Pets From the Past: A History Class

If your learner loves animals and history, this is the class for them. While dogs and cats are the most common pets now, in the past people have kept badgers, monkeys and even polar bears (to name just a few unusual pets!) Join us as we learn about the history of pets and discover some unusual pets from the past belonging to Kings, Emperors and Presidents.

We will learn about the domestication of dogs in the prehistoric era and look at cave art depicting pets in the Stone Age. We will look at a variety of pets from Ancient Egypt and talk about the importance of cats in Egyptian culture. We will look at pets kept in The Chinese Empire, specifically focusing on animals kept in the royal court and look at the status Emporers gave to their pets. We will talk about medieval pets and the types of animals people kept and why. We will also discover what pet King Henry III kept. Finally, we will look at the rise in popularity of pets during the nineteenth century and look at some unusual pets that lived in the White House with various presidents.

The class will be discussion based and all learners will be encouraged to participate. If your learner isn’t confident speaking in class, there will be opportunities for them to engage using hand gestures. The class will use a variety of images from different points in the past as discussion prompts. Learners will be encouraged to make predictions based on the images and to give their opinions throughout the class.

No prior knowledge is needed for this class.