6 yr old DD and skull 💀

[DarkLikeVader]

Posting for traffic ... currently arguing with DD 6 so need some quick back up!

I found a skull in the garden. Asked DH to move it before DD saw (he had gloves on and I didn’t). From teeth and size I’d say a badger skull or maybe a fox (I didn’t examine too closely). DD overheard, wants to see it and maybe take it for show and tell 🤮

I found skulls myself at her age but small rodenty or bird ones on wood walks. This feels.. different. Would you let a six year old a) see it b) take it to school? Thanks!

More likely to get TB from sitting next to someone with it on the tube, I would think.

I'd let her see it but wouldn't let her take it into show and tell as other children may be too sensitive. I was v squeamish at that age and it may have given me nightmares

Not buried, found completely intact while I was raking leaves in our very large rural garden - that has a sett. So less likely a pet plus the shape was pointier than a cats or dogs would be Iyswim. Though I confess I did check the cairn under which two of our pet cats are buried in case - still intact.

Yes absolutely. My DD found a deer skull in the garden when she was 6 and loved taking it into school. We boiled it first.

her form teacher was less than delighted with said bollocks.

Miserable twat!

Nooo. Am totally disgusted by anything like that! Suspect iabu though! As a child it would have completely freaked me out too.

I once took in a whole load of animal skulls found on the beach in Kent, in 1988. Indeed, the class lapped it up: nobody was sure what animals they came from, not even the teacher! We didn't boil them though.

Mind you, in the same school, a teacher who was teaching us about the human body brought in an ox's heart, fresh from the butcher, to the delight of the children. They kept asking her "when are you bringing the lamb's lungs, Miss?"

Yes, definitely! My two were fascinated by skulls and bones and other animal detritus. They took a perfect frog skeleton in and a big (empty) wasps nest. And I agree with the other poster who advised you to get to the Natural History Museum or similar.

I used to have a horse skull. Kept it in the front window to freak out nosey neighbours

Yes let them at it.
If it's a badger skull it will be totally fused as they are strong and robust animals.
If it's a fox you will see the plate lines are less fused. How exciting. Let us know what it is? 5 points for a fox but 10 for a badger!!!

@BathFullOfEels maybe this is the badger those children ate from the other thread

This is a North American Badger, not European, but I have no idea if their skulls are noticeably different. This good friend lives on a shelf in my house. (If lives isn't entirely the wrong word.) You can tell from the candle holder in the background that I obviously like skulls.

Bones found on beaches tend to be very clean Wandering - the predations of tiny crabs and things, the actions of the sea and the salt water tend to leave them spotless. I like bones a lot - they are "clean" bits of our anatomy, and tell us so much about the creature they belonged to.

As a teacher I let a child show and tell an animal skull but I didn't let it be touched by any of the other children and told the child to wash her hands afterwards.

Yes! Sounds fascinating. As long as hands are washed afterwards and it's not still got flesh in it I say go for it.

A classmate of my DD took the remains of his dead pet cat to show and tell (cremated and in a box, but still...). Teacher thought it was great. Why wouldn't you? It's all curiosity about the world, and life cycles and all that jazz. Nothing to be gained by shielding them from these perfectly natural things.

yes yes and yes,besides the educational value it will keep her from being creeped out by the natural world.
we have all sorts of skulls in the house,horse and cattle ones found in the desert bleached by nature.some painted in traditional designs.
fox and badger ones used for ceremonial pieces .(rattles american indian)all found and cleaned by ants,birds and the sun.
had a longhorn one next to the birdbath.the squirrels used it to groom their teeth, it lasted about 15 years til all that was left was the horn sheaths.
for show and tell. search animals skulls on the net.should be pretty easy to identify.explain a little about the animal it came from.this is how kids get interested in biology and sciences in general.

I took a dead shark in for show and tell once. Mum did warn the teacher though as apparently it smelt a bit ripe by the time it made it in.

So it’s a definite yes from me. I have a deer skull on the sideboard and at Halloween I put a red light underneath and fake spiders crawling out of the eye sockets.

I am a teacher and I took a whole badger skeleton in to show and tell my class.

I'm a zooarchaeologist (animal bone specialist) - pop a few photo's up and I'll tell you what it is.

Yes definately I would let her take it to show and tell
All the kids will be fascinated and the teachers too in my opinion

Definitely let her take it in, it’s a great way to explore all sorts of subjects.

Blimey! Go for it OP!
We used to look for owl pellets and then we’d dissect them to see which tiny rodents had been eaten!

It’s a yes and a (cautious) yes from me.