Classroom Education
HSSCM staff members visit pre-school and early elementary school classrooms, offering our curriculum on basic pet care needs and dog bite prevention to children, free of charge. To schedule a classroom visit, please call 269.963.1796 or email.
Program Mission
- To educate the youth of South Central Michigan on the topic of basic pet care
- To articulate the similarities between people and pets
- To prevent harmful situations for children during interaction with companion animals
- To build lasting relationships between our organization and community educators
Philosophy
- By reaching out to area youths and articulating the basic needs of pets we will attempt to draw parallels between human and animal necessitates such as food, water, shelter, medical care, etc. Establishing these parallels in the minds of area children early will allow for the formation of a solid foundation of humane animal treatment in the future.
Basic Pet Care Curriculum
(Pre-Kindergarten thru Second Grade)
During our visits to area preschools and daycares we will discuss the various needs of pets through visualization, make-believe and storytelling as follows:
Students will first be asked to quietly pretend as if they are a puppy or kitten, the presenter will then suggest basic needs of the animal (such as food, water, medicine, etc.) leading students to identify the object.
Upon discussing the correct answer the presenter will pass out the aforementioned item (such as a bag of food, bowl, medicine bottle, etc.) allowing the class to directly discover the item.
Once the items have been distributed the presenter will read a themed story aloud to the children, further engaging the student’s interest.
After the story is complete the presenter will then ask several questions relating to the distributed items, allowing students to reaffirm what they have learned through the story and their own experience.
After the items have been collected the presenter will answer questions from the audience, emphasizing services provided by HSSCM.
Items distributed will include; bags of dog and cat food, food and water bowls, an image of a dog house, a blanket (straw suggested), a collar and leash, license and rabies tags (emphasized to the children as required by law), dog and cat brushes, medicine bottle, dog toys, carrier, nail clipper (not to be distributed).
Post-Session
If resources allow, a HSSCM coloring cutout with a summary of the presentation’s topics will be distributed to the children of the class to take home and act as a final reminder of their experience as well as a point of contact for future questions or concerns from the children’s guardians.
After the presentation is complete, the presenter will note the number of attendees and distribute a survey to the class administrator. Survey information will be used to better the presentation and ultimately create an open line of communication between HSSCM and area educators.