In December HEART instructors and Animal Haven staff put together an exciting Winter Wonderland party for kids of all ages as a part of the weekly Caring Kids program.
Fifteen boys and girls came to learn about animals who live in cold areas like polar bears and harp seals, and how to keep our dogs and cats protected in the winter
Kids also took part in a bunch of fun activities to learn more about protecting people, animals and the environment:
Woof! Meow! It’s too cold out: Kids watched a video about the way one animal shelter is working to help protect dogs from freezing in the winter by bringing dog houses and straw to people who keep their dogs outside and encouraging people to bring their dogs indoors. They also learned about making winter shelters for feral cats and to be aware of the fact that feral cats sometimes climb into car engines in the winter to stay warm.
The Ice is Melting: Kids read a story about climate change, polar bears, and harp seals. Then they traced and cut out either a paper polar bear or harp seal and wrote one thing they can do to reduce their carbon footprint on their animal cut out. Then they posted their animals onto our Protecting Animals from Climate Change Pledge Board.
Every Family Counts!: Instructors read the story, And Tango Makes Three (a true story about two male penguins who raise a baby penguin together) and then talked with the kids about how there are all different types of families and what is important about a family. Kids then filled out their own winter family trees including their companion animals.
Homemade Snow Globes: Using reused jars, second-hand bear figurines and glitter, kids made homemade snow globes. Instructors talked to the kids about the importance of using reused materials to protect the planet by reducing consumption and saving our precious resources.
To further emphasize the importance of reusable materials, HEART instructors Kim and Chris decorated the room with items from the thrift store. When some kids asked why the decorations came from a thrift store, one girl explained, “Because if they were previously used you are reusing those decorations instead of using new decorations that use new resources to be made.”
Then, of course, no trip to the animal shelter is complete without meeting a wonderful dog who is up for adoption. This pup certainly got a lot of love from these caring kids.
A big thank you to volunteers Gail Frydkowski, Christina Gdsis, Roland Regos, and Lousie Enten for helping make the event a success! We know that the kids learned a lot and had a ton of fun.
