Did you know that many states have curriculum requirements for humane and character education? This education involves teaching children to understand, care about, and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, and responsibility for self and others.
Teaching kindness to animals is a natural component of these efforts. Developing empathy towards animals can be a key step in developing empathy for and rejecting violence against all beings, including humans. With bullying and youth violence rampant in schools today, it is essential to teach compassion and encourage kindness in your students.
Honey
Honey is one of our cow residents rescued from the dairy industry. It is not widely
known that, like other mammals, cows must have a baby to produce milk, so mother cows on
dairy farms are typically kept constantly pregnant to produce a regular supply of milk
only to be separated from their babies after they’re born. Honey was fortunate enough to
be rescued while pregnant after spending 10 years on the farm, and she and her son
Benjamin arrived at Charlie’s Acres in 2018 where they’ll live the rest of their lives
side by side. Although Benjamin now towers over his mom, they still share an incredibly
close bond, and we can see how much it means to them to be able to stay together and to
be free to spend their days how they choose. Honey is a sweet, motherly figure to not
only Benjamin, but their entire herd.
Gretel
Monroe
Frank
Ginger
Ginger was brought to Charlie’s Acres in the spring of 2019 by a teenage activist who negotiated with her former owner, a dairy farmer, to relinquish her. She arrived in extremely poor health due to severe neglect. Ginger was emaciated, full of parasites, and suffering from a life-threatening udder infection. We feared for Ginger’s survival during those first weeks and were thrilled as we saw her put on weight and gain strength. Now, she’s thriving in her forever home at Charlie’s Acres with her wonderful goat and chicken friends. Despite everything she’s been through, Ginger is incredibly sweet, forgiving, and trusting of humans. She loves receiving attention from humans, gluing herself to the side of visitors as they pet her and nuzzling them affectionately. Ginger’s story is a great example of why animals deserve a chance at life and to receive treatment when they’re sick, just as much as anyone else.
Charlie’s Acres’ Virtual Class Pet Program includes:
– An adoption certificate, photos, and information about your new class pet.
– Four 30 minute video calls with an animal caregiver and your class pet. These can be scheduled throughout the year, semester, or shorter unit, depending on your class’s needs. These calls will focus on humane education lessons that help students put themselves in an animal’s “shoes” and consider their feelings.
View our Virtual Class Pet Program curriculum.
This program is available for grades K-12 and is most appropriate for grades 2-8. For classes younger than Kindergarten age, please feel free to reach out to jenny@charliesacres.org for additional humane education options.
Due to staffing, a limited number of no-cost registrations for the 2023-2024 school year have been made available. We expect to open no-cost spots for additional classes to join in the Spring Semester. Please check back here or subscribe to our newsletter to be notified in when more spots open up!
Ask a parent or donor to sponsor your class by sending them this link!