RSPCA Queensland is committed to empowering kids to foster empathy and respect for animals, people and the environment. Our humane education programs explore how and why we should care for all animals and aims to develop positive and caring behaviour towards all creatures, great and small.
RSPCA educators recognise how important early learning is in a child's development. This is a great time to introduce topics about animal welfare and animal engagement. Children often have a natural empathy towards animals and will engage with activities to start learning about the needs of animals and our role in helping them.
Education Program Topics
- Topic 1: Prevent-A-Bite Students will learn how to safely interact with dogs and cats. In many cases, bites from animals are preventable with understanding some simple animal behaviour. Children will learn how to recognise warning signs to enable safer interactions.
- Topic 2: Caring for our Pets Students will learn about how to care for their pets and what their pets need to make them happy and healthy.
- Topic 3: Living with Wildlife Students will discover how we can all live positively with our wildlife.
- Topic 4 Tailored Session We can tailor our lessons to suit the age and interests of your students, as well as fit in with any unit of work that you are currently teaching from ages 4 years and up. Visits can include curriculum-linked lessons, AWARE lessons, activities and presentations sharing messages around animal welfare.
Key messages are:
- Exploring dog and cat body language and how they feel, i.e. happy, sad, angry, scared
- How to interact safely with the family pet
- What to do when encountering an unknown animal
Key messages are:
- Providing basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, exercise, grooming, mental health and veterinary treatment
- Touching and interacting with animals politely
- Keeping pets safe, i.e. importance of pet identification, walking on leads, etc
Key learning outcomes include:
- Identifying wildlife
- How to help wildlife
- What to do if you find injured wildlife
FAQs
- Is there an age limit? Children need to be aged 4 years old (pre-prep) or older.
- Can a visit be arranged virtually? Yes, an educator can deliver a session virtually.
- Will the topic include a live animal experience? No, RSPCA Qld cannot bring live animals into early education centres or schools. Our shelter animals are in a period of transition and can experience high levels of stress or become overwhelmed easily.
- How much does the program cost? A visit from one of our educators is $50.00 + GST per visit.
- What programs are offered? You can arrange a site visit from one of our education officers. We have a range of topics available. Each topic runs for approximately 30 minutes.
Interested in an RSPCA educator attending your early learning centre or school?
To express your interest, please register online. Please note this is not a booking. Your booking will be confirmed with you directly by an education team member.
