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June 15, 2012

Keep Kids Busy This Summer with Ideas from Kind News Magazine

Popsicles for dogs, houses for toads, grass for cats, and other fun stuff to do and make with kids

Summer just started, but you're already wondering how you're going to keep your child (or grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, or other kid in your life) entertained until school starts up again. Keep summer boredom at bay with cool projects that keep kids busy and help animals.

Many of the ideas below come right from the pages of our kids' magazine, Kind News. You can send a full year (six issues) of Kind News to a kid you know for just $8. Subscribe now!

You don't have to wait until the first issue arrives to start showing some love for animals. Use our list for inspiration to help out your pets and wild neighbors (and maybe even your human neighbors) right now.

• Venture into your yard or a local park to create your own backyard field guide.
• Set up a chill station for wildlife to give birds, butterflies, and other small critters some relief from the heat.
• Keep pets safe from the heat, too. Remember to call your local police or animal control if you see a dog stuck inside a parked car on a warm day, and remind your friends and family to do the same.
• On really hot days, freeze up some peanut butter popsicles for your dog. (Bonus: you can eat them, too!)
• Grow a pot of cat grass for your feline friends.
• Every week, pick a wild animal. Look up cool facts about the animal and how people can help them. For starters, check out honeybees, black bears, sharks, or prairie dogs.
• Watch our video about staying safe around dogs. Hold a movie screening to share it with friends and other neighborhood kids.
• Put together a disaster kit for each of your pets. Let your family, friends, and neighbors know how important it is to be prepared, and show them how to make pet disaster kits, too.
• Play around with our cat cam at the Fund For Animals Wildlife Center, then see what you can do to help feral cats.
• Invite toads into your yard by building a little toad abode.
• Make a batch of treats or some catnip toys for the homeless pets at a nearby animal shelter.
• Got more time on your hands? Raise money, collect supplies, or find other ways to help your local shelter.

Get even more ideas with our 100 Ways to Be Kind to Animals poster. Before you know it, summer will be over, so make it count—and send Kind News to keep kids fascinated with animals all year long.