Education Programs and Activities
Educating young people now will create a humane and responsible community tomorrow. HSHA offers a variety of humane education programs for young people in our community.
Shelter Tours
Come and get a grand tour of the shelter to see the many animals we have up for adoption and learn about HSHA’s many programs.
Animal Exchange Program
At the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area (HSHA), we are building a better community for pets and people. A vital part of this mission is to ensure that the pet owners of tomorrow understand the responsibility of owning a pet. That’s why HSHA created the Animal Exchange Program, which is made possible by a grant from The Greater Harrisburg Foundation. Through this program, local classrooms can adopt a small pet at no charge. In turn, students learn the responsibilities and rewards of pet ownership. Consider enrolling your classroom in the Animal Exchange Program today to ensure a community of responsible pet owners tomorrow. Each pet comes with a "starter kit" that includes:
-Cage
-Bag of food
-Bag of bedding
-Bowls and/or water bottle
Donations of supplies or monetary donations are accepted for the program, however there is not a fee to adopt a classroom pet. Applications for this program can be found here.
Responsibility Box
This activity is geared toward groups of children Pre-K to 3rd grade. The responsibility box is full of items needed to take proper care of a pet. Through this interactive activity, children will learn that having a furry friend is a lot of responsibility!
The Pit Bull Breed: A Presentation
This is a lesson developed for grades 9-12 that explains the history of the Pit-Bull, characteristics of this misunderstood breed, and provides an insight to dog fighting.
Humane Careers Presentation
HSHA is available to visit your high school to speak about animal careers, job opportunities at HSHA, and volunteering. This presentation is geared toward high school students who are interested in working with animals in the future.
In-Class Lessons/Activities
If you would like your students to learn more about pets, we have several customizable lesson plans and activity ideas to choose from that are easy to present to your class.
Youth Guardian Angel Program
If your classroom cannot participate in our Animal Exchange program, help out by sponsoring any of our residents as Youth Guardian Angels! Raise $20 each month during the school year to sponsor and receive pictures and updates of that resident. If the resident your class chose gets adopted, then you may pick out another pet to sponsor. Search for residents to sponsor under Adoption Center/Available Pets, which can be found on our homepage. For more information about this program, please contact Suzi Donnelly at suzid@humanesocietyhbg.org.
Newsletter
Does your classroom want to receive HSHA's bi-annual newsletter? If so, contact Suzi Donnelly at suzid@humanesocietyhbg.org to be added to our mailing list.
Contact
HSHA is available to visit your organization with a furry friend to speak about HSHA and to offer any of the programs mentioned above. Examples of places we visit include: Schools, Senior Centers, YMCA, Preschools, After-School Programs, Churches, Special Needs classes, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, etc. Contact Humane Educator Suzi Donnelly at (717) 564-3320 x114 or at suzid@humanesocietyhbg.org to schedule a visit.
Printable Activities
Humane Society Crossword Puzzle
