From the moment I witnessed a child soften when they stroked a baby flying squirrel rehabilitating at our outdoor education centre, I knew I had stumbled upon something special. In the weeks that followed I watched some summer campers let go of their worries through laughing hysterically at the crazy acrobatics of our baby goats. Then a homesick child reported to me that I didn’t need to call home because after spending time with Yeller, our dog, “she just felt different inside.” As years passed, I marveled at kids gazing peacefully at water bugs during “Pond and Puddle Ponderings” workshops and others wildly racing to finish schoolwork to gain the ever-popular reward of being part of the “Rat Pack” in my classroom. Who would ever have thought the greatest motivator for a child to learn would be the chance to interact at recess with one of the most despised animals on the planet? If you want to read about how my grade 6 students transformed our classroom into a chapel and banquet hall to host the infamous “Marshmallow and Turkey Rat wedding” stayed tuned!  Over the thousands of interactions of animals and children that I have watched, I have noticed that each animal brings with them a unique quality of awareness. And if we take the time to share this with the kids in our care, valuable learning can occur.