Paws and Reflect invites students to spend a week immersed in animal-centered experiences that build compassion and critical thinking. Through visits to organizations such as service-dog training centers, sanctuaries, and wildlife conservation sites, students will encounter animals in diverse roles: as companions, helpers, workers, wild creatures, and sources of food. Alongside hands-on activities like baking treats for animals, playing with them, and helping to care for them, students will engage in thoughtful discussions on how animals are viewed across different cultures and contexts and how those views shape human behavior. Daily journaling and collaborative blogging will encourage reflection, while a culminating creative project will challenge students to synthesize their experiences and respond to the essential question: How do culture and belief shape our relationships with animals—and what can those relationships teach us about ourselves?
Day 1
By Roberta and Maddie:
Today was a fun and interesting day during Project Week. We started the morning by introducing ourselves and getting to know everyone in the group. After that, we played an icebreaker game where everyone had the name of an animal taped to their back. We had to walk around the room asking yes-or-no questions to figure out which animal we were. Once we figured out our animals, we used them for our next activity. Each person had to create a short presentation about their animal and explain its role in the ecosystem. We talked about things like where the animal lives, what it eats, how it interacts with other species, and how humans affect it or benefit from it. Later in the day, we went to the cafeteria and made homemade treats for dogs and horses. We used ingredients like carrots, apples, and bacon. It was cool to see how simple ingredients can turn into healthy treats for animals. After that, we drove to a dog training center. While we were there, we learned about the dogs’ habits and how trainers work with them. It was interesting to observe how the dogs respond to commands and how much patience and consistency goes into training them.
Day 2
By Carmen and Bri:
We started the day by packing up our lunch and meeting in the parking lot at 9, then all got into the bus for a ride about 15 minutes long. Arriving at the Squam Lake Science Center, we headed to a classroom and put our stuff down. After that we went on the nature trail, which showcased all of the animals the science center has. We saw many animals in captivity like coyotes, foxes, eagles, deer, and many more. We went through the path for around an hour and a half. When we got back to the classroom we saw some animal pelts before heading to lunch. We sat at some nice tables and ate while we played some games. Later on, we headed back to the classroom and they brought out a woodchuck and a box turtle and we talked about their habitat and how they have been affected by humans. Then we headed back to school with a quick stop at a grocery store to get some snacks, and then played a fun game of animal charades outside.
Day 3
By Callie and Jasper:
Today we started the day by going to an alpaca farm. We saw the alpacas and learned that the farmers shave their coats once a year and weave them into strings for clothing. Afterwards one of the farmers brought out an angora rabbit that we got to pet. We also saw Highland cows that we got to brush and chickens. It was interesting to see the animals up close and learn more about how clothing is made from their fur. After the farm, we went to lunch at Tucker's and had a delicious meal. Then we came back to campus and ended the day watching a documentary about teenagers in Norway learning dogsledding, arctic survival skills, and how to care for the dogs, forming close relationships with them and facing challenges that help them learn about themselves.
Day 4
By Grace and Gaia:
Today we began with an early start and a packed lunch at 8:15. After our long drive we arrived at Full Circle Farm, which offers equine-assisted activities to help people with injuries, disabilities, and trauma. We met some of their horses and fed them out homemade treats! After watching a lesson we learned how to clean their saddles and bridles. After having a quick stop at dunkin and a short break we stopped by a family dairy farm owned by Matty Huckins, who taught for nine years at New Hampton School! We walked up to see the new calves and then fed some treats to the cows. We learned about their milk production and even tried some of their delicious products like maple milk. Some people liked them more then others! Overall we learned how cows and horses support humans in different ways.
Day 5
By Avery and Thun:
Our final day began with a trip to The New Hampshire Audubon Society in Concord. When we arrived, we were greeted and welcomed by Lauren and Emily; Lauren is the Director of Education and Emily is the School Programs Coordinator. They walked us into their beautiful facility and we gathered in a classroom. Emily was our teacher for the day. She introduced us to what our activities would be and that our main topic was about grasslands. She explained what a grassland was and asked us what we knew about them. The class then discussed the concept of habitats. We identified what was needed to exist for a place to be a true habitat: food, water, shelter, protection, and space. Next, we were handed landscape pictures that illustrated the changes in that landscape from 1750 to the present. The activity was about ordering the images by succession. We messed up a few times but then figured it out through discussion and clues from Emily. After we all decided the order of each image, Emily asked us to justify why we considered the images should be in that chosen order. She then elaborated on the situation that affected each period, including external factors such as colonization. Once our images were in the correct order, Emily handed us some animal fact cards and we had to match them to what image in the time frame they would be found. We learned that when forests were removed to create settlements and farmland, the population of animals that thrived in grasslands grew. However, when those farms were later abandoned and forests were replanted for the lumbering industry, the grassland animals lost their habitat and their population began to diminish. After the activities, we got to see a real wood turtle who can live in grasslands and forested areas, but it is a threatened species. Emily provided some interesting facts about the wood turtle, including that around 12% of them have lost their front legs to predators, but they are able to survive. They are threatened because people illegally make them pets and their habitat is shrinking. Emily then showed us a ball python to discuss how snakes are misunderstood and told us the truth about how important they are for the environment. They don't want to harm us unless they feel scared and threatened. When our class ended, we thanked Emily and got to explore a little. We saw some other turtles and frogs in the lab and raptors in the outdoor exhibit. We had a yummy lunch at The Common Man on our way home.
Credits:
Created with images by LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "adorable welsh corgi dogs laying on sofa at home" • Vasyl - "Man with dog" • iploydoy - "train border collie dog with half white face to wait for command" • lalalululala - "puppy gives paw to human hand" • Margaret Burlingham - "Three horses standing together by a white fence with one yawning." • Mouse family - "Self made cat paw cookies on purple background."