COMPLETE PROGRAM LISTING

LIVING IN OUR WORLD WITH OTHER LIVING THINGS: This is the Foundation’s signature program. The presentation is adaptable to all learning levels and age groups. Relevant to schools, churches, and community organizations, the program incorporates the following components:

• The connection of all life on Planet Earth
• Why every living thing has a story to tell
• The shared needs of all life forms
• The differences between domestic and wild animals
• Responsible treatment of animals and appropriate behaviors towards animals
• Health topics: Safety issues, rabies prevention, Lyme disease, and other health-related issues
• Adaptable to all learning levels and age groups

Please note that, on request, an education assistance dog or African Spurred tortoise
may be included in this program, as well as any of the following programs.

CANINES, CATS, AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY: Begins with a historic perspective and promotes an understanding of (a) the contemporary issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and (b) the environmentally sensitive habitats of many native wildlife species. The program incorporates a discussion of ecologically friendly ways of living.
• Grade 2 - adult

A HOME FOR NATHAN: This colorfully illustrated book traces the journey of a young unwanted cat from being taken to an animal shelter to being adopted into the loving home that every cat deserves. The book gives children a positive introduction to animal shelters and emphasizes the concepts of kindness and responsible pet care.

A copy of A Home for Nathan will be donated to your school. Each participating teacher will receive a companion activity packet and poster, and each student receives a bookmark.
• Grades Pre-K - 2

DOGFIGHTING/VIOLENCE IN THE STREETS: Promoting safe streets and neighborhoods is a primary goal of educators, social workers, and community advocates. Hear about the web of illegal activities associated with dogfighting to better understand the underlying problems on our streets. Brutal, archaic blood sports do not belong on our school grounds or in our parks and neighborhoods. Gain knowledge and share information to create safer, more informed communities.
• Grade 4 - adult

BIG, BAD WOLF? : Examines the true nature of this misunderstood predator. Addresses traditional myths, species behaviors, the wolf’s long and complex relationship with humans, and current recovery efforts.

Materials developed by The Snyder Foundation in conjunction with The National Wildlife Federation are available.
• Adaptable to all levels

BATS! BEASTS OR BENEFACTORS?: Explores the batground of these amazing mammals. The program emphasizes bat myths and describes ways in which these animals effect beneficial changes in the environment. A variety of bat specimens are used to identify bat characteristics.
• Adaptable to all levels

SUITCASE FOR SURVIVAL: Offered in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund. The program facilitates discussion of endangered species and conservation issues, and includes specimens brought into this country illegally, such as ivory, feathers, bones, and snakeskins.
• Grade 4 - adult

IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS! The program promotes an understanding of how all living things are affected by the weather, natural disasters, and other emergencies. It addresses animal adaptations, emergency animal rescue, and how to keep companion animals safe and healthy during weather extremes.
• Grades 3 - 12

ANIMAL CIVICS: Designed to enhance existing social studies curricula. Students augment and reinforce their knowledge of topics such as individual rights, laws, legislation and the legal system by using animal-related case studies.
• Grades 4 - 12

REPTILES: DIVERSITY IN SCALES: Examines the diversity in and behavior of the Reptile Class. The program explores human activity and its negative consequences on the natural environment and on reptiles. Over 60 specimens are used to demonstrate reptile diversity.
• Grade 3 – adult

HEROES OF COMPASSION: A reflective look at the lives of people who, by the ways they have chosen to live, have made significant contributions to our understanding of environmental issues and to our understanding of animals as an integral and enriching part of our existence. From Rachel Carson to Albert Schweitzer and many more - - including you!
• Grades 4 - 12

SAFE & SOUND – DOG BITE PREVENTION AND SAFETY: Learn how controlling inappropriate behaviors such as running, staring, poking fingers and teasing can lessen the risk of a dog’s biting. Have the information you need to keep everyone in the community safe. Educational materials available.
• Adaptable to all levels

ANIMAL/ENVIRONMENTAL CAREERS/SERVICE-ASSISTANCE ANIMALS: Lecture and visuals inform students of the wide array of professional animal- and environment-related career opportunities and volunteer adventures. Includes service/assistance animal careers and protocols.
• Grades 4 - 12

"ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL": Especially designed for the parochial school audience and combined with a video presentation, this presentation focuses on reverence for life and related ethical concerns.
• Grades 3 - 8

FLORA & FAUNA AS SEEN ON COINS AND STAMPS: An interactive experience with real foreign and domestic currency, postage stamps, and a political map of our world. Promotes a lively discussion of animals and plants as representative symbols and images in other cultures. Identifies the geographic location of countries in our global community. (Adapted from Project WILD)
• Grade 5 - adult

WILD IN THE CITY/URBAN WILDLIFE: Promotes an understanding of and appreciation for urban wildlife. Topics include habitat requirements and protection, safety issues, adaptations, and peaceful coexistence with and humane treatment of wildlife.
• Adaptable to all levels

ANIMALS IN ART AND PRINT: Includes A Home for Nathan.

1. Animals in Perspective: Useful as an enrichment experience in literature and English programs and as a valuable learning aid to librarians. Materials are drawn from children's books, classical literature, field guides, and reference materials.

2. What’s in the News?: Examines how our perceptions of animal and environmental issues are shaped by how these topics are presented in the newspapers. The program utilizes articles, photography, comics, and advertisements found in the daily news.

3. Animals in Children’s Literature: A critical examination of how children’s books help to shape and influence our enduring concepts and expectations of how animals will behave and how animals should be treated.

4. “Animals in Art”: An overview of historical depictions of animals in art.

• Grade 3 - adult

JOURNALING PROGRAMS: The following programs are excellent complements to journal components of existing curricula and serve as writing motivators for students.

1. Dear Mr. Henshaw Meets Henry David Thoreau: Journal writing introduced as a collective classroom experience or as the beginning of a personal writing adventure. Prefaced by a brief history of journal keeping and supplemented by a variety of reading materials. Incorporates animal and environmental themes.
• Grade 6 - adult

2. Strider, by Beverly Cleary. Sequel to Newbery award winner, Dear Mr. Henshaw. In a series of journal entries, a boy reflects on his parents’ divorce, the meaning of friendship, and how finding an abandoned dog changes his life. A good read as well as an opportunity to introduce character development issues.
• Grades 3 - 5

ANIMAL PROTECTION SERIES: The following presentations provide students with well-balanced and reliable information pertaining to animal protection issues. Each presentation includes class discussion and focuses on developing critical thinking skills. Follow-up activities are available.
• Grade 6 - adult

1. An Introduction to Animal Protection Issues: Provides an overview of the animal protection movement, including the history of the movement, the terms "animal welfare" and "animal rights," and the distinction between the two approaches to animal protection. Also discusses the different types of animal protection organizations and how each effects change in a different way.

2. Animal Cruelty and Dog Fighting: An overview of the laws pertaining to animals. Includes a specific examination and discussion of the ethical questions involved in fighting dogs.

3. Animals in Entertainment: The focus is on how animals used in entertainment are treated. Topics include animals in zoos, marine mammals in captivity, circuses, dog racing, bullfighting, rodeos, and animal "actors."

4. Animal Experimentation and Research: Students are introduced to issues involved in animal use for medical research and testing, and testing for cosmetic and household products. The discussion includes an historical perspective and examines current trends in testing on animals, including alternative research methods.

5. Fur: The Fur Industry, Trapping, and Hunting: Provides an introduction to practices in the fur industry, including fur "ranching" and trapping. Examines both sides of the hunting debate.

6. Pet Overpopulation and Animal Shelters: A discussion of the overpopulation problem, and the role animal shelters play. The class will consider solutions to the problem. On request, an education assistance dog may be included in the program.

FAMILY STUDIES SERIES: This series is designed to complement existing family-related courses. Designed to heighten awareness in families of how to appropriately share our world with companion animals. These presentations are designed for high school and adult audiences.

1. Childproofing Your Pet/ Petproofing Your Child: Investigate the full range of issues from Animal bites to Zoonotic diseases, from Antifreeze to petting Zoos. Learn about behaviors - in children, adults and animals - necessary vaccinations, rabies, Lyme disease, ticks and fleas... and more.

2. The Family Budget and Pets: The promise that we make when we adopt a pet into our family unit is a promise for life. So, what is the annual cost to take care of our furry, feathered and scaley friends?

3. Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Families and communities are increasingly aware of the connection between human violence and animal abuse. Explore the history of this link and learn the warning signs. Identify effective intervention strategies and find out where to turn for help.

CIVIL WAR AND THE ANIMALS THAT LIVED THROUGH IT: Provides an in-depth look at the devastation of the Civil War, which cost the lives of more than 600,000 people and 1.5 million horses and other companion animals. Focuses on the soldiers’ lives and their dependence on horses and other animals to survive, with the animals’ stories brought to life by the Foundation’s own Civil War re-enactor.
• Grade 6 - adult

INTRODUCED SPECIES: ALIENS AT OUR DOORSTEP: Explains how humans have accelerated natural change by introducing plants and animals into environments where they can flourish with no competition or predator. Uses many specimens to emphasize the numbers of non-native species involved.
• Grade 5 – adult

MAY THE FOREST BE WITH YOU: Promotes an understanding of the value of forests to our lives. Benefits include controlling erosion, absorbing carbon dioxide (slowing global warming), providing timber, food and plants to treat diseases, and preserving habitat. Discusses environmental damage caused by deforestation, fragmentation, and habitat destruction.
• Grade 3 - adult

SHARKS: WHO’S ATTACKING WHOM? Promotes an understanding of shark characteristics and adaptations, instincts, and conservation. Explains how human activity around the world may have a negative impact on the shark’s natural environment. Uses specimens to demonstrate shark diversity.
• Grade 3 - adult

SURVIVAL IN WINTER: Focuses on the four techniques used by animals to survive the winter. Uses specimens to demonstrate migrators, hibernators, “catnappers”, and active animals. Complements the
book, Animals in Winter.
• Grades K - 4

LENDING SETS FOR CLASSROOM READING: Multiple copies of the following titles are available for three-week loan periods. A program to introduce themes, characters, and issues is offered when books are delivered to your classroom. A follow-up discussion and interpretation may be scheduled either during the reading period or at the end of the loan period.

1. Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. This Newbery Award novel is not only an enjoyable and spellbinding reading experience, but a contemporary study in character development, family relationships, pet ownership and responsibility for personal choices. May be followed by the sequel, Shiloh Season.
• Grades 4 - 7

2. Shiloh Season, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Shiloh proved to be so popular with young readers that Ms. Naylor felt compelled to write this sequel (followed in 1997 by Saving Shiloh.)
• Grades 4 - 7

3. Strider, by Beverly Cleary. Sequel to Newbery award winner, Dear Mr. Henshaw. In a series of journal entries, a boy reflects on his parents’ divorce, the meaning of friendship, and how finding an abandoned dog changes his life. A good read as well as an opportunity to introduce character development issues. (Also listed under JOURNALING PROGRAMS)
• Grades 3 - 5

4. A Home for Nathan, by Claudia Roll. This colorfully illustrated book traces the journey of a young unwanted cat from being taken to an animal shelter to adoption into the loving home that every cat deserves. The book gives children a positive introduction to animal shelters and emphasizes the concepts of kindness and responsible pet care.

A copy of A Home for Nathan will be donated to your school. Each participating classroom teacher will receive a companion activity packet and poster, and each student will receive a bookmark.
• Grades K - 1

5. Lobo the Wolf, by Ernest T. Seton. "The classic, true story of a legendary wolf who fought to live on his ancestral land in New Mexico, and his fierce love for his mate, Bianca." (Operation Outreach/Storyteller’s Ink)
• Grades 4 - 5

6. Cousin Charlie the Crow, by Marshall Houts. "The true story of a young farm boy who rescues an orphaned baby crow. The family deals with the crow’s hilarious antics and his need to return to the wild." (Operation Outreach/Storyteller’s Ink)
• Grades 4 - 5

7. Joey Moses, by Susan Duncan. "The true, inspiring story of a woman and a service dog who bond together in a unique support system." (Operation Outreach/Storyteller’s Ink)
• Grades 5-7

Spirit and Cleo, our resident education assistance animals, have recommended reading lists (fiction as well as non-fiction) that are available upon request.