Activity Overview
Girl Scouts learn about the importance of “dos and don’ts” when caring for animals.
- Talk to Girl Scouts about the importance of keeping pets safe at home.
- Have them sort through a bag of pet-safe and non-pet-safe items and separate them.
- Have Girl Scouts discuss their sorting choices.
Leader Guidance
Say:
- Do any of you have pets at home? If so, what kinds of things do they need to be healthy and safe? (Wait for answers.)
- Pets depend on us for their health and well-being. Caring for them means making sure they have the essentials: food, water, shelter, and safety. These are things that all animals need.
- Just like us, animals need to avoid unsafe items to keep them from getting sick or hurt.
- In this activity, we’re going to think about what is safe or unsafe for an animal to have in their home by choosing some mystery items.
- Sometimes the answers might be different depending on the pet! For example, grapes are unsafe for dogs to eat, but pet parakeets might have them as a special treat.
Break Daisies into pairs or small groups. Give each a mystery bag of items, some of which are safe for most pets (like a brush, food and water bowls, leash, and toys), and others that aren’t (like chocolate, toy cars, socks, or a pencil).
In their pairings or groups, have them sort out which items are safe for pets and which aren’t. They can go through the bags more than once with different pets in mind. Circulate to answer questions and suggest different pets to try. Then bring the group back together and talk about the sorting decisions they made.
Say:
- What are some sorting choices you made today?
- Can the same item be safe for one animal and not for another? Why?
Closing Question
How can knowing what’s safe (and not safe) help us take good care of animals?
Time
20-30 minutes
Supplies & handouts6
Items safe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like a brush, food and water bowls, a leash, and toys
Items unsafe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like chocolate, toy cars, and socks
Bags to hold items
1 Per Group
Items safe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like a brush, food and water bowls, a leash, and toys
Items unsafe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like chocolate, toy cars, and socks
Bags to hold items
1 Per Group
Activity preparation
Time
20-30 minutes
Supplies & handouts6
Items safe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like a brush, food and water bowls, a leash, and toys
Items unsafe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like chocolate, toy cars, and socks
Bags to hold items
1 Per Group
Items safe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like a brush, food and water bowls, a leash, and toys
Items unsafe for most pets (objects or printed pictures), like chocolate, toy cars, and socks
Bags to hold items
1 Per Group