Fun Summer Activities with the American Kennel Club!

PLAYING IT COOL: For those kids who have dogs, there are lots of ways to be active with your dog while staying home, and it's very important to spend quality time with them.

BY ASHLEY JACOT

We are living in unprecedented times right now. Most of the country continues to shelter in place and we know that it can be very difficult to keep children engaged. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized that challenge and wanted to help parents with fun and educational tools for the young dog lover(s) in their lives.

From crafts to books to song and dance, there is something for everyone. We have even included a schedule for parents trying to keep structure and consistency throughout the day. Additionally, we have created lessons to go along with some dog related books for younger readers.

There are so many activities on the American Kennel Club's web site, and they are geared to both children and young adults and are modified to accommodate a great number of special needs, including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and a variety of developmental delays.

We in the AKC Education department spent several years as classroom teachers prior to joining the American Kennel Club, so we know first-hand how difficult it can be to find engaging lessons and activities for exceptional learners. A vital aspect of our mission is to help people understand the value of the human-canine bond. The entire AKC Public Education team knows the special bond between children and dogs and we have carefully considered that while creating these quality education activities.

All of the activities and lessons can be modified, and we provide suggestions for teachers – and now parents – to do this. We have a resource that gives general tips and tricks that can be used to modify any lesson for exceptional learners. These are all strategies that we used during our time as classroom teachers.

The traditional educational activities that we to offer can be done at home, and you don't need to be a dog owner to do them. They are all fun and will delight the dog lovers in your house!

• AKC Kids News is great new initiative for which to enroll your child, especially during this difficult time. It is a quarterly newsletter that features a variety of learning activities for students. Each newsletter is themed. We provide a version specially designed for exceptional learners.

• Another great thing to check out with your children at home is the Article of the Week. It is a resource center of dogrelated articles that feature close reading and annotation activities, which are helpful with comprehension. They also feature discussion questions that are scaffolded to meet the learner where they are.

• A new activity that we recently designed is the AKC Breed of the Week. This introduces children to a new breed each week through fun, interactive activities. Once they have learned about the breed, they earn a virtual sticker for the virtual sticker book. We provide a version that is designed for exceptional learners, as well.

• The AKC Virtual Patch Program is an athome twist on our wildly popular AKC Patch Program that typically takes place at dog shows and dog events. The AKC Virtual Patch Program is an activity designed for children to learn about purebred dogs and the sport of purebred dogs through a virtual scavenger hunt. Once they have completed it, they earn a patch! We have a version specifically designed for exceptional learners.

We also provide lesson plans for K-12 in the areas of math, language arts, science and social studies. The lesson plans have modifications for exceptional learners so that the teacher can provide the student what they need based on their own learning abilities.

Dogs & Kids at Home

For those kids who have dogs, there are lots of ways to be active with your dog while staying home, and it's very important to spend quality time with them. Here are fun ways to do that!

• Have your kids bring out their inner artist and create a portrait of your dog. Try focusing on just your dog's face or play with different media. You can do one in pencil and then the next one in marker or crayon. The options are endless!

• Create a dog picture using geometric shapes: different-sized circles, ovals, triangles, squares and rectangles. You can cut out these shapes from paper or use your computer. There are YouTube videos you can watch to help.

• Song and dance are great ways to exercise with your dog and also practice some commands. You can make up a dance routine with your dog! Check out this fun freestyle video, Musical Dog Freestyle, on AKC.TV and then practice teaching your dog to jump, spin and wiggle to your favorite song! Training is a wonderful way to spend quality time with your pup, while keeping him or her mentally stimulated. Another fun idea is to change a pop song you like so the lyrics are about your dog. Put on a show for your family and perform your new song!

• Create a map of your neighborhood and include your dog's favorite places to sniff and play.

• Agility is a dog sport that is fun, fastpaced, and includes different obstacles for your dog such as jumps, tunnels, weave polls and more. You can create your own Agility jump for your dog. Using household items such as a broom pole and chairs as anchors, place the pole between the two anchors. Practice introducing your dog to the jump first, then guide them over the jump with their favorite toy or treat! Before you know it, you'll have an Agility pro!

• Make a pawprint finger paint masterpiece! Using non-toxic paint, gently place your dog's clean, dry paw in the paint. Move their paw over to the paper and lightly press their paw down. Use different colors to make a true doggie creation! After you are done, wash your pup's paw off using warm water and their favorite dog shampoo. You can even make your handprint alongside your dog's pawprint!

• Caring for your dog is very important, and getting children involved in the dog's daily routine is beneficial and helps teach kids responsibility. Help them practice good hygiene with the pups. Take the time to have kids help you wash their bowls and toys using warm soap and water. Make sure to include them in brushing your dog every day to keep their fur soft and clean!

• You can bake your dog some delicious dog treats with your kids. You can find dog treat recipes on akc.org.

Keep checking akc.org for more activities to keep your kids engaged during this challenging time and beyond. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ashley Jacot serves as the Director of Education at American Kennel Club. Formerly a classroom teacher and educational researcher, Ashley has worked with diverse learners of all ages. Her research on the effects of educational testing on teacher motivation was published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Studies Research and Practice in 2015.