Animal Haven’s Caring Kids Program introduces children and teens to basic animal care and informs them about existing issues in animal welfare. This school year, we are very excited to be partnering with Humane Education Advocates Reaching Teachers’ (HEART) to enhance the program and offer exciting new activities and topics, ranging from farm animals to wildlife.

Caring Kids nourishes the bond between humans and animals and encourages young people to become animal advocates in their community.  

The program meets every Friday from 4:00pm-5:00pm. It is mainly geared towards the 5-13 age range, but any participant between the ages of 4 and 18 is welcome.

Past Events

In December HEART instructors and Animal Haven staff put together an exciting Winter Wonderland party for kids of all ages as a part of the weekly Caring Kids program.
 
Fifteen boys and girls came to learn about animals who live in cold areas like polar bears and harp seals, and how to keep our dogs and cats protected in the winter
 
Kids also took part in a bunch of fun activities to learn more about protecting people, animals and the environment:
 
Woof! Meow! It’s too cold out: Kids watched a video about the way one animal shelter is working to help protect dogs from freezing in the winter by bringing dog houses and straw to people who keep their dogs outside and encouraging people to bring their dogs indoors. They also learned about making winter shelters for feral cats and to be aware of the fact that feral cats sometimes climb into car engines in the winter to stay warm.
 
The Ice is Melting: Kids read a story about climate change, polar bears, and harp seals. Then they traced and cut out either a paper polar bear or harp seal and wrote one thing they can do to reduce their carbon footprint on their animal cut out. Then they posted their animals onto our Protecting Animals from Climate Change Pledge Board.
 
Every Family Counts!: Instructors read the story, And Tango Makes Three (a true story about two male penguins who raise a baby penguin together) and then talked with the kids about how there are all different types of families and what is important about a family. Kids then filled out their own winter family trees including their companion animals.
 
Homemade Snow Globes: Using reused jars, second-hand bear figurines and glitter, kids made homemade snow globes. Instructors talked to the kids about the importance of using reused materials to protect the planet by reducing consumption and saving our precious resources.
 
To further emphasize the importance of reusable materials, HEART instructors Kim and Chris decorated the room with items from the thrift store. When some kids asked why the decorations came from a thrift store, one girl explained, “Because if they were previously used you are reusing those decorations instead of using new decorations that use new resources to be made.”
 
Then, of course, no trip to the animal shelter is complete without meeting a wonderful dog who is up for adoption. This pup certainly got a lot of love from these caring kids.
 
A big thank you to volunteers Gail Frydkowski, Christina Gdsis, Roland Regos, and Lousie Enten for helping make the event a success! We know that the kids learned a lot and had a ton of fun.

We were very excited when Luca from Bruised not Broken paid the Caring Kids a visit. Luca, the posterdog for the BNB, is an incredible "Pittie Ambassador" and a certified therapy dog! Since he is deaf, the children learned how to "speak" to him with hand signals.

Author Andi Green visited last week's Caring Kids program to read her new book "Don't Feed the Worry Bug," and sign copies for each child.

Our Puppy Nursery Gets Decorated!

Animal Haven Introduces Birthday Parties

Animal Haven has recently begun hosting birthday parties for kids and teens! If you are interested in planning your child's next birthday at the shelter, please Contact Us for more information.

Kids Ran the Show at the Shelter

It was an exciting day when our Caring Kids program teamed up with Lucky Puppy for a special adoption event. Children from ages 4-17 took on the roles of Animal Haven staff to run the shelter and help animals get adopted. They were able to put into practice many of the lessons and exercises they learn each week, such as pairing potential adopters with the right pet for them. The event was a great success and several animals found their forever homes as a result!

7-year-old Bridget took on the role of Vet Tech for the day

During a recent Caring Kids shelter visit, several representatives from Angels on a Leash came to speak to the children about therapy dogs and the incredible effect they have on those in need of healing.

Check out photos from our first Caring Kids Agility Class! Animal Haven’s trainer, Katrina Krings taught participants the basics of canine agility and gave them the opportunity to work with several of the dogs at the shelter. In under an hour, they had the dogs jumping through hoops and running through tunnels! The dogs got an afternoon of exciting mental and physical stimulation while the children felt a great sense of accomplishment. The experience was incredibly rewarding for all involved!

Kids Learn the Importance of Caring for All Animals, big AND small

The Caring Kids Program is proud to introduce our newest furry friends who we adopted from a veterinary school that needed to find placement for them by the end of the semester. The children are learning to care for the pet rabbit and rats and realizing that regardless of size, shape and reputation, all animals deserve the same level of respect and care.

"Drew Bunnymore"

"Rue", "Bea", and "Betty"

In honor of Be Kind to Animals Week, an instructor from H.E.A.R.T, a well-known humane education organization, came to speak at our most recent Caring Kids shelter visit. Through hands-on activities, he taught participants about pet overpopulation, puppy mills, and the responsibilities of becoming a pet owner.  

 Students participating in the 92nd Street Y's Teensgiving Program spent a Sunday afternoon volunteering at the shelter and learning about how we care for the animals.They were a huge help and we were thrilled to have them there!

Caring Kids Program featured in NY Daily News!

On March 16th, 6-7 kids and teens attended our weekly Caring Kids shelter visit. They had a great afternoon helping us make an adoption video for Baby Grand, giving Lovebug a bath, and socializing with some of Snow White's kittens!

Around 20 high-school students from buildOn spent an afternoon at the shelter socializing with the animals and cleaning the facility. buildOn is a non-profit organization that empowers primarily urban U.S. high school students through in-class and intensive after-school programs.

4-year-old John visits the shelter with his mother to learn about the animals and how important it is for us to help take care of them. John met all of our adoptable cats, helped staff take photos of new dogs, and even appeared in Jazzy's adoption video!

Students from The Kent Place School volunteered at our first Caring Kids Mobile Adoption Event, which took place outside of Whole Foods in Millburn, NJ. Thanks to the donated time and efforts of the students, the event resulted in several adoptions!