Already loving Zhu Zhu Pets I was excited when I learned about The Happy’s, the new interactive pets from the same toy manufacturer. My pre-k classroom full of four and five year olds were the perfect audience to try out the new toys. We spent hours this week playing and learning with our new classroom pets, The Happy’s. Playing with the puppy and kitten along with their chase ball and treats was a very exciting experience and provided great learning opportunities.
We received the golden retriever Bentley, the kitten Mittens, and the chase & play ball. Each pet also came with their treats. The pets are drawn to the treats and perform tricks for you. They also chase and play with the ball. With the true playful spirit of real puppies and kittens, The Happy’s are a great way to teach children about real pet ownership and responsibilities.
I introduced The Happy’s with out batteries to teach a few rules in the classroom before free choice play time. We discussed handling the new interactive pets responsibly and giving them plenty of love in our classroom.
With a large group of excited children, they worked together to build a big “cage” for the pets with wooden blocks. They were very proud of themselves and couldn’t wait to see if their new interactive pets would like the space. I gave children on opposite ends of the rectangle the treats and prompted them to pass the treats every couple of minutes. Each child had a turn playing with the treats and were happy watching their friends teach the pets new tricks.
After playing with our new interactive pets we talked about what makes us happy. It really doesn’t take much to get smiles from four and five year olds. Friends, family, planting flowers, and playing were some of the most common answers. My pre-k classroom will have fun playing with The Happy’s during free choice play time everyday.
The Happy’s have a sleep and play mode making them the perfect classroom pets. The sleep mode is great when you put the interactive pets away in the classroom. When it’s play time, the pets easily turn back on with a gentle touch to their backs. While the pets do make noise, they are fairly quiet and I found it encouraged the children to speak softly while playing together. With just a few kids, each child will receive plenty of individual attention from the interactive pets. With a larger group, many learning opportunities were presented including sharing, critical thinking, and teamwork.
For more classroom fun, teach your students The Happy’s Dance!
To learn more about The Happy’s connect with them on Facebook,. You can also meet the Happy’s, play games, and print coloring pages for more fun. The Happy’s are available in stores beginning April 2, 2014.
What makes you happy?
Disclosure: I participated in a promotional program with Cepia and MomSelect. Complimentary products were provided to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.