“Paws”itively Safe: In this program participants will learn how animals communicate through body language, how to safely approach and greet an animal and what to do if they encounter an animal they don’t know.  After this program participants will become animal safety experts!

Safe, Healthy and Happy: You, Me and the Whole World, Too! What do we have in common with the non-human animals we share the world with?  In this program participants will examine clues to discover what all animals (including people!) need to be safe, happy and healthy. Participants will think critically about how to help animals meet these needs, as well as build empathy by considering the commonality we share with each other and non-human animals.

Kind Kids: At HSHV we know that kids help us create the compassionate community we live in!  In this program participants will assess the effect they have on the world around them by looking at the world from the point of view of a much smaller animal.  Participants will think about how they can show compassion through the daily choices they make.

For 3rd – 5th Grade

Through Your Eyes: In this program, participants will look at the world through the eyes of an animal.  Participants will view a human-animal conflict from the perspective of both a person and an animal and consider humane solutions to the conflict.  A program for both critical thinking and empathy building!

Animal Adaptations: How does a polar bear stay warm in the Arctic?  How can you tell what a bird eats by looking at their beak?  In this hands-on program participants will learn about adaptations and how plants and animals develop adaptations in order to better survive their habitat.

For 6th – 8th Grade

Perspectives & Poetry: Who do we give our empathy to and why?  Beginning with the reading and analysis of a poem, in this program participants will put themselves “in the shoes” of another and consider a human-animal conflict from the perspective of both a human and a non-human animal.

Animal Adaptations – Sharing the City: “Wild” animals are becoming more and more common to see in urban and suburban settings.  In this program participants will examine the adaptations that some animals have developed in order to better survive alongside people.  Participants will discuss possible solutions to human-animal conflicts that have occurred as a result of these animal adaptations.

For 9th Grade – Adult

Working for Animals: In this program participants will learn about the many different careers available in animal welfare and what education and skills are required.  This program provides advice from real people working in a range of animal welfare positions.

Compassionate Quotations: Which animal is more important: a bear, a pig or a dog?  In this program participants will examine their own beliefs towards different animals and how those beliefs may have formed.  Participants will study various attitudes held about animals throughout history and will formulate their own “compassionate quotation” to contribute to history.

For All Ages (Modified for ages 5 through adult)

Love Starts Here – How HSHV Helps Our Community: Do you have a group who is interest in learning about HSHV? Participants in this program will learn the history of our organization, information on our day to day operations and how we are helping our community to be a compassionate place for all animals who live here, including humans!

Communicating with Animals: Just like learning another language, this program provides the tools to decode what animals are telling us by identifying animal body language characteristics.  Participants in this program will learn how to interact safely with animals by reading animals’ non-verbal cues to assess their feelings.

Download a printable version of our Animal Care Education programs

Our humane educators are here for you! And so are our animals! Our staff is happy to bring virtual programming to you. We can do read alouds, introduce you to some animals in the shelter, and even do a focused lesson if you wish. To offset the cost of these programs, we request $15 per program fee, though this can be waived if needed upon request. We are able to connect via platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet and more!

Read aloud: One of our staff, accompanied by an HSHV animal can do a live read aloud to your students. Our books are humane themed and we would be sure to choose one that is fun, appropriate and 8-10 minutes in length. We have many books on various topics available, so let us know what you might want to focus on (fun story, animal care, animal body language, kindness, etc.), or we can choose for you!  We do also have many pre-recorded read-alouds by various HSHV staff for you to use any time.

Animal Visit: During this 15 -20 minute program, one of our humane educators will share brief information about our shelter, ways students can be involved in helping animals (age appropriate), and introduce learners to several of our adoptable animals. This is a great way to get your learners engaged as well as have a little bit of a cute and cuddly virtual therapy time with our animals.

Focused Lesson: We are also happy to deliver a virtual lesson to your students that shares information on HSHV and how we have an important role in serving the community. We also have some really great pre-recorded, interactive lessons for grades K-12 that you can assign to your students through your virtual apps.