PAWS brings animal education to sight-impaired children

PAWS’ Humane Education Manager Sandy Warner guided camper Christopher Dokken’s hands across two Great Horned Owl wings.

Lynnwood-based PAWS has teamed up with the Louis Braille School in Edmonds to teach sight-impaired children an appreciation and understanding of cats, dogs and wildlife during the school’s annual summer camp this month.

Through a variety of hands-on activities, PAWS’ educators are not only teaching the children about animal behavior and needs, but empowering them to help animals in their own communities. During the PAWS sessions this week, campers made toys for shelter cats, and next week, they will create enrichment items for the wild animals currently in rehabilitation at PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood.

“Our goal is to help the campers understand the different ways they can appreciate, learn about, and help animals,” said Sandy Warner, PAWS’ Humane Education Manager. “We engage their other senses by sharing animal artifacts they can touch, identifying foods and habitat materials through scent, and listening to different animal sounds.”

“We are extremely pleased to team up with PAWS this summer,” said Carolyn Meyer the school’s director. “Their interactive workshops and wonderful instructors enrich our theme of ‘Animals, the Environment and You,’ and are a big hit with both children and helpers.”

PAWS’ educators filled tubs with water, leaves, trash and food to help campers understand the challenges wild animals face in foraging for food.

Images courtesy of PAWS.

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