Meet Our Centre Animals
The Importance Of Animals As Part Of The Learning Environment
A fluffy cat. A quacky duck. Even a squishy slug. You’d have to be blindfolded to miss the delight in a child’s face when they interact with other living things, but there’s much more to children and animal interactions than meets the eye.
When children have opportunities to spend time with animals, it’s about much more than just stimulating their senses. Yes, they love furry cuddles and experiencing the different ways that animals look, eat, move, sound and feel – but research shows that animal interactions can actually improve children’s social interaction, reduce stress and anxiety and increase motivation and learning.
When children interact with animals, they build the all-important senses of connection, empathy and caring. They feel a sense of responsibility and are curious to find out more about the animal.
Below you will find our adorable animals that we are so lucky to have here at Athenree Montessori.
Marmalade
Our cat Marmalade has three legs since he was struck by a car in 2023. All of the Tamakiki adore Marmalade, whom they would refer to as our mascot because of his wonderful attitude and adventurous nature. Marmalade is well-known in the neighbourhood and frequently seen lounging on people's decks to sunbathe.
Chutney
Our needy cat Chutney enjoys cuddling with everyone and squishing around their legs. Chutney, in our opinion, has the soul of an elderly.
Dory
Our escape artist, Dory, enjoys trying to burrow her way out of her house. Children liked cuddling and unwinding in the quiet area when Dory had a litter of bunnies.
Nemo
Our friendly bunny, Nemo, loves spending time in the centre exploring and cuddling with children.
Jack
Jack is one of our guinea pigs, he is adventurous and loves to be fed leftover apples.
Gus
Gus is our shy guinea pig, he loves to be tucked up under straw where he snoozes. As soon as he notices food being placed in his huts he out their nibbling away.
