Pennsylvania School Brings in Tiny Lambs to Help Improve Literacy in Kids
Educators come up with some creative ways to help kids learn, and this one might be one of my favorites. A school just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania brings in four adorable lambs each spring so that students can read to them...and believe it or not, there's research that shows it helps these kids improve their literacy.
NBC News shared the clip on Saturday, April 20th. Listen in as Dr. Laura Jacob, the school district's Superintendent, talks about why they bring the lambs into class. And watch until the end when the student explains why they like reading to the animals so much; it brought a tear to my eye!
This is such a wonderful story! I love how they student said the lambs don't judge, they just listen. NBC News commenter @Ave picked up on that too, "“They don’t judge they just listen” Awww my heart!!" Commenters also fully supported the idea of bringing in animals so the kids could read to them. @Juls shared, "My local library in the Southbay in California had dogs that would come in and you would read to them. The kids loved it." I agree with @Kickinat60 who said, "THIS is newsworthy!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!"
Related: Baby Lamb's Frantic Search for His New Human Mom Is Going Viral
Facts About Little Lambs
I think we can all agree that lambs are absolutely adorable! I would love to read and snuggle up with little lambs (who will grow up to be sheep). Lambs love people and can recognize their faces. They are naturally gentle creatures and never aggressive. They get along well with other animals, pets, and children of all ages. It makes sense that the school would bring in such a sweet and loving animal to work with the kids.
I could listen to little lambs 'talk' all day...their little "baaaas" are too cute! Generally speaking, lambs are very vocal, and communicate their emotions through vocalizations and sounds. They also show emotions through facial expressions, and the little lambs look like they enjoy going to school!
Lambs love to explore and play and have a natural curiosity. They develop cognitive and physical skills through exploring their environment. Because they love to play, being surrounded by all of those kids was probably a highlight of their day! They are learning just as much as the kids are.
If you're like me, you might have decided after watching this video that you wanted a pet lamb. If a lamb sounds like a perfect pet because they're so laid back and cute, just remember that there are pros and cons that come with any pet you choose. First off, lambs don't stay little forever. They grow into large sheep. Males have large horns and can become aggressive as they age. Lambs poop and pee wherever they want, making house-training them almost impossible. Lambs and sheep require a lot of space, so keeping one indoors all the time isn't ideal. They also are jumpers, and the older they get the higher they jump.
As with any pet, make sure to do your research before bringing home an animal simply because it's cute. In this case, the cons outweigh the pros for me for bringing a pet lamb home. I'll just continue to watch cute videos of them on TikTok instead.
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