Patty Born Selly is executive director of the National Center for STEM Elementary Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the founder of Small Wonders, an educational consulting company offering services to schools, faith-based communities, and other organizations, Patty has developed hundreds of classes to help programs incorporate nature, science, and green education.

Table of ContentsChapter 1: Animals and Child DevelopmentInfant and toddler responses to animalsFormation of values in early childhood Role of animals in children's social-emotional developmentDevelopment of self in relation to animalsCommunication with animalsChapter 2: Strengthening Connections between Children and Animals Why do animals captivate children?How do children identify with animals?How can educators build on this natural attraction?Chapter 3: Animals in Children's Lives: Where, When and How are Children Interacting with Animals Outside the Classroom?Family petsMedia: Television, movies, books, video gamesIn natureChild careFriends' petsInfluence of adults' verbal and non-verbal interactions with animalsChapter 4: Educators Creating Authentic Experiences between Children and AnimalsWhat are authentic experiences and why do children need them?How can educators build on this natural attraction of children to animals?Programs that create authentic experiencesChapter 5: Animals in the ClassroomWhat is a "caring for" experience?Why "caring for" experiences are so important?What kind of animals make good classroom pets?Other considerations when choosing a classroom petWhen an animal dies/saying goodbyeCan't bring in pets? Create other "caring for" opportunitiesAnimals for therapy and serviceAppendicesAppendix A: Resources for educatorsAppendix B: Children's books about animalsGlossaryReferences