Classrooms in the UK have long been acquainted with a class pet in the form of a furry animal friend - but these are not the only pet to teach children valuable life skills. Enter the aquarium - an underwater habitat opening the eyes and ears of children, they are not just a wonderful sight in the quiet part of the room, but a fantastic tool to teach children a plethora of information. 

Here are our top 7 benefits to opting for an aquarium in the classroom:

  1. Visual learning - Children can see how their efforts in tasks carried out affect the aquarium and it's inhabitants. 
  2. All aspects of science can be taught from the mini eco-system; from water chemistry, to how fish eat and the nitrogen cycle
  3. Other key learnings can be filtered in around the subject, such as language, geography and history
  4. Valuable lessons in being responsible and caring for animals
  5. Team work - Working with classmates to ensure the aquarium is looked after and tasks are carried out
  6. Encourages children to look beyond their everyday life on land, use their imagination and consider the underwater world evolving in their classroom
  7. Aquariums have been proven to provide a calming atmosphere for people and studies have found that there is a loss of tension when fish are present in the classroom.

Are you a teacher or parent and know of a school who would LOVE to have an aquarium in their classroom? We have designed an exciting initiative to introduce children to fishkeeping, with eight lessons taking them through the fishkeeping journey - Fishkeeper Fry!

Contact the Maidenhead Aquatics team on [email protected] for more information and to register your school's interest.