While You Wait: Engaging Kids in Responsible Pet Care
Check out the Kids’ Corner at our veterinary clinic!
What better way to learn about how to care for your pets than by playing? At our community veterinary clinic in Valdivia, Chile, our smallest clients are getting a chance to practice their responsible pet owner habits learning about what their pets really need at our new “kids’ corner” within our clinic waiting room! Kids can try out a variety of play-to-learn activities such as completing a checkup form by taking notes on specific aspects of their pets’ well-being, or listening to an animal’s heartbeat, weighing them, or even determining which foods are healthy for them to eat and which are not.
The perfect spot for kids to practice caring for animals while they wait for their pets to be cared for by our veterinary team.
While a child’s imagination allows for endless learning possibilities, some of the activities we created for this space include:
Child-friendly veterinary tools and gear, stuffed animal “patients”, and an examination sheet that details exactly what a vet would consider when reviewing an animal’s well-being.
A “safe travels” checklist so kids can decide what steps need to be taken to ensure safe transport for their pets.
A “patient of the month” exhibit, which encourages the kids to ask our staff about a particular case and learn more about how an animal’s overall well-being is considered in their treatment plan.
Play food so kids can determine which food choices are healthy for their pets and which could be harmful.
At The GAAP, a core part of our mission is teaching communities to responsibly care for animals and increasing empathy for animals at an early age. As with all we do, we take an integrated approach, building this effort into many of our programs, with leadership from the One Health educators who oversee our Healthy Pets education program. Learn more about that program here.
Checking the dog’s ears carefully as part of his visit
We extend a special note of gratitude to the William and Charlotte Parks Foundation for Animal Welfare for making this community education project possible for the children and animals of Valdivia, Chile!