RRSPCA Victoria is opening the doors to its barn to welcome students back to its much-loved School Holiday Program at the Burwood East site for the first time in over a year. The program will run from Tuesday, 6 April to Friday, 16 April with a blended model of in-person and interactive virtual sessions.
The RSPCA Victoria School Holiday Program is most suited to primary-school students between five and 12 years of age. Session topics vary from dog body language, the secret life of hens, and what it takes to be an RSPCA Inspector.
Education and Learning Officer, Emily Constantine, said after a year of live-streaming the team is excited to have students back on site for a truly immersive experience and the animals have missed the interaction too.
"When you bring a group of young, passionate animal lovers together, magical things happen. The smiles on the kids' faces are the best part of our day; for many of them it's the first time they've met farm animals such as cows, goats and hens up close," says Ms Constantine.
"The School Holiday Program is a really special part of our education offering, even in a virtual environment. During COVID-19 restrictions we used some amazing technology that brought the animals right into the students' homes. It was so successful we decided to keep the virtual sessions as part of the program.
"A blended model, with half our sessions in-person and the other half via Zoom, means we can reach more children across the state, including those unable to travel to Burwood East to visit the education barn."
The face-to-face sessions run from 9:30am to 3.00pm and students will be treated to jam-packed days full of animal fun, interacting with and learning all about the animals that live in and around the RSPCA.
The Zoom sessions will run from 10:30am to 11:30am and students will participate in a live-stream from the barn to meet animals, hear their rescue stories and find out what's involved in caring for them. The live chat function allows students to ask questions of the experts in real time. These interactive sessions will be accompanied by resources to keep the kids entertained during the holidays.
