Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

http://www.penncias.org

Animal Art Adventure Camp: Humane and Environmental

Education at the Intersection of Art and Science
Kruger, K.A. ; Bowman, J.E. ; Duffy, D.L. ; and Serpell, J.A.
1 2 1 1

1
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and University City Arts League
2

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Introduction
The Animal Art Adventure Camp is a 10-day, animal-centric, urban summer camp for children ages 6-11, and is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between a school of
veterinary medicine and a community arts center. The camp immerses participants in a different humane and/or environmental topic each day, and provides lessons
about the habitats, special needs, and extraordinary capabilities of animals of many different species, particularly those that are likely to be encountered or kept
as pets. While most humane education programs that aim to teach children about responsible pet care and environmental stewardship involve a short classroom
presentation, the 10-day format of the camp provides opportunities for repeated reinforcement of key concepts across interactions with a wide variety of species, and
through a range of educational methods and experiences, including the thoughtful use of art projects to enhance understanding. The camp has been held for two
summers; June 2006 and July 2007.

Aims
The camp seeks to achieve a number of experiential, educational, and
behavioral goals related to animals and the environment:

Experiential:
• Connect urban children with animals and nature
• Provide interactions with animals from many different species

Educational:
• Provide information about the needs and special characteristics
of many different species of animals
• Address the role that humans play in caring for domestic
animals, wildlife, and the environment
• Promote safe interactions with animals, particularly dogs
• Provide information about animal-related careers, such as
veterinary medicine and shelter work

Behavioral (seeking an increase in the following):

• Responsible pet ownership
• Concern for wildlife and the environment, including local animals
and urban green spaces
• Safe interactions with animals
• Pursuit of animal-related careers

Results - Program Evaluation

Recruitment & Participants
Program Evaluations:
Recruitment:
• Completed at the end of the camp
• Mailings
• Anonymous
• Internet
• 10 Questions
• Local elementary schools
Asked participants to:
Participants:
• rate the quality of the presentations
• Program open to the general public
• describe what they liked and did not like
• Self-selected
• explain what they learned
• Could enroll in one or both weeks
• Diverse socioeconomic backgrounds Types of questions:
• Eight (8) children in each week received needs-based full or partial • dichotomous
scholarships • open-ended
• rating scales
N = 32
23 in each week Key Question: “Tell us 2 things that you learned”
14 participated in the full two-week program
Week 1 (10 of 23 evaluations returned):
Ages: 6-11 6 of 7 mentioned some aspect of dog bite prevention
Mean: 8 years (for both weeks) Ex: “When a dog comes up to you, you should stand like a tree.”
2 of 7 mentioned pet overpopulation
Gender:
Ex: “Spay your female cat.”
Week 1: Males 7 Females 16
Week 2: Males 9 Females 14 Week 2 (22 of 23 evaluations returned):
6 of 19 mentioned some aspect of animal safety
Ex: “That you should not touch harmed animals.”
Methods 5 of 19 mentioned some aspect of caring for animals
Ex: “Candy is bad for animals.”
The camp is held Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm, and is housed at the University
City Arts League, a local community arts center in West Philadelphia. The Arts
League staff are primarily responsible for the children, and handle all of the Results - Pre/Post Tests
registration and advertising responsibilities, provide art projects and supplies,
indoor and outdoor activities, snacks and drinks, camp counselors, and arts faculty. Content-Based Pre/Post Tests:
• Introduced for the first time in 2007
The Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society of the University of • Each presenter was asked to provide 3 questions
Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is responsible for coordinating the • Pre-tests were completed at home, prior to the start of the camp
animal portion of the camp, fundraising, and program evaluation. • Post-tests related to the day’s topic(s) were completed at the end of
each day
Each day of the camp has a different animal theme and presentations and
demonstrations are delivered by local experts, and include individuals from major Problems with Pre/Post Tests:
local and national institutions, such as the American Society for the Prevention • Not all presenters provided questions
of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the University of Pennsylvania School of • Material contained in the question was sometimes not covered
Veterinary Medicine, as well as local enthusiasts and rescue groups. Speakers • Lack of control over pre-test conditions (parents/siblings may have
are identified through web searches and referrals, in addition to those already assisted)
known by the coordinators. Preference is given to those who can include live • Post-test conditions were often chaotic
animals. Presentations are typically 45-90 minutes in length, and campers have an • Age range made it difficult to formulate questions that would be
opportunity to interact with some or all of the animals present. challenging for all ages

Results:
Topics covered in 2007 include: • Ceiling effect: Participants answered most of the questions correctly
Topics Animals Present
on the pre-test, so there was very little room for improvement
Animal Welfare and the Work of Animal Shelters Former shelter dog
• No meaningful conclusions could be drawn
Insects Madagascar hissing cockroach, whip-tail scorpion,
giant millipede, tarantula, and a variety of other insects
Wildlife Great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, Virginia opossum,
Eastern box turtle, European starling (nestling), and a
Conclusion
domestic rabbit
Exotic Pet Birds Cockatoos, conures, and macaws The Animal Art Adventure Camp is a new and innovative model for
Pet Care & Dog Bite Prevention None delivering humane and environmental education, and is a one-of-a-kind-
partnership between a school of veterinary medicine and a community arts
Microscopic Organisms Ciliates, amoeboids, flagellates, coelenterates, and pond
water inhabitants center. The qualitative program evaluations suggest that the participants are
Canine Athletes and Search & Rescue Dogs Highly-trained dogs learning key concepts such as proper pet care, the importance of spaying
Animal Myths & Misunderstandings Armadillo, sugar glider, porcupine, and a burrowing owl and neutering, and animal safety. However, the quantitative measures must
be improved before any conclusions about the program’s effectiveness can
Reptiles More than a dozen snakes, lizards, turtles, and an
alligator be drawn.
Equines Pony

Dogs with Jobs: Canine Police Officers Two police dogs

Sea Science & Aqua Art
Careers in Veterinary Medicine
Acknowledgements
Horseshoe crab and sea star
The Animal Art Adventure Camp was made possible through grants
Patients receiving treatment at the Veterinary Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania provided by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA), and the Banfield Charitable Trust.