Ten Ways That Kids Can Help Animals

If you're like most parents, you're striving to raise kind, considerate kids who value and respect all living beings, both human and non-human. To help you in this endeavor, Ingrid E. Newkirk, the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written an upbeat new book, 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals. It's packed with fascinating animal facts, fun illustrations, jokes, puzzles, and tips that teach children to think about— and empathize with— animals.

Writes Ingrid, "Animals have feelings, just as you and I do. Just like us, they feel the heat and cold, the sun and rain. Just like us, they enjoy a comfortable place to live, good food, and loving attention. They miss you when you are away, and they remember things that have happened to them. We think of some animals as our friends. Others we may think of as dangerous, and others we hardly think of at all. But all animals, from the family dog to the tiniest mouse are like us - living, feeling beings. We can learn more about how animals experience life by trying to better understand their needs and their feelings."

The book not only teaches children to respect and protect animals, it helps them to appreciate one another. According to the National PTA Congress, "Children... trained to extend justice, kindness, and mercy to animals become more just, kind, and considerate in their relations with each other. Character training along these lines will result in men and women of broader sympathies, more humane, law-abiding, in every respect more valuable citizens."

Humane educators and those in the animal protection community agree that both animals and children benefit when kids are taught to show consideration for even the smallest and most seemingly insignificant animals. When George Angell, the founder of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was asked why he didn't help children instead of animals, he replied, "I am working at the roots. If you teach a child to be kind to a caterpillar, you do as much for the child as you do for the caterpillar."

Below are ten of the thought-provoking ideas and activities found in 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals. Please share these suggestions with the special children in your life, and help to foster their love and compassion for all living beings. By encouraging children to be kind, you will likely also be inspired to make more humane, considerate choices.

1) Keep a journal about the dog or cat or gerbil in your own home or in the home of a friend or relative. Watch whenever you can— being sure not to disturb his or her normal habitat or routine— and note how much time this animal friend spends doing various different things. What signs does she or he make to display feelings, just as you might? How does his or her behavior change as the things around him or her change? How would you feel in his or her place in different situations? You might imagine how your dog experiences a walk in the park ("I'm free, I'm free! Ooh, the smells! Oh, no, let's not go back inside so soon) or what your cat thinks when she sees you preparing her dinner (Do you think they believe we go out hunting during the day and come home in the evening to share what we have found?)!

2) If you'd like to study animals for your science fair project, travel to their homes and observe their natural behaviors without interfering. Record bird song and analyze it for patterns, see if you can figure out how many kinds of edible berries wildlife depend on or how a beaver makes his home, which is called a sett.

3) If you or a family member has a fur coat, consider giving it as a donation to an animal rights group like PETA (your parents will be happy to hear that it is a "tax-deductible donation"). It can be used in displays to teach others exactly how fur coats are made. Or check with a local wildlife refuge to see if they'll use furs for orphaned wild animal babies to snuggle with.

4) Say pooh to pet stores! If you or your family are looking for a dog or cat to adore, contact your local animal refuge to find out who is up for adoption. Many of the animals sold in pet stores come from puppy 'farms' where female dogs are kept outdoors in pens. Their puppies are taken from them, packed into crates, and shipped, sometimes hundreds of miles, to the mall - when there are already enough abandoned animals in shelters who need a loving home like yours!

5) If your school carnival or fair has contests that give away free goldfishes as prizes, organize a group of students to complain to the principal. Explain that a frightened, lonely goldfish is no prize, and suggest plush animal toys or other neat non-living prizes instead.

6) Order stickers, leaflets, and cards about animal testing to have on hand for whenever you find a chance to tell someone what's up with it. Order as many free animal rights stickers as you like and use them to decorate your lockers and folders - that way you're spreading the message every time you're at school or in class. A good place to start is at the PETA online mall (www.petamall.com) where you'll find a heap of stickers, as well as iron-ons. You can also buy a ruler which has a list of 10 "rules" for being compassionate to animals on one side. Also, write to PETA, 501 Front Street, Norfolk VA 23510, or log on to www.caringconsumer.com for free lists of hundreds of cruelty-free companies, and be sure to share them with your friends.

7) Go to only "animal-free" circuses with human performers. Avoid the circus if there are animals in it because the animals are not volunteers, they don't get paid and they don't ever get to leave. If you do see performing animals, use this checklist to record the problems you see:

- Are the animals wearing chains and muzzles? Are they wearing silly costumes that must be uncomfortable for them?

- Does the trainer hold a whip or a stick?

- Can you spot any sores, cuts, or scars on the animals?

- Are animals forced to jump through flaming hoops?

- Do they look happy or sad?

- How many unnatural and dangerous stunts do the animals perform, such as riding bicycles, skating, "dancing", walking upright, and balancing on a ball?

Send your checklist to the local paper with a letter asking others to stay away from animal circuses. Or ask your teacher to have a discussion group or let you write a paper about what you've seen.

8) You can save pigs, cows, and turkeys by eating veggie dogs instead of hot dogs. There are some great tasting veggie dogs made by a company called Yves. Every grocery store now carries veggie dogs, so you can bring them to cookouts and share them with everyone. For lunch, pack a faux meat sandwich made with Fakin' Bacon, Foney Baloney or Smoky Tofurkey! You can find fake meats in most grocery stores now.

9) Check out the education program set up by Share the World (www.sharetheworld.com). and suggest to your teacher that your whole class could do one of the activities as a group. There are lots of downloadable work sheets with super ideas, like putting together a list of what neat inventions might replace animals, just as in the old days horses who had to pull heavy loads were glad to lose their jobs to trucks! That could get everyone thinking creatively about all the ways in which animals are still used, and how to help them.

10) Stay away from zoos, aquariums, or marine parks. If people don't go to them, they won't make any money and will have to close down, which means animals will get to stay in their homes. If your class is planning a field trip to the zoo, ask your teacher to plan a trip to a museum, park, sanctuary, or cave instead. If your teacher or family insists that you go to the zoo, be sure to bring along a pencil and paper to take notes (and a camera, if you can). Keep your eyes open for the following:

- Do the animals have water? Is it clean? Are there shady trees they can lie down under?

- Do they have company?

- Can they stand up, lie down, and move around comfortably?

- How much space do they have to run and roam in? Can they get to private space when they want to escape the stares of the gawking visitors?

- Are the animals active? Are they running, playing, or climbing? Do they have toys?

- Do the animals look healthy? Are their coats shiny?

- Do they have any sores or injuries?

- Does the area smell? Because of bad zoos and kennels, people sometimes expect animal places to smell, but they shouldn't if the caretakers are doing their jobs well!

Different animals have special needs that need to be met:

- Check to see if the Great apes are in family groups. Do they have things to do? Or are they in small areas, with nothing to do but be stared at, eat and fall sleep?

- Do the birds have at least two separate perches or roosts? Or can they only fly into walls, fences, or onto the floor if frightened?

- Do the elephants and other large animals have rubbing posts and pools in their pens?

You can watch live animals without supporting the cruelty of zoos: log on to www.tappedintoelephants.com and watch a live-stream webcam of happy animals at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee which gives a home to the lucky elephants saved from zoos and circuses.

You and your child will be entertained and enlightened by the rest of the tips, success stories, quizzes, facts, and jokes found in 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals. The book is available in most libraries and bookstores, and it can be ordered from www.petacatalog.com. Please read it with children ages 8 to 13.