Celebrating 'Be Kind to Animals Week' with your kids
BY LUCRETIA VOIGT CONTRIBUTOR WRITER
The American Humane Association's Be Kind to Animals Week takes place May 6 - 12. While we probably should consider every week 'be kind to animals' week, it's nice to take time out to acknowledge those little creatures that make our lives complete - little creatures besides our children!

Children love animals - probably because they are so close to their own size, don't try to teach them new words and also like to eat dirt. (Okay, maybe not all kids like to eat dirt, but mine does. Go figure.) How can kids not be awed by a being that can lick their parent's face and not get in trouble?

Most kids have contact with dogs and cats, so a good place to start teaching kindness to animals is at the MSPCA. Located on Crooked Lane, Nantucket's MSPCA is a premiere facility that will make your child wish they had four legs. A fun outing for children of any age, but especially toddlers - get a group of parents together and meet at the MSPCA for a tour of the adoption center. Tours are available on Tuesday through Friday, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and should be arranged by calling either Jessica Sosebee or Stephanie Henke at 825-2287.

Afterwards, invite the group over to make homemade dog treats. My favorite recipe for Vegetarian Dog Biscuits, as well as a smorgasbord of other delectable doggy fare, can be found at Bullwrinkle.com. It consists of simple ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cups dry milk powder, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup grated carrots and 1 egg.

These dog biscuits take the worry out of the equation if you happen to have a kid who likes to eat the dog food (like mine does - I guess it's better than dirt.) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Then, mix the ingredients together by hand, which is a kid specialty, then roll it out to 1/4 inch- thickness and cut with cookie cutters.

Place the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet into the oven, and 30 minutes later you've turned your kids into gourmet doggie chefs. Any mess - well, your canine companions can clean up the floor for you!

For the elementary school age set, broaden their horizons by letting them adopt an endangered animal. The benefits for you - no animal to housetrain, no shedding fur to clean off the couch and no chance of stepping in a "little present" while you're out playing in the yard. The Whale Center of New England out of Gloucester, Mass. has programs to adopt humpback whales. With a $40 adoption fee, your child will get a color photo and biography of their whale, as well as an adoption certificate, an audio of unique humpback whale calls (which has to be more relaxing to us parents than the latest KidzBop CD they keep bugging you about), an adoption button, a whale watchers companion guide and a year subscription to their newsletter, Flukeprints. The Web site, Whalecenter.org, has links with pictures of the whales available for adoption, as well as information on yearly sightings.

If land animals are more your kid's style, the Organization for Bat Conservation at Batconservation.org has sponsor-a-bat programs. For as little as $20, your child can sponsor an orphaned or injured bat and receive a picture of their bat, a special certificate and a bat poster. Bats are vital to our ecosystem, and educating your child about the benefits they bring us takes away some of the "eek" and "yuck" factors.

Putting the spotlight on your kid's relationship with animals teaches kindness, empathy and compassion - traits that are hard to verbalize but more important than knowing who got kicked off

"American Idol" last week. I