SPCA Kindness Camp
This year, the SPCA Serving Erie County is bringing our Kindness Camp to you! We’ve designed camp options to keep kids active, entertained, and learning all the time!
For 2020, the SPCA is offering three different camp-related experiences:
KINDNESS CAMP: The Backpacks
Take-home backpacks only; non-interactive
-Art and Animals
-Back to Nature
-Service Project
–NEW: Behavior & Training
KINDNESS CAMP: The Backpacks Off-Leash!
(Update 7/15: Off-Leash Registration Closed)
Take-home backpacks; some interactive, virtual teaching
-Multimedia Mutts
-Animal Helpers
-Behavior and Training
KINDNESS CAMP: The Live, Virtual Veterinary Experience
Live, virtual teaching; some take-home materials
-Introduction to Veterinary Science Camp
-Advance Vet Camp
Descriptions, suggested ages, and costs of each camp experience are listed below! You and your child are certain to find just the right camp experience that will work best for your family…or maybe you’ll participate in all three types of camps!
KINDNESS CAMP: The Backpacks
Take-home backpacks only; non-interactive.
Bring the SPCA’s Kindness Camp to your home! Camp backpacks will provide your child with fun, engaging, hands-on activities and games that can be enjoyed at their convenience.
Backpacks include one week’s worth of materials and instructions needed for the themed activities, art projects, educational handouts, and fun swag items…all you’ll need are safe scissors, glue, and a table cover for messy projects!
The health and safety of our participants are our primary concerns, so all backpack materials have been disinfected and handled by healthy staff members wearing masks and gloves.
Backpacks will be available via curbside pickup, or can be delivered within Erie County at an additional cost. Backpacks can also be shipped at an additional cost.
CURBSIDE PICKUP
Curbside pickup will be available at the SPCA’s 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca shelter Monday – Saturday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
DELIVERY
Delivery is only offered for locations within Erie County, NY.
SHIPPING
If you live inside or outside of Erie County, NY, and you are unable to pick up your backpack at the SPCA, you may wish to have your backpack shipped to you. Backpacks are shipped at an additional fee to be determined.
KINDNESS CAMP: The Backpacks Off-Leash!
(Update 7/15: Registration Closed)
Take-home backpacks; some interactive, virtual experiences.
As in the backpack experiences above, each of these backpacks will include daily at-home, hands-on activities that can take place in your yard or right in your home…but these camp experiences also go “off-leash!” We’ll have live, virtual interactions with people and animals, on-demand videos, and additional, downloadable activity sheets! Each day, campers will virtually meet different animals, participate in interactive games and activities, and learn lots of new things! Live sessions will take place each day at 10 a.m. and last 30 – 60 minutes.
Here’s a sample schedule of a live off-leash session:
10 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Fun gathering game and pet parade
10:15 a.m. – 10:25 a.m. Interactive lesson (sample lesson: “Learn How to Train a Chicken!”)
10:25 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. Craft/Activity (sample activity: “Make a Cat Mask!”)
10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Meet animals at the SPCA
10:50 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Conclusion
Can’t make it to the live session? Don’t worry! There will be a virtual replay available for registrants after the live version is completed! This way campers can enjoy camp at their own pace! Campers will still receive ALL of the videos, activities, and camper challenges, even if they miss the live meeting component.
Each backpack in the Backpacks: Off-Leash! experience will include:
-Craft & activity supplies;
-An age-appropriate book;
–Kind News magazine;
-SPCA “swag,” like a water bottle, drawstring bag, wristband, and pencil;
-Access to an exclusive Bitmoji classroom PDF sent to each camper’s email that includes self-paced videos, virtual games, and DIY activities and crafts!
Choose one camp, or choose them all! There may be some overlap, but each week will have a new theme! Remember, to participate in the “off-leash” virtual component of these camp experiences, campers will need access to a device that connects to the Internet and has Zoom conference visual and audio capabilities.
The health and safety of our participants are our primary concerns, so all backpack materials have been disinfected and handled by healthy staff members wearing masks and gloves.
Backpacks will be available via curbside pickup, or can be delivered within Erie County at an additional cost. Backpacks can also be shipped.
CURBSIDE PICKUP
Curbside pickup will be available at the SPCA’s 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca shelter Monday – Saturday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
DELIVERY
Delivery is only offered for locations within Erie County, NY. If you have chosen the backpack delivery option, you must register for your child’s backpack by the Thursday before your backpack’s start date to have your item delivered in time.
SHIPPING
If you live inside or outside of Erie County, NY, and you are unable to pick up your backpack at the SPCA, you may wish to have your backpack shipped to you. Backpacks are shipped at an additional fee to be determined. Please note, package delivery is not guaranteed by the beginning of the backpack start date.
KINDNESS CAMP: The Live, Virtual Veterinary Experience
Live, virtual teaching; some take-home materials
KINDNESS CAMP: The Live, Virtual Veterinary Experience will be a two-part veterinary camp series for kids who love animals and are interested in exploring a career as a veterinarian!
If campers attended last year’s Vet Camp, they can skip ahead to Advanced Veterinary Science Camp. If campers are new to vet camps, they can start with Introduction to Veterinary Science Camp and then decide whether to move ahead to Advanced Veterinary Science Camp!
Campers will learn what it takes to be a veterinarian through a combination of live virtual content and fun activities. They will learn how to check a pet’s vital signs, discover what heartworms are, watch an animal exam, observe a neuter surgery, and so much more.
Remember, to participate in the virtual component of these camp experiences, campers will need access to a device that connects to the Internet and has Zoom conference visual and audio capabilities. Two-hour live Zoom sessions will begin at approximately 9 a.m. each day of camp.
Sample take-home materials will include:
-A stethoscope or kid’s pet first aid/CPR book;
-Animal X-ray;
-Owl pellet;
-Plushie for demonstrations;
-Craft materials;
-Much more!
The health and safety of our participants are our primary concerns, so all take-home materials have been disinfected and handled by healthy staff members wearing masks and gloves.
Take-home materials will be available via curbside pickup, or can be delivered within Erie County at an additional cost. Materials can also be shipped.
CURBSIDE PICKUP
Curbside pickup will be available at the SPCA’s 300 Harlem Rd., West Seneca shelter Monday – Saturday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
DELIVERY
Delivery is only offered for locations within Erie County, NY. If you have chosen the delivery option, you must register for your child’s camp by the Thursday before your camp’s start date to have your items delivered in time.
SHIPPING
If you live inside or outside of Erie County, NY, and you are unable to pick up your child’s materials at the SPCA, you may wish to have your materials shipped to you. Take-home materials are shipped at an additional fee to be determined. Please note, package delivery is not guaranteed by the beginning of the backpack start date.