Furry or feathered, scaly or slimy, pets come in all shapes and sizes!
Any pet owner will tell you that pets bring ample amounts of love and fun into our lives. They also provide an excellent opportunity for children to develop skills like responsibility and patience, cultivate empathy, and learn about the lives and needs of animals. But do you know how domesticated animals evolved from wild cats, wolves, or llamas? Have you ever thought about what a day in the life of a pet photographer was like?
Check out the videos, activities, and crafts below to learn some fun facts all about our faithful companions, their skills and smarts, and just how they got their start as household pets. For animal owners looking to celebrate their much-loved pets, enroll in the brand-new Mountain Lake PBS Pet Club today!
Learn All About Pets
Caring for a Family Pet | Rosie’s Rules
Grades PreK-2
As children care for a pet, they learn about an animal’s basic needs, practice empathy, and learn about kindness. Using this video and activities from Rosie’s Rules, children will learn there’s a difference between what you need to provide for a pet to survive and what they might want to have when caring for a pet.
The Lessons We Learn From Pets
Grades PreK-3
Our pets can teach us so many valuable lessons, such as patience, resilience, and forgiveness! What has your pet taught your family?
DragonflyTV | Pet Handedness
Grades 3-5
People are either right or left-handed. These smart girls wonder if the same goes for cats. Why wouldn’t they have their own paw preference? They investigate to see if cats are right or left-pawed.
MN Original | Pet Photographer Sarah Beth Ernhart
Grades 3-12
Sarah Beth Ernhart didn’t set out to be a pet photographer, but a love of animals and a knack for photography gradually led her from a graphic design path to her full-time dream job. Ernhart’s modern and unique portraits capture the personalities of her client’s four-legged friends.
Why Do People Have Pets? | Origin of Everything
Grades 9-12
68% of American families have a pet friend living with them. But why did humans start domesticating animals as pets and not livestock?
Activities, Crafts & More
Puppy Pet Care Game
Grades PreK-K
Play “Puppy Pet Care” to help Elmo take care of Tango with this online game. Elmo needs a little help to keep up with Tango’s daily routines including feeding and washing.
Pom-Pom Pets
Grades PreK-2
Transform ordinary pom-poms into adorable little pets with this fun and easy craft!
Clifford the Big Red Dog Books
Grades PreK-3
The big red dog is back! Share Clifford’s timeless imaginative adventures by reading these books with your child.
Household Pets: A Very Fancy Hamster | Cartoon Academy
Grades K-8
Learn how to draw a hamster… all dressed up in his top hat and tails!
Analyzing Information – Can Pigs be Pets?
Grades 3-5
Most people have dogs or cats as pets, but some people have pigs as pets! Using this classroom lesson plan, students will identify a main idea as well as analyze, evaluate and interpret new information, personal experiences and prior knowledge to form an opinion and write a paragraph stating whether or not pigs make good pets.