"Can I keep him?" questions your nature-lovin' child.   He has just brought you his latest captive, and as always desires to not only give it a name, but also a new home.  This is a very familiar scenario in our home.  From roly-poly bugs to tree frogs, to crickets and katydids, my children would run a zoo if I let them!

I've been working hard lately to take every possible chance to make something an educational opportunity.  So if keeping the "new pet" is at all possible, we go for it!  Setting up an animal habitat is an excellent learning opportunity.  For us, it is certainly not a permanent thing; we usually keep them for maybe a week before releasing them back into their natural habitat.  A week is usually long enough for the kids to observe and learn and be ready to set their captives free!

And surprisingly, setting up habitats has been fairly easy, especially if you have older children.  My older ones are 11 and 9 years old, and I give them no more than slight directives to find what they need for setting up the habitat.  Even younger children can do this though with a little more assistance from Mom.  After a quick Google search of the internet I've always been able to find helpful instructions for setting up habitats.  I'll print those instructions out and hand-them over to my zookeeper trainees! 

Our latest pets have been a Field Cricket and a Crayfish (or Crawdad as we call em' here in Kentucky).  I unashamedly admit that I've been shocked at how well they've accomplished the task of setting up their habitats!

Crayfish Habitat (by Alex and His Friend Della)

They did a great job of reading about how the crayfish would love to have a place to hide in and under.

The thought the neatest thing they saw was when the crayfish changed from a dark brown/black to this translucent light color to camouflage itself on the pebbles!

Cricket Habitat (By Alex and Hannah)

I had previously purchased this 2.5 gallon aquarium with screen cover, but I'm sure using another plastic or glass container you may have around the house would work just fine too as long as it has a cover and adequate air holes.

The neatest thing they learned when setting up this habitat is that you cannot put a container of water in it, or they will fall in and drown!  So they used a cotton ball soaked in water and placed in a water bottle cap (see above).

Not only are the children getting a lesson on the needs for an animal's habitat, but also in the care of keeping the habitat (my kids are responsible for tending to their daily needs).  And also, during our regular school year, I always try to incorporate it into our regular teaching time (nature journal entries, new spelling/vocabulary words, writing about it, etc.).  My kids are so much more happy to do some of their regular studies this way!

So the next time you hear, "Can we keep it?"  If at all possible say "Yes!"  And consider it a teaching and learning opportunity. 

Cricket Habitat Instructions

Crayfish Habitat Instructions