Huge opportunity for educating future hammy lovers!

[CharlieB]

As some of you may know I work with young children. Since being back I have been moved from looking after babies (3 months - 1 year) to preschool (3-5 years). Today I was talking to one of the children and they asked me if I had any pets so they had me rambling on about my hammys! They were really interested about them and they said 'Don't they all bite? One bit my brother' so I explained about hammys and if they are scared or upset they will bite and they don't mean it.
I told my manager about the conversation and they have asked me to do circle time tomorrow with the children to talk about hamsters and what you do to look after them. I am jumping at this opportunity in hope that they will remember something for when they have a hammy!
I am going to take in lots of photo's for them and some of the things that the hammys can eat and we are going to have a big talk about it :) I am so excited! I don't really talk to the people at work as I am a shy person but hopefully this will do me good as I will be talking to the children but with the staff around too :)

[Stockannette]

Awesome - you've got a room full of kids who have the potential to be good, responsible hamster owners someday - because of YOU!

[DrKMcK]

When we get them young, it means better care and husbandry for hamsters in general. As for you being shy, your knowledge in this area will attract interest in what you have to say, and not just from the children. A win-win all around. :-)

[shiny]

Go Charlie! Share the hamster love :D

On a serious note, it's much easier to be confident & talk to groups of people about something you really love. You never know, you might even enjoy it ;) xx

[CharlieB]

Thank you :) I'm doing it tomorrow so fingers crossed it goes well :) I'm alright talking to the children until the adults come in then I freeze up. The children keep asking me about my hamsters and its great as they want to know so much! Today its been constant questions about what food they can share with them. I have to prepare all my stuff tonight to take in for them :)

[A_Couple_In_Love]

Hope it all go's well for you! :) What a great thing to do circle time about.

[Lougarry]

My Rainbows got a little lesson in the evils of fluffy bedding tonight. I warned them that they should never use it for hamster bedding as it's so dangerous, but that it does make excellent clouds on a collage :)

[LavoChain]

Sounds like a fantastic opportunity! I'm sure you'll be fine, it's great that you're willing to do this. Little kids are so full of beans, hopefully they'll go home and 'educate' their parents too :D

[CharlieB]

It went really really well! They asked loads of questions and were really interested! It even somehow got some of them to eat their veg at lunch - I told them that hammys have veg as treats and it helps them get big and strong so they said they wanted to get big and strong too :)
All day I went round talking to them asking them questions like what cant you give a hammy and they all remembered :) well they remembered 'nothing fluffy' and 'no oranges' A couple asked me if they can have one of my hammys and I said 'maybe when you are a bit bigger ask your mummy and daddy but you will need to be really good and help them out' I heard a few of them saying things to their parents when they were picked up too :D

[psl]

oh bless them children!!!
It nice when you got something whatever it is and they are well interested in it.
Glad it went well.

[Petite1]

So happy for you that it went well, new breeders in the future maybe x

[Flamestriker]

Awww sounds like a fab session you did there!

Wish I could have been there, I bet it was fun. Now all of these children will be better prepared as responsible owners (when older) than others because of you:)

[CharlieB]

They loved it :) I took in different foods to look at - some of them didn't like the mealworms :D I was surprised at a couple - I showed them a monkey nut and they knew exactly what it was!! The test will be after the weekend if they remember any of it :)