May 2019
Humane Education has been broadly defined as the use of education to nurture compassion and respect for living things. The BC SPCA and many other organizations strive to integrate Humane Education into mainstream education. The Humane Education Coalition provides useful and applicable information to help educators incorporate Humane Ed into their classroom. The HEC hosts a virtual speaker series called the Humane Summit. Whether you are a teacher, social worker, volunteer or parent, this speaker series offers the latest research and best practices for introducing Humane Education into your work. The best part? The series is available online and is FREE to watch!
Here are a few of the seminars available from the 2019 Humane Education Summit:
Kids Who Care: Using Multiple Exposure Programming to Make a Measurable Impact Making Humane Education More Relevant in the 21st Century Humane Science Education: Ending the Use of Animals for Dissection How to Create Interactive Humane Education Experiences
Check out the full list of videos.
Do unto Animals: A friendly guide to how animals live and how we can make their lives better by Tracey Stewart Reading Level: Grade 5 and up
When you see Do unto Animals on a library or bookstore shelf, the first thing that pulls you in is the beautiful cover. The gorgeous illustrations by Lisel Ashlock continue throughout the book – they are impressively realistic portraits that truly capture the intelligent and emotional expressions on animals’ faces.
In addition to these beautiful pictures, this book is full of fascinating information and food for thought to really inspire adults and youth alike to think more deeply about the creatures around us. Author and animal advocate Tracey Stewart is truly knowledgeable about animals, covering topics ranging from backyard wildlife to companion animal body language and farm animal welfare to respect for nature, all in an empowering way.
Young animal lovers will also find plenty of inspiration in this book which includes project ideas such as building bee houses, crafting cat and dog toys and baking healthy treats. They will also discover information about animal shelters, animal welfare issues, the importance of spaying and neutering and so much more.
Stewart has a wide range of sources for her information from groups like the ASPCA, the Jane Goodall Institute, and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. Do unto Animals will make a beautiful addition to your classroom library. It is more than a pretty package, one that will entice students to care more, learn more and DO more for animals.
Read more reviews of our recommended books.
Let’s Talk About Permanent Pet ID! Challenge your students to figure out what types of animal identification pet owners can use! Ask them to consider: what are pros and cons of each? Here are some hints in case they get stuck:
1. Collars: Phone numbers and general information are easily vieweable. However, collars can also fall off or break. 2. Tattoos: They are relatively permanent and can always be found in the same location (on the ears) Unfortunately, they can be hard to read after time, and can be affected by injury. 3. Microchips: A permanent long-time solution. However owners must keep contact information up to date when they move and so forth.
Ask your students to consider the cost of ID. On average getting a cat microchipped costs $80, a tattoo usually comes complimentary with spay or neuter, and a collar with nametag will vary but can cost about $25. Fun fact: Any cat, dog, or rabbit adopted from an SPCA shelter will have a microchip included in the adoption fee.
Discussion questions: Does the cost of ID outweigh the benefits? Has anyone lost his or her pet before? How did that feel? Would the cost of getting permanent ID outweigh those feelings of stress and sadness if you could have found your pet more quickly?
Read the miraculous story of Hello, a 10 year old Vancouver Island cat who wandered outside in July 2017 but was found in April 2019. Hello owes her reunion to a Good Samaritan who found her injured and brought her to a local SPCA. The shelter than scanned her microchip and were able to reunite Hello with her family after two years!
Read the full story of Hello here.
By generating discussion and awareness of pet identification with your school club we can work together to helps reunite more pets with their families!
Learn more about the benefits of pet identification and the BC SPCA’s Pet Registry program.
Do you have any eager animal loving students that want to keep learning throughout the summer vacation? If so, they might be interested in registering for our exciting summer camps. Held at select shelter locations, campers will spend a week immersing themselves in a fun and educational atmosphere that is entirely dedicated to animals and animal welfare. Kids will learn about responsible pet care, discover fascinating new facts about animals and develop positive, respectful relationships between people, animals and nature.
Camps are a fun and engaging way to challenge kids, and a great way for them to build friendships with fellow animal lovers! Spots go fast, so encourage your students to register early when parents can take advantage of early bird rates. Register early to reserve your spot.
Share this information with your class and check out our other news items!
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The BC
SPCA has classroom resources for grades K-7. The lessons integrate
animal issues and information into existing provincial learning
outcomes.
Click on a lesson plan below to learn more.
Kindness counts (Primary)
Bite free (Primary/intermediate)
Making the right choice (Intermediate)
You can make a difference (Intermediate)
The farm-food connection (Intermediate)
Cats in the community (Intermediate)
Including animals in social justice (Intermediate/Secondary)
We would love to know what you think of this newsletter. Do you use it regularly? Is there a topic you would like us to cover? Do you share it with others?
Please email us your questions and comments.
Informational DVDs and BC SPCA merchandise available at shop.spca.bc.ca
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