5 Reasons why Roaches make Great Classroom Pets

Yep, you read that right. This week my classroom went from having one pet to four.....

Growing up I was always known as that kid with a bajillion animals in her house. At one point, my house was home to a guinea pig, hamsters, a rabbit, a dog, fish, turtles, hermit crabs, a newt, an African clawed frog, and sea monkeys all at once. Yes, it was crazy. Yes, my parents are still caring for some of those pets. Yes, living with a zoo was fun. And without even realizing it, I found myself carrying home three Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches yesterday in a take out container. "The kids are gonna love this", I thought. And the crazy thing is? They actually did! Well...not all of them did....but enough of them to justify writing this blog post!

Our classroom menagerie of pets! Kevin...meet your new roommates

Sam is not impressed....

"Pretend like it's a brown lady bug"!

Why roaches you may ask? Here's why

5 Reasons why Roaches make Great Classroom Pets

Reason #1: They're safe

• They don't bite. They don't scratch. They're not poisonous. They don't fly or run very fast. Totally kid safe. 

Reason #2: They move a lot

• Pets that move are more interesting. Anyone who's owned a hermit crab can tell you that. Hamsters sleep all day and bite you. Cockroaches run all over your hands. Students have fun handling them. 

Reason #3: They eat everything

• I can feed them the same food I feed the fish

Reason #4: They're hard to kill

• Students can drop them from six feet up and they won't get hurt. You can step on them, starve them, forget about them over spring break. They'll still be there when you get back 

Reason #5: They start conversations about science 

• For example, cockroaches molt. Not a lot of students know about molting or how arthropods work. Observing the roaches can turn into a science lesson
• Classroom pets draw students into my classroom, even students I don't teach. Pets foster a positive classroom culture. 

I never anticipated that I would one day defend the worthiness of cockroaches but after more than a handful of students took a chance at handling them today, I'm feeling pretty good about keeping these three roaches around for now =O Next time you pass by my class, come say hi to them!