Joy for All Companion Pets
The Joy for All initiative brings animatronic pets into the classroom to support students in a variety of ways. They provide a calming environment, especially for students who would like to participate in therapy dog sessions but are unable to. They foster social interaction, improve student focus, and reduce anxiety. Interacting with these classroom pets will foster a culture that emphasizes an inclusive, supportive, and growth-minded environment.
Health and Wellness Teacher Ms. Janel Graham is bringing this project to Skippack Elementary, where students from kindergarten through fifth grade can participate. An electronic dog and two cats are joining her Health and Wellness classes to promote this social-emotional learning opportunity. These pets look and sound like the real thing, without the care they would otherwise need. It allows staff and students to enjoy the experience and find comfort in the animatronic animals’ consistency and reliability.
To support this learning experience, PVSD Foundation provided financial support to purchase three Joy for All Companions. It shows the importance that the PVSD Foundation places on students’ social-emotional growth.
PVSD Foundation is proud to support this project, as it builds up the learning community within Perkiomen Valley.
Sunny
“Sunny” represents positivity, energy, and emotional lift.
The bright orange color feels warm and cheerful, like sunshine. Sunny helps students when they need a mood boost, encouragement, or help shifting their mindset. It connects to skills like self-awareness and managing emotions.
Scout
Scout was named by the Foundation.
“Scout” represents the search for knowledge.
Her bandana reminds us to be prepared for anything that might happen on a quest for knowledge.
Lovie
“Lovie” represents care, connection, and kindness.
The black and white coloring can remind us that even when things feel mixed up, or we are having both good and hard feelings at the same time, we can still choose to be kind and caring. Lovie helps students practice empathy, gentle behavior, and feeling safe with others.
We have also started introducing the pets in small groups, especially with younger students. It has tied in beautifully with our “getting along” unit, where we talk about fairness, meaning everyone gets what they need.
A student worked alongside his paraprofessional in a quieter space with the pet and remained engaged in the lesson, completed his work, and followed along with the group instruction. It was really powerful to see him remain connected to the learning while also getting what he needed to feel calm and supported.
In a kindergarten classroom, a student who was feeling very overwhelmed was able to recognize and verbalize that he needed to calm down, which is something that is not typical for him. After spending time with the pet, he was able to regulate and rejoin the class, even participating in the group activity.