Opening Hours

Animal Viewing Hours:
(by appointment only)
Monday - Friday: 10am - 4pm
Saturday: 9am - 4pm

General Hours: 
Most Days: 9am - 5pm
Wednesdays:  10am - 5pm
CLOSED: Sundays and Public Holidays

Kids N' Kritters

Kids N' Kritters Workshops

We are excited to be able to run our Christmas Elves and Junior SupPawter Workshops, starting December 2021! We also have some new ‘Mini’ sessions available, especially for 5 and 6 year olds. More information on these is available below.

Bookings for all sessions will be available on 8th December.

Due to ongoing COVID 19 safety procedures, our sessions will be slightly shorter this time around, and have smaller group sizes. Our COVID safe pick up/drop off procedure will apply – this will be detailed upon booking. If your child is at all unwell on the day of their session, please do not attend the shelter. We have adjusted our cancellation policy to allow for absences.

Important Information

Please note that children who are attending two workshops in one day must be picked up in between sessions as we are unable to provide supervision during this time.

Please note that while we make every attempt to follow planned programs, there may be some days where children are unable to pat or hold animals. This is due to the nature of our shelter; many of our animals are very timid and are not ready to be handled by a group. Decisions around animal interaction are always made with the welfare of the animal as paramount. All sessions may include visits to other animals around the shelter – please let us know if there are any animals that your child is fearful of or inexperienced with.

We endeavour to keep as close to our curriculum as possible, however in the event of bad weather or not having animals suitable for the session we will alter the curriculum slightly and/or utilise staff animals. The session will still be interactive and lots of fun!

Location: 12 Kirkpatrick Street, Weston ACT 2611.

Allergy Information: Please note that while we don’t allow children to bring nuts or nut products into a KnK program, RSPCA ACT is not a nut free environment. Our dogs are sometimes given peanut butter as a treat, and this is stored in our kennels. Please advise staff if your child has a nut allergy.

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Session Information

Christmas Elves

December 21st and 22nd 
All animals deserve a present at Christmas. We always make sure to spoil the animals celebrating the big day here at the shelter, and this year we would love your help! Come and spend some time with us in the days leading up to Christmas - visit the animals, help wrap some presents and make some Christmas themed treats for our furry friends.
Our Mini sessions are very similar to our regular sessions, but with a slightly smaller group and more play based activities. Our mini elves will enjoy a short tour of our shelter, followed by some present wrapping. We will finish with some play- based dress ups, imaginative, craft, and construction activities.
Meowy Christmas!

 

Caring for Kittens

Did you know that over the summer, we can see thousands of kittens here at RSPCA ACT?
Kittens are super cute, but they need special care. Come and learn about the special types of food, handling and vet care that they need, and help brighten their day with some toys and love!

 

Dog Talk

Dogs are fantastic, loyal companions, but it is important that we learn to read their body language to keep us, and them, safe! During this session, you will learn how to say hello to our shelter dogs in a safe and positive way, as well as when it is best to leave them alone.

 

(New!) Mini Kids N Kritters

Mini Kids and Kritters is a program designed especially for our Preschool/Kindergarten aged animal enthusiasts. During their visit to RSPCA ACT, children will experience a behind the scenes tour of our shelter to learn about what we do, and why we do it. We will also have a range of fun activities, including dress ups, craft, literature, construction and more! Bring along your favourite animal toy for a vet check and join in the fun.

About Our Workshops

Class descriptions, timetables and bookings will be released approximately one month before the commencement of each ACT Public School Holiday period.

Workshops are quite popular and often book out quickly. If you would like to be notified as soon as bookings become available, please email us at education@rspca-act.org.au

Or, become a Junior SupPawter and enjoy early access to all workshop bookings (along with many other goodies!). Junior SupPawter applications can be found here.

Workshops include a shelter tour along with lots of information and hands on activities. Topics vary each school holidays but may include Enrichment, Positive Dog Training, RSPCA ACT Adoptions, Cat Behaviour, or more!

We also invite other local animal loving organisations in to present workshops from time to time; this helps children to understand the bigger picture of animal care and protection within the community. These sessions also provide an opportunity to learn about more specialized animals or areas, including reptile husbandry and basic pet first aid.

Generally, a Kids n Kritters Workshop runs for two hours, and includes:

An interactive information session Based on the chosen topic, with opportunities to ask lots of questions.
A shelter tour Depending on what animals we have, we may see kittens, dogs, turtles, rats, guinea pigs or occasionally even a pig or goat!
Hands on activities based on the session topic This can include preparing lunch for dogs, socialising with kittens, creating enrichment items for rabbits, tunnels for rats or more!
A chance to revisit any animals of interest We can show them their new toys or treats, or just spend time giving them that little bit of extra love.

Kids n Kritters Workshops are suitable for animal enthusiasts aged 7 -13. We are always keen to hear any topic suggestions as well, so if there is an area that your child is particularly interested in, please let us know!

What to Bring on the Day:

  • All participants should bring their own labelled drink bottle
  • All participants must wear appropriate clothing, including long pants, enclosed footwear, a hat and sunscreen
  • Participants staying for multiple sessions should bring a snack and lunch (nut and egg free please). RSPCA does not provide food as part of our Kids n Kritters program, but we do have facilities to refill drink bottles.

Due to current COVID restrictions we will have some altered pick up/drop off arrangements for our summer workshops. Please endeavour to arrive as close to the session start time as possible and wait outside the reception area with your child. We unfortunately will not be able to allow guardians to enter the reception building with their child at any time during the session. More specific details on our COVID drop off/pick up procedures will be provided upon booking.

Our session educator and volunteers all hold Working with Vulnerable People cards and have met RSPCA requirements to attend Kids N' Kritters. For this reason parents are welcome to wait in our waiting area for the duration of the session, however are unable to attend the session with their child. Under special circumstances, you may receive permission to attend, however you are required to hold a WWVP card and pay the participant fee in full.