be "class veterinarian for the day" by feeding the animals and changing the water and bedding in their cages. The school menagerie grew on Tuesday with a gift from a nearby Petland store. Assistant store director Chris Gosney delivered two tropical fish and $75 worth of aquarium equipment. Children watched as Gosney set up the 10-gallon freshwater aquarium with the two zebra danios, gravel and plants. He plans to come back in a few weeks with new fish for the tank and will return each month to clean the aquarium. "I want this to be a positive experience for the kids and teachers," Gosney said. He has even offered to return with birds or reptiles for show-and-tell. Urso said "it will be a Jack Hanna type thing," referring to the animal expert and television personality. The learning started immediately. Mindy Reed, 8, said she knows "not to give the fish too much water or leave the light on for long" in the fish tank. She's really looking forward to "protecting the fish."
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