Animal Career Dress Up

Goal: Students will be able to describe four careers that help animals.

Grade Levels: K–3^rd grade

Time: 10–15 minutes

Audience Size: Any

Objectives:

1. Students will describe one way each animal professional helps animals.
2. Students will describe skills and traits needed by each kind of professional.

Materials:

• “Costumes” representing up to four animal careers
• Dog trainer: Collared shirt with the words “SIT,” “DOWN,” AND “SPEAK” ironed on the front, clicker, bag of dog treats, stuffed dog on a leash
• Veterinarian: Lab coat or scrub top, plastic syringe, toy stethoscope, stuffed animal
• Animal control officer:  Collared shirt in dark color with the initials “AC” ironed on breast pocket, badge, flashlight, stuffed animal in animal crate
• Groomer: Waterproof smock, brush, nail clipper, empty bottle of pet shampoo, stuffed dog

Introduction:

As animal owners, sometimes we need help from professionals in our community. You should know when to contact these people for help with your animal. These are people who help animals for their jobs. If you love animals, perhaps these will be careers you might explore when you get older!

Procedure:

1. Ask for four volunteers that would not mind standing up in front of the group—they’ll have to be comfortable wearing costumes.
2. Have the volunteers put the costume shirts on over their regular clothes.
3. Open a bag containing the tools.
4. Ask audience members (or a single volunteer) to pull one object at a time out of the bag.
5. As a group, try to match the right tool with the right uniform.
6. After each animal professional is equipped with his/her tools, ask  the group to name each profession. (For example, students will name “veterinarian, animal control officer,” and so on.
7. Discuss how those professionals will use their tools.

Summary:
All of these careers we discussed involve helping animals to be healthy and happy. As a group talk about situations in which students should call on the help of each professional.