Humane EDUCATION: More Information For Kids & Adults

Simple Activities Parents Can Do With Their Children to Promote Kindness, Empathy & Respect for All Living Creatures

1. Read a book about bird feeding and attracting wildlife to your yard with your child. Set-up a feeder and enjoy observing the many different birds who stop by for a meal. Visit http://www.audubon.org/market/licensed/childrensbooks.html for book suggestions including:
Saving Birds –– Heroes Around the World by Pete Salmansohn and Stephen W. Kress

2. Take a Listening Walk together. Walk quietly through your neighborhood and/or a park. No talking, just listening. Hear the many sounds of the area – birds, traffic, water, leaves crunching or gravel hitting, squirrels, balls bouncing. What other sounds might you hear? When the walk is completed enjoy a picnic lunch or snack together discussing the many sounds heard. Write a shared letter to one of the sounds or a poem about the buzz or stillness.

3. Make every day Earth Day by organizing a regular family, block, park or neighborhood cleanup. Participants wear the uniform – work gloves, comfortable clothes and shoes and carry a bag for collecting trash. Choose an area to maintain as a nice, safe, clean area for neighborhood wildlife.

Earth Day–Hooray! Stuart J. Murphy, Renee Andriani (Illustrator)
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books Age Range: 7 to 9

Series: MathStart 3

City Green
Dyanne Di Salvo-Ryan

4. Offer to walk an elderly neighbor’s dog or visit with that neighbor and the dog. Plan an afternoon tea or card game, don’t forget the dog (or cat) treats. A favorite early reader that highlights the special bond between an older gentleman and his older cat is Cynthia Rylant’s, Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour The Tea.

5. Tackle a Spring Cleaning job that will benefit animals at the local shelter. Animal shelters always need clean towels and blankets that are used for drying off washed dogs and as soft, comfy bedding. Donate items that are no longer used in the house to the animal shelter, the dogs and cats aren’t interested in coordinating colors, just comfort.

Additional Websites
Washington Humane Society's Kid's Page
National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE)
Association of Professional Humane Educators (APHE)