Activities For Kids

Our Robins-Starr Humane Center is a great place for children. Kids can have a birthday party, attend one of our summer camps, tour our busy humane center and veterinary hospital or join our Animal Brigade Service Club.

Birthday Parties
Celebrate the birthday of a child who loves animals at our Robins-Starr Humane Center! We have four different party options to choose from for children big, small and grown-up animal lovers who are young at heart.

Compassion Unleashed Critter Camp
Every summer we offer fun and educational week-long half-day and full-day camps for children in grades 1 through 9. We have all new, updated curriculum for 2025, and camp registration begins in February. Slots fill quickly, so make sure you’re signed up for our email list.

Animal Brigade Service Club
Animal Brigade is for middle school students (grades 6 through 8) to learn more about their four-legged friends and how to help them through volunteer projects and humane education. Applications are now open for the next session which will begin in February 2025.

Upcoming School Closure and Holiday Camp Offerings

When class is out, camp is in session! During Winter and Spring breaks, children ages 6 to 11 can spend a day with us (from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). For other single-day closures, we offer half-day sessions by age group.

Be a Shelter Helper Hero: Monday, February 17 or Tuesday, February 18

Paws To Play:
Children ages 18 months to 4 years, along with an adult, are invited to join our NEW Paws to Play program! Find these listings on our calendar of events or through the links below.

Tales for Tails
We welcome children of all ages to visit our Robins-Starr Humane Center and read to pets in our adoption lobby. Reading to shelter pets is a unique way to provide interaction and enrichment to the dogs and cats (and occasional bunnies) waiting to find their new families. Bring a book or select one from our collection. For the reader, practicing reading skills with our animals increases motivation to read, develops self-confidence and improves fluency. Our pets provide an unbiased audience and welcome all reading skill levels. This experience also helps to foster compassion and involvement in animals’ lives and makes reading more fun! Repeat visitors will earn a special treat from the Richmond SPCA.

Tales for Tails is available whenever our adoption center is open. We welcome children to read to our pets who are currently awaiting adoption. Please check in with our front desk upon arrival and an adoption counselor can point you toward our book collection and appropriate pets to visit. 

Paws for Reading
This is a unique dog visitation program in partnership with William Fox Elementary School. Once or twice a month, students practice developing reading skills in front of a well-behaved dog of one of our Richmond SPCA volunteers. If you would like more information on this program, please contact the Manager of Humane Education at 804-521-1327.

Educational Tours
We offer personalized tours of our Robins-Starr Humane Center to schools, organizations and clubs. Children will learn firsthand about the work that the Richmond SPCA does to save the lives of the pets in our care and how to interact safely and responsibly with animals. Please call 804-521-1327 or email us to schedule your tour.

While educational tours of the Richmond SPCA are free of charge, we will happily accept donations to support our lifesaving programs. The suggested monetary donation for groups of up to 10 is $65. In-kind donations are also greatly appreciated. Visit our wish list to see what is needed at our humane center.

Projects for Kids that Help our Pets
Children can help the animals in our care by organizing a donation drive for the items on our wish list or by completing one of our suggested craft projects. Contact us to learn more about crafts that can help our pets.

Download Seasonal Coloring Pages
These designs were created by one of our talented Richmond SPCA staff members.