Teaching kids about animals at Camp Kindness
July 3rd, 2018
RedRover is partnering with the Sacramento SPCA to bring the RedRover Readers program to more students! The Sacramento SPCA delivers their humane education programs in local classrooms and their Camp Kindness summer camps. RedRover visited Camp Kindness recently to read with students. After reading, one boy said,
“I didn’t know before the lesson that animals could communicate with people, like tell us with their body what they want.”
Another boy said they learned rabbits need exercise, just like dogs: “I didn’t know rabbits need exercise. I thought they just stayed in their cage.”
Some kids thought that guinea pigs were boring and lazy, but after our reading Oh! Theodore and writing poems about him, the kids couldn’t stop talking about all the things they could do with a guinea pig.
Children explore relationships with animals in the RedRover Readers program, but they also discuss their relationships with other people and develop self-awareness. After reading Nobody’s Cats and talking about the word “forgotten,” one little girl said that sometimes she feels forgotten because her grandmother sometimes forgets who she is and that makes her really sad. Children explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences with people and animals during the program. By giving kids a chance to consider different perspectives and reflect on their own experience, both students and teachers become more aware and connected.
For more information about RedRover Readers, visit www.RedRover.org/Readers
For more information about the Sacramento SPCA, visit www.sspca.org
