50 Ways Kids Can Help Animals
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50 Ways Kids Can Help Animals humanedecisions.com/50-ways-kids-can-help-animals/ Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay 50 Ways Kids Can Help Animals Animals need our help—whether they are farm animals, animals in your backyard, wild animals whose habitat is endangered, domestic pets, animals used for entertainment, or abandoned and homeless animals. There are many impactful ways kids of all ages can help animals today and make a difference, from volunteering time, to raising awareness, launching campaigns, raising money, writing letters to elected officials or promoting issues on social media. Here are some great ways kids can help animals today: 1. Foster a cat or dog – Cats and dogs that come into shelters and rescue groups desperately need foster homes to care for them, while they get ready for adoption. Contact your local animal shelter or rescue group to learn about their foster programs. Fostering is only temporary until the animal gets adopted. When you foster a rescue pet you will be saving an animal’s life each time you foster! 1/7 2. Volunteer to help a neighbor’s pet – Help infirm, immobile, or neighbors who have difficulty getting out by taking their dog for a walk and giving it attention. If you have neighbors that work long hours, then volunteer to take their dog for a walk midday. If the owner is going to be home late, volunteer to feed their dog or cat. Your kindness means the world to these animals. 3. Learn to speak up for animals – Join the Humane Society’s Mission Humane specifically designed for kids. This Action Guide will help teach kids how to speak up for animals and make a difference for them. They will also learn effective ways to take action for animals. Download the Guide. 4. Do something kind for an animal in the next week, and every week! – Then share the experience with family and friends, share on social media, and write about it for a class paper. 5. Volunteer at a local wildlife preserve, hospital or rescue center, or animal sanctuary – Most need community support and volunteer help. 6. Volunteer and support your local animal shelter – There are many ways kids can help local animal shelters. Kids can help by gathering and donating old blankets and towels, walking dogs, petting and playing with the cats so they feel less lonely, and raising and donating money. Call your local shelter today for ways to help. Check out how these kids are helping an animal rescue center in Hawaii. 7. Adopt a pet – Thinking about getting a pet? Think shelter adoption first. Shelters across the country are full of abandoned, homeless pets that need a second chance. But first, be prepared to adopt a new pet by understanding the long-term financial and personal commitment involved. It’s a decision you want to give careful thought to and be prepared for. Here are some adoption tips. 8. Learn how to be a responsible pet owner – If you have a cat or dog at home, you can work to improve their lives. Make sure they are microchipped and spayed or neutered. Cats love to play, consider giving them play time. Try to groom your dog or cat gently everyday when you have free time, they will love it! Provide your dog with lots of exercise—dogs crave running, sniffing and exploring. Go for long walks daily. Never scold them, don’t leave them outside, and everyday make time for them by giving them loving attention and play with them. Make sure they know they are loved every day! 9. Support wildlife in your yard – Create a wildlife sanctuary in your back and front yard, by choosing native and animal-friendly plants that attract hummingbirds, birds, bees, small wildlife, and insects. Learn about building a sustainable garden for wildlife. Then go a step further and encourage kids to write letters, make phone calls and sign petitions asking our legislators to outlaw pesticides and toxins that are killing pollinators. 10. Build a Certified Wildlife Habitat – Turn your yard, balcony container pots, schoolyard, or roadside green space into a Certified Wildlife Habitat®. It’s easy and fun and helps wildlife. Learn how to Certify your garden here. 2/7 11. Build a butterfly garden – Help the Monarch Butterfly survive by becoming a butterfly hero! Start with a Butterfly Starter Kit from the National Wildlife Federation and help plant food, water and safe places for Monarch Butterflies to lay their eggs. 12. Leave wildlife (insects, frogs, lizards) in the wild – It is their home. Don’t keep wildlife as pets. It’s illegal in Washington State and many other places. Be nice to bugs and all wildlife. Checkout these cool bug facts! 13. Put out water bowls in your backyard for wildlife – Urban and suburban development have encroached on wildlife habitat. Help protect animals from dehydration, drought, and severe and prolonged dry weather, and limited water supplies. When you provide clean, fresh water daily you help keep them alive and healthy. 14. Want to learn more about wildlife? – The website All About Wildlife publishes a list of websites that include top wildlife organizations, environmental organizations, scientific websites, favorite wildlife blogs, green websites and governmental and non-profit websites for wildlife and animals. It’s a great way to get kids educated about wild animals. 15. Go on family nature walks – Get connected with nature and wild spaces, and learn to love nature and become a steward for our earth. Scientific evidence suggests kids who spend more time in nature are healthier, happier, are more mentally focused and value and will safeguard wildlife and wild spaces. 16. Found an orphaned or injured baby animal? Not sure if the baby animal you found is actually orphaned or injured? Here are some signs that a wild animal needs your help. 17. Join a cleanup effort! – Help keep our environment clean and safe for wildlife. Join a cleanup day, or just be a citizen hero and pick up trash on trails, in parks, along rivers and creeks, ocean beaches, and even off streets. Trash from streets and sidewalks ends up in storm drains that wash into our waterways and eventually the ocean, killing wildlife and marine mammals. Here’s a fun worksheet for young kids to track the types of trash they find. 18. Don’t litter, it’s deadly to animals – Teach kids never to litter, those everyday items on the ground, streets, waterways and ocean beaches are deadly to animals. Our garbage and trash can be completely lethal to unsuspecting wildlife and even to dogs and cats. If you’re a parent or teacher, here’s a good lesson plan. If you’re a student, see how litter hurts animals. 19. Start an animal rights group at your school – Join like-minded animal advocates and budding activists at your school and start advocating for animals. Speak up and spread the importance of protecting animals. They need our help. Here’s how to start a group. 20. Start a campaign to save animals – Join the many kids today who are speaking up, creating simple videos, and posting on social media protesting against any form of animal abuse and cruelty, whether a rodeo, circus, horse race or dolphinarium. And it’s working! Here’s how some kids are speaking up! 3/7 21. Don’t attend or support events where animals are used for entertainment – Animals used to entertain humans is driven by money and profits and the animals are the ones that suffer. Performing animals are almost always trained using inhumane and cruel training practices, are punished, denied their natural environment, denied natural behaviors, denied their families, and are forced against their will to entertain us. Refuse to support this form of cruelty to animals by NOT attending rodeos, horse races, circuses, marine parks, dolphinariums, theme parks that use animals, or zoos. Instead attend human performances like Cirque du Soleil and Circus Vargas where no animals are used, abused and exploited. Here are more ideas. 22. Choose animal-free adventures! – Stand up for animals in captivity by not lending your support or attendance. Tell your parent or teacher that animals aren’t ours to use for entertainment and suggest animal-free adventures instead, like going to your local park, local museums, or a positive animal experience like the shelter or animal sanctuary. 23. Watch animal documentaries – There are many enlightening, informative and powerful animal documentaries available today that provide insight into animals and ways humans are impacting them and their world. Here’s a list of nature documentaries for kids and films that will raise consciousness. Here’s a list of animal-rights movies to show in classrooms. 24. Read books about animals and how to care for pets – Here are some fun books for kids from 1st through 6th grade about caring for pets. Here’s a list of books for young kids that love animals. 25. Go cruelty-free when you shop! – Many products are tested on animals that are available to buy. How do you know if your product is tested on animals? Check the packaging for the Leaping Bunny logo, and make sure it says “Not Tested on Animals.” Learn about buying only cruelty-free labels and products. And take this fun Quiz to see how many cruelty-free products you own! Take the Pledge to go cruelty-free! 26. Make your closet cruelty-free – Avoid buying or wearing clothing or products that have caused animals to suffer. When you see cruelly produced clothing and accessories in stores let the manager and clerks know you object to the sale of any animal parts and animal cruelty involved.