Publications & Sites 
Animal show on the road
Related Stories
Updated: July 23, 2012 6:18AM
Hinsdale Humane Society runs weeklong camps to show children how man and animals can cohabitate. The campers travel to a different animal-themed place each day.
“The camp is designed to bring awareness of different kinds of animals and different ways people can interact with them,” said Laura Donohue, volunteer coordinator at the Humane Society. “The children learn how we help (animals) and how they help us, as guide dogs or therapy cats.”
Campers during last week’s session went to Mayslake Forest Preserve, Shedd Aquarium Willowbrook Wildlife Center and Brookfield Zoo. They also met with the canine unit from the Willowbrook Police Department.
At Mayslake, the children learned about the creatures that live in the ponds and the prairie.
The guide had printouts with pictures of a variety of insects and fish that inhabit the area. The children were told to circle the creatures that they saw.
“We found dragonfly larva, leeches, beetles, little fish,” Donohue said. After studying them, the children released the creatures.
“At the Shedd Aquarium, we learned how they train the whales and dolphins with positive reinforcement,” she said. “They reward them with fish or clapping and splashing.”
The camp is for children going into fourth- through sixth-grade. The camp costs $160 per camper. The next session is Aug. 6 to Aug. 10. Call (630) 323-5630 or visit www.hinsdalehumanesociety.org.
