#classroompets
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bornfreeusa.bsky.social
This #BackToSchoolMonth share Born Free USA's Virtual Classroom Pet Program with elementary school educators! This free program includes activities & discussion questions that teach animal welfare, biology & conservation. bornfreeusa.org/schoolsandwi...

#HumaneEducation #ClassroomPets #ClassroomPet
August 22, 2026 at 6:41 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I was pretty sure my shrimp population had crashed, since I barely see any of the ghost shrimp around. I assumed I was out of #neocaridina #shrimp. Last week, I caught sight of this one and hoped there's more in the thick moss. #keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
blue neocaridina shrimp on moss
January 3, 2026 at 10:27 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I was looking into my shrimp tank and found this one apparently enjoying the air bubbles coming out of the sponge filter. I thought it was cute & it made me wonder if this is common shrimp behavior.

#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
That's the spot!
YouTube video by Anna Kelly
youtube.com
August 2, 2025 at 8:08 PM
bornfreeusa.bsky.social
Compassionate teaching methods to learn about wildlife include educational theater, field trips to local parks, and planting a pollinator garden.

Read our latest report to learn about the negative learning consequences of #MobileZoos and #ClassroomPets. www.bornfreeusa.org/campaigns/an...
Teachers' Pets: The Exploitation of Wild Animals in the Classroom (2025) | Born Free USA
www.bornfreeusa.org
April 28, 2025 at 7:16 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I was trying to get the ramshorn snails out with a cucumber slice, but the shrimp loved it too. It took a day to get some snails on it. I thought for sure, the mystery snails would finish off the cucumber before I trapped any ramshorns.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
one blue and one red neocaridina shrimp feasting on a slice of cucumber held in place with a skewer in a fish tank
August 16, 2025 at 12:37 PM
bornfreeusa.bsky.social
Many children learn about animals for the first time in school, and classroom pets and mobile zoos give children the wrong ideas about wildlife. www.bornfreeusa.org/2025/05/08/c...

#AnimalWelfare #ClassroomPets #WildlifeConservation
Caged Classmates: The Ethical Issues of Using Wild Animals in Education | Born Free USA
This week marks Teacher Appreciation Week; a time dedicated to expressing gratitude to teachers for their crucial role in shaping students’ lives, communities, education, and development. The responsi...
www.bornfreeusa.org
May 8, 2025 at 7:41 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
There was a rare sighting of my 1 blue shrimp. I took pictures of the snails for kindergarten, thumb for scale. I will be getting more mystery and ramshorn snails; hopefully they'll be more hardy than the last batches I got. I want more shrimp...
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
March 28, 2026 at 3:06 PM
bornfreeusa.bsky.social
Many educators believe that experiencing wildlife first-hand is useful for teaching students core values. The reality of having wild animals as #ClassroomPets results in anything but a safe or beneficial environment for both the students and the animals involved. www.bornfreeusa.org/campaigns/an...
May 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I am waiting for this one to pop. I haven't seen some of my berried shrimp lately. I hope they were just busy hatching eggs.

Newer phone has a much better camera...yay!

#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
Berried glass shrimp on a young lily leaf
August 30, 2025 at 7:03 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
Did I do my water change at the wrong time? I've never seen them even get close to each other before. I don't know their sexes & there isn't enough space above the water line to lay eggs anyway.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
2 mystery snails, one riding on the other 2 mystery snails, one riding on the other
October 18, 2025 at 4:28 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I wasn't sure if my isopods were stuck/trapped or not, but I decided to move things around a bit to free them from that little space & allow them to crawl back up to the surface of the soil.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
A group of isopods apparently stuck between the side of the glass jar and the netting separating the soil layer from the charcoal layer
January 24, 2026 at 3:51 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
Plants & animals growing (see alt texts), and cardboard chair (kindergartners challenged me to make) disassembled now that I have to start sorting & packing for my move to 5th grade...background blurred to cover up the mess.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets #stem #stemeducation
Last 2 stages of darkling beetle: pupa, newly molted beetle (bottom & top), beetle a day after Mealworm pupa, 2-day old darkling beetle, painted lady chrysalises, brassica rapa seed pods growing Cardboard chair I was challenged to create by kindergartners after we talked about paper as a material. I was allowed to use only staples, no tape or glue. This chair has been disassembled and recycled.
May 9, 2026 at 4:47 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I managed to get a decent pic of my 1 shrimp. I saw a sowbug that looks like 1/2 of 1 kind and 1/2 of another in the bin. My 4th & 5th graders played a prey-predator activity ("poor vision" + noisemakers) that's always fun to watch.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
Blue neocaridina shrimp, the only one in the tank at this time, hardly ever spotted, but photographed a lot when it happens Sowbug that looks like it's half-brown and half-bluish gray, most likely an offspring of 2 different variations...there are "cookies and cream" and "powder blue" sowbugs in the bin, so this may be a mix of those. Students doing a prey-predator activity where all animals have poor vision...predators have jingle bells on their ankles, and prey animals have noisemakers that they use to find another of their kind so they can be "safe".
June 6, 2026 at 8:07 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I know I keep posting about my shrimp, but I'm excited to have at least 2 berried females. I'm resisting the urge to buy more & instead wait for the babies to come. #keepingthingsalive #classroompets
August 29, 2026 at 7:00 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
Because of her smaller size, I know this isn't my original shrimp that I named Bigfoot. I've seen Bigfoot but she's not berried (I wonder if she's getting too old for that). This is a different one but a berried one! I worry about the fry because I have scuds, too.
#keepingthingsalive #classroompets
A berried or pregnant blue neocaridina shrimp
August 22, 2026 at 2:33 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
The plants are unkempt, the Amazon Sword is not doing that well since the move, but I did get more blue dream shrimp to keep "Bigfoot" company. The snails and the shrimp feed on the unhealthy plant leaves and fish food. The glass is algae-free. I see 4 shrimp here.
#keepingthingsalive #classroompets
4 out of hopefully a dozen blue dream neocaridina shrimp (I bought my 1-year resident shrimp, Bigfoot some company).
August 8, 2026 at 8:16 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I just ordered Bigfoot some company, hoping to get 10 more blue dream shrimp by Tuesday or Wednesday. I know they won't be shipped by UPS 1-day air before Monday. I am hoping the new shrimp will be as resilient as this one has been (or don't bring new diseases). #keepingthingsalive #classroompets
Blue neocaridina shrimp on a leaf
July 25, 2026 at 4:01 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
Bigfoot (my shrimp name) sighting...I don't think the local aquatic pet store checks their email, because I haven't gotten a response about whether or not they have blue neocaridina. Social anxiety (&/or something else) keeps me from calling or dropping by. #keepingthingsalive #classroompets
July 18, 2026 at 2:01 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I had a Bigfoot (shrimp name) sighting on Monday so I won't see her for another couple of weeks. My non-orange (powder blue, cookies & cream) sowbugs bred this one oddity. I had to look up what insect was outside my classroom window...it's a soldier fly.
#keepingthingsalive #classroompets
Soldier fly outside a classroom window Blue neocaridina shrimp behind some aquatic moss Orange sowbug
July 11, 2026 at 2:30 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
I've decided to name my one shrimp Bigfoot. I seldom see it & when I do, I take pics of it, some of which are blurry. In my isopod setup, I thought I had fewer than 5 pill bugs...there were around 10 on that one bark until I moved the container to take a photo.
#keepingthingsalive #classroompets
a single blue neocaridina shrimp on a leaf 7 pill bugs on a cork bark
July 4, 2026 at 4:30 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
My one shrimp survived the tank move from the science classroom to the 5th grade classroom. I had to rearrange plants, take some water out, move the tank, put new water in, & fiddled with lighting. She's still there. I hope to get her some company (besides snails). #keepingthingsalive #classroompets
blue neocaridina shrimp, the only one in the tank
June 21, 2026 at 2:53 AM
annavkelly.bsky.social
Life continues in the Science classroom...or life cycles continue in the Science classroom. Here are some photos from this week. Better descriptions are in the alt texts for each photo. Let's just say I didn't plan to get more caterpillars.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
Tiny painted lady caterpillars hatched out Friday night. The eggs were laid on Monday, and the butterflies were consequently set free so as not to keep getting more eggs. Bottom left photo has thumb for scale. Painted butterfly eggs were laid on Monday on the fake flower around the sugar water wick (which is inside a medicine cup). Top photos were taken on the day they were laid. Bottom photos were taken on Thursday. They hatched on Friday. Some random Science room photos: Top left, a darkling beetle that wasn't able to molt out of its pupa exoskeleton (it was still feeding and walking around); top right, my classroom currently has ~100 mealworm pupae; bottom left, a student gave me back her journal from last year & it came with a caterpillar (I put the journal back in her locker with a note about why she might want to keep it); bottom right, the privacy film on my window facing the media center (which has windows to outside) refracts the sunlight in the morning, but only at this time of year.
May 30, 2026 at 6:23 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
We had 6 caterpillars that all pupated. Sadly, 2 chrysalids fell to the bottom of the jar. After relocating all 6 to a bigger enclosure, Surprisingly, 1 of the fallen ones did emerge (deformed). It was a new experience for everyone. Read alt text.
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
A painted lady butterfly with deformed wings. The chrysalid was in the bottom of the enclosure and wasn't expected to produce a live butterfly. It was a great lesson for students for why the chrysalids need to be hanging or suspended from something. I chose not to try to suspend the 2 fallen ones I had because I thought it would be a good lesson for students about how, in nature, some organisms do not survive. In this case, some organisms do survive but not in an optimal way. This butterfly can crawl around but not fly. Sometimes it struggles to get back up when it flips over. I am not sure that it is able to feed from the little cup in the enclosure that has sugar water wicking up through a fake flower. It will most likely inevitably starve to death. I've also seen the other butterflies interact with it, but I am not sure about the meaning of the interactions. I didn't know if they were attacking or doing something else.
May 23, 2026 at 3:41 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
It's crazy how quickly caterpillars grow in a span of a week. I watched a mealworm finish molting. I wish I could say my fish are doing well, but they are dropping like flies. Pollen allergy is also being discovered in class.
youtu.be/swCN6g5EKw4
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
Painted lady caterpillars 1 week after arrival, over 3cm long Painted lady caterpillars 1 week after arrival, about 3cm long Painted lady caterpillars upon arrival 04/23/26, less than 1 cm long
May 2, 2026 at 3:09 PM
annavkelly.bsky.social
Fourth quarter means life science, so brassica plants are budding, caterpillars have arrived, and a mealworm just pupated. The video is showing oat bran being moved by mealworms underneath: youtu.be/Uyr_5RJ0vtY
#keepingthingsalive #scienceclassroom #classroompets
brassica plants under grow lights, starting to bloom painted lady caterpillar, about 1 cm long one mealworm that has just pupated
April 25, 2026 at 12:47 PM