Summer Project Ideas for Kids

School’s out, and the long-awaited time for outdoor fun with friends and neighbors has come for children everywhere. The warm months also bring many opportunities for helping our furry, feathered, and finned friends. Here are a few ways children can roll up their sleeves to help animals this summer:

Warm-weather wisdom. Kids can help educate people about the dangers of leaving a pet unattended in a parked car. Click here for a flier children can cut out, color, and distribute to veterinary clinics and pet supply stores.

A wild refuge. Have kids create their own backyard or front porch wildlife sanctuaries. Children can help maintain a bird feeder or birdbath, make pinecone treats for birds, plant flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and create a brush or rock pile to serve as shelter for wildlife.
Useful resources:
• The Sharing Our World with Wildlife coloring book teaches children how to be good neighbors to wild animals and provides hours of coloring fun.
• Fundanas are colorful bandannas printed with scavenger hunt nature games that help children learn about wild animals, their habits, and habitats.
• The Please Don't Make a Pet Out of Me! teaching poster highlights the health, environmental, and humane issues connected with captive wildlife and emphasizes that wild animals belong in their natural habitat.

Surfin’ safari. The KIND News Online summer camp has many more activity and project ideas for elementary school-aged children. Teenagers will find inspiration and step-by-step project ideas at humanesociety.org/teens.

Shoot to Save Wildlife. Now is the perfect time for kids of all ages to do our Mission: Humane project on helping urban wildlife. There is a version for kids and teens.

Terrific tales. Children’s books and films can be a wonderful way to teach kindness and respect for people, animals, and the environment. Have children choose their favorite animal-friendly story and help coordinate and publicize a reading or showing at the library or community center. Or kids can create their own puppet shows for family and the community.
Useful resources:
• Humane Society: Youth's Best Books and Favorite Flicks list of books and movies with humane themes.
• The Troubadour’s Tales storybook & audio CD includes 20 original short stories about kindness.
• Turnips and Humphrey Puppets make lessons about responsible pet care and safety come alive.

Little things make a big difference. For some simple ways kids can show kindness every day, check out the 100 Ways to Be Kind to Animals teaching poster.