Lesson Plan:
Animal Needs & Human Needs

Objective

To compare human needs and animal needs: food, water, shelter, protection, medical care, companionship, clothing, exercise, and love.

Materials

Pictures from magazines representing all of the above human needs.
A second set of pictures showing how animals can have these same needs.

Procedure

1. Ask students to tell you what the pictures show about what a family provides for its members. Encourage children to talk about food, water, shelter, protection, medical care, companionship (friendship), exercise, and love.

2. Ask students questions about each of the following:

Food: What kinds of food do you eat? Should you eat cat food? Or chocolate all day? What is your favorite food?

Shelter: What kind of house do you live in? How does the house protect you? (It keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer.)

Medical Care: Why do you go to a doctor's office? How does a doctor help you when you are sick?

Clothing: Why do we wear clothing?

3. Animals have needs just like people. Show children the animal needs pictures.

Food: Families need to provide food for both their human and animal members. Animals need food made especially for them. Discuss these issues with students:

• People food, like chocolate, can make animals sick. 
• Use clean plates to put out appropriate food: dog food for dogs, and cat food for cats.
• Meat bones can break into small, sharp pieces and get stuck in your pet's throat. Give your pet rubber bones or dog biscuits instead.

Water: Animals need plenty of fresh water throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Discuss these issues with students:

• Think about how much water your pet needs.
• Will a large dog like a St. Bernard have enough water from a small cereal bowl to last all day? How much water do you think a large dog would need?
• What happens to water outside in the winter? In the summer? Can you drink very frozen or very hot water?
• Try an experiment with your class: put a glass of water on the counter for a few days and taste it. Does it taste good? Make sure your animals have fresh, cool water everyday.

Shelter: Explain that shelter means home or where you live. Make sure your animal's house is the right size and the right temperature. Discuss these ideas with students:

• What if humans went outside in the summer with four or five coats on? How would we feel? Would a dog with lots of fur feel good outside in the summer with no shade?
• How would a short-haired dog feel outside in the winter with no shelter?

Clothing: People wear clothing. What do animals wear? (Fur and feathers are possible examples.) Discuss these ideas with students:

• What happens when our clothes get dirty?
• People need to take care of their animals by grooming them. The best thing you can do is brush your pet's fur. Sometimes pets may need a bath to get rid of fleas or ticks.

Protection: How does your family help protect you? Discuss these ideas with students:

• One way you can protect your dog is to always use a leash when you are taking him or her for a walk. If you are going for a walk and your dog is on a leash, you can steer your dog away from trouble. Also, dogs on leashes can't run into the street when cars are coming, or get into fights with other dogs.
• Put an identification tag on your pet.
• Get your pet a license. A license protects your dog or cat if an accident happens. What kinds of accidents could happen? (A door left open, a fence blown down in a storm.) If your pet winds up on the street or at the animal shelter, the person who finds it can get it back home to you.

Companionship: Discuss these ideas and questions with students:

• Who has a special friend? How do you feel about your friend? What do you do with your friend? Animals have feelings too, and they need the people they love to spend time with them.
• Dogs especially need to have companionship. Their cousins in the wild (wolves and coyotes) live in family groups called packs. Your dog considers you part of his pack, and if you don't spend time with him he'll feel confused and lonely, and wonder why his pack is treating him this way. 
• Make sure you play with your pet and take time to train him.

Exercise

Discuss these ideas with students:

• What would happen if you came to school and did nothing but sit at your desk all day and read a book? How would you feel at the end of the day? Bored? Tired? In a bad mood?

• Dogs and cats that are left alone too much or don't get enough exercise can become bored and lonely. They might tear up the house or chew up your favorite toy in frustration. Dogs need to run. Cats can get a lot of exercise by playing with their toys or jumping on the furniture. Make sure your pet gets enough exercise.