5 Educational Benefits of Animal Sanctuaries and Why Your Kids Should be Visiting
Have you ever stopped to think about the educational benefits of animal sanctuaries? While they may just seem like a fun place for your kids to explore wildlife, they may provide more benefits than you might have thought. This blog will go over 5 educational benefits of animal sanctuaries and why your kids should be visiting!
Benefits of Animal Sanctuaries
Did you know that nearly 70% of people that visit animal sanctuaries are children? Of course, that makes sense since animal sanctuaries are a great place to go for families and friends alike. Think back to when you were a kid. What did you spend most of the day doing? Was it asking questions by any chance? Besides running around the zoo in a frenzied manner, the most common thing kids do at zoos is ask questions. With so many new sights, sounds, and smells, it’s almost impossible not to ask.
The educational benefits of these fun family outings don’t end with their curiosity and questions. In fact, animal sanctuaries nurture children’s overall development with a wide variety of key skills that are attained in places like these. From improving their language skills to allowing them to explore their five senses, animal sanctuaries can benefit your child in more ways than you can imagine! The top five educational benefits of animal sanctuaries include:
1. Increased Environmental Awareness
Unfortunately, many of today’s children are not overly connected to the natural world around them. With the massive surge of modern technologies, kids have been left glued to a screen for more than seven a day, with very little understanding of the environment they’re surrounded by. However, when they visit an animal sanctuary, they have the opportunity to disconnect from their screens entirely and learn about the planet’s wildlife and the importance of protecting it.
2. Improved Language Development
As you walk around an animal sanctuary, your children will start to ask questions about the animals, such as what they are, where they’re from, what they eat, and so on. This gives your kids exposure to new vocabulary, which will help boost their language skills! You can encourage them to repeat these new words to make sure they understand what they’re saying. You can make it a game in which they identify each animal they see, and if they don’t know the animal’s name, they have to ask! This helps increase their vocabulary in a fun yet educational way.
3. Hands-On Learning
We all know that the best learning is hands-on learning! Besides listening to facts about animals, children can go up and touch the animals! At Children’s Nature retreat, the entire sanctuary is like a petting zoo where kids can interact with a wide range of animals! This allows the kids to fully immerse themselves and see firsthand how to interact and care for them.
4. Increased Self Awareness
One of the prime factors in a child’s development is the ability to be self-aware and keep themselves safe. By visiting an animal sanctuary, you’re allowing your kids to push beyond their boundaries and explore new environments while remaining in a safe space. As you kids walk around the sanctuary encountering animals they may have never seen before, it’s natural for them to sometimes feel scared when certain animals approach them. This offers your kids the opportunity to move past their fears while learning about how to stay safe and respect animals from the wild at the same time.
5. A Chance to Exercise in the Open Air
While exercise may not strictly be an educational benefit, it does play a key role in the development of a child, both physically and mentally. When a kid is running around exploring an animal sanctuary, the fresh air sends oxygen through their blood to their brain. This results in increased brainpower for your little ones! Besides, some exercise is always great for keeping the kids healthy and fit!
Animal sanctuaries are a great place for your child to learn and have fun at the same time. We hope this blog helped you see the 5 educational benefits of animal sanctuaries and why your kids should be visiting! All that’s left is to look for an animal sanctuary to take your kids. When choosing one to visit with your family, it is a good idea to find one that not only helps with global conservation but one that also ensures that the environment they provide their animals with mimics that of their natural habitat. Children’s Nature Retreat is just that place! Come bring your kids to meet our gorgeous, loving animals! You can visit us at 5178 Japatul Spur Alpine, CA 91901, or get in touch by calling (619) 320-4942 or contacting us on our website.