Class Pets.... sigh

I finally caved.

After 10 years, I said yes.

We now have class pets.

Well, actually last year we had two frogs for a couple of months (Ping and Pong), but they were easy.

The kids didn't want to take them out and play with them. Frogs aren't soft and cuddly. They don't run on wheels. Frogs don't sit and wash their faces with their cute little paws.

Mice do.

Salt and Pepper. Two little mice. The students LOVE them. They stay in at recess to play with them. The kids crack up if the mice poop in their hands, which happens all the time.

Then Salt got loose. Loose as in up this little hole in a corner between the cabinets. Loose as in I thought she was a goner, running her little legs off between the walls of our school, which is fairly big. For two hours we were on mouse watch, but no luck.

The bell rang, the kids went home, and I wasn't sure what to do. Then, I saw her little tail. I tracked down another teacher and she told me that the space Salt was in was contained to the corner, it didn't lead anywhere. So the plan formed.

Block off the hole so the mouse couldn't get out. Go to Petsmart to get a little cage and some of those tubes that mice, gerbils and hamsters go in. Put it all together the next morning in the classroom. Arrange the tubes and cage up near the hole in hopes that Salt would come out for food. I really wasn't looking forward to having a death and dying talk with my class.

Would you believe that little bugger came out?! Two students stayed back from music and when the mouse went in the tube, they yanked the tube away from the hole and we had our mouse! The three of us cheered and celebrated and reunited Salt with her sister, Pepper.

So all is well in the world. They are pretty cute.