Gerbils are friendly, curious, and nearly never bite when treated well. There are many gerbil care sites on the internet that are very helpful. You can place a small piece of sandpaper in your child's pencil box. It comes in handy for cleaning dirty erasers. If you find your child has written on their skin with ball point pen, wiping with a baby wipe will get the ink off easily.
Wipes get off just about everything.
For kids or educational posters use clear mailing tape for the edges rather than getting them laminated. Keep small coloring books and crayons in your purse for places like restaurants, the kids will have something to keep themselves occupied while you wait. I have three small children. That way, if they somehow manage to get it, they won't be able to hurt themselves with it. When I put clean sheets on my kids' beds, I put on a fitted sheet and a flat sheet.