About pigs...

Despite their reputation for mess, pigs are actually very clean animals. They are careful not to use their stalls or nests as restrooms, and they keep themselves tidy! However, pigs are known for getting down and dirty because of their habit of rolling in mud to cool off. When kept in a cool, shady shelter or barn, pigs don't need to cool down, and they stay very clean!

Pigs have unique noses, and a great sense of smell. Feel the cartilage at the end of your nose - that "rubbery" spot just above your nostrils. Pigs have more cartilage, and the ends of their snouts connect to muscle tissue that allows them to move their noses. This sniffing ability helps wild pigs root around plant matter and earth for edible food. Pigs are omnivores, meaning that they eat both plants and meat. Pigs can grow very quickly: a two-pound piglet can reach over 250 pounds within six months!

See my interactive lesson, Ooh, Oobleck!

Meet the pig...

"If you're  human, you have probably have toes.  And if you have toes you can play my favorite pig game, recycled from an old Mother Goose nursery rhyme.  If you memorize the verses, you can play this with other humans.

Ready? Take off your shoes and socks.  Read the bold text aloud.  Read the words in parentheses silently and do what they say."

This little piglet loves messes. (Wiggle the "big" toe.)
This little piglet stays clean. (Wiggle the "long" toe.)
This little piglet eats slop. (Wiggle the "middle" toe.)
This little piglet eats lean. (Wiggle the "ring" toe.)
And this little piglet cries HEE!, HEE!, HEE! all the way home!  (Wiggle the "pinky" toe and tickle the bottom of the foot)