At Furry Friends, we’re passionate about the incredible ways animals can support wellbeing, confidence and learning — and sometimes that learning happens without anyone even realising just how much is being covered!
Our Animal Assisted Therapy Practitioner, Imogen, is also a home-educating mum, so naturally, animals play a pretty big part in learning at home too!
Recently, Imogen and her daughter Eliza spent some time at the farm with our gorgeous Miniature Shetland, Kingsley.
Now, Kingsley’s nickname is Bertie… and when you combine Bertie with a unicorn makeover, there was really only one possible outcome:
✨🦄 KINGSLEY BERTIE-CORN 🦄✨
A little country pony with a sprinkle of unicorn magic!
Learning Through Animals 🐴🌿
What might look from the outside like a child simply spending the day grooming, decorating and caring for a pony can actually encompass an enormous amount of meaningful, real-world learning.
Throughout their time with Bertie, learning naturally flowed across so many different areas.
English came through building vocabulary, conversation, listening and explaining ideas. Maths appeared through counting, measuring, comparing and problem-solving. Science was woven throughout discussions about animal care, behaviour, health, grooming and welfare.
Then came Art & Design — planning Bertie’s transformation, choosing colours and getting creative with animal-safe washable chalk hair pens and sparkly extensions.
Because apparently a Miniature Shetland becoming a unicorn is educational now… and we are absolutely here for it. 😂🦄
Perhaps some of the most valuable learning, though, couldn’t be written down on a worksheet at all.
Spending time caring for Bertie encouraged confidence, empathy, responsibility, patience and trust, while giving Eliza practical experience of safely caring for and working around a pony.
The Less Glamorous Side of Pony Ownership… 💩
Of course, pony ownership isn’t all glitter, fluffy manes and unicorn extensions.
Eliza also got stuck into some field poo picking, experiencing the decidedly less magical side of horse care!
Did that put her off wanting a horse of her own?
Absolutely not. 😂
Nice try.
When Animal Care Becomes Education 💚
As both an Animal Assisted Therapy Practitioner and a home-educating parent, Imogen sees first-hand just how naturally animals can create opportunities for children to learn.
There doesn’t always need to be a worksheet, classroom or formal lesson.
One afternoon with one very fluffy little pony covered English, maths, science, art and design, PSHE, animal welfare and practical life skills — alongside creativity, responsibility, confidence and plenty of laughter.
Animals can provide opportunities to ask questions, solve problems, develop empathy, practise communication and take genuine responsibility for another living being.
And when a child is interested and engaged, the learning can simply happen as part of the experience.
That’s one of the beautiful things about home education: education doesn’t only count when it looks a certain way.
Sometimes learning looks like sitting at a table with a book.
And sometimes it looks like picking up pony poo before turning a Miniature Shetland called Kingsley — nickname Bertie — into Kingsley Bertie-corn. 🦄😂✨
Practical skills, creativity, responsibility and core learning… all wrapped up in one very fluffy little lesson. 🤍🌾🐴
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