Is there some project thing that has to do with animals that a young teenager can do in the summer?

Question

I really like animals, so I wonder if there's some sort of project or something like that I can do with them. Preferably at home, but gove me all your ideas anyway cuz it doesn't matter all that much.

By the way, I live in Vermont, if you need to know.

Answer 1

BJ is right, but if you were thinking "hands-on", you can volunteer at animals shelters, wildlife agencies (if nothing else, they might take you along on surveys and studies, if you ask nice or wash vehicles, or cook, or something).  Many private companies doing research and surveys welcome extra hands, whether its running birds from the mist nets to the banding table, or cleaning out a spring, or carrying supplies.  The cool part is, you meet people and start to network, trying different jobs, seeing what you like to do (or what you hate).  Biologists love to have help seining cold streams, too, and a local vet might let you clean up and help out.  Good luck to you.

Answer 2

You could start a dog-walking service. Or possibly groom horses if you have a stable nearby?

Answer 3

If you want to stay near your home, I can think of a few things.

You could start a bug collection - and you don't necessarily have to kill the bugs to collect them. If you have a digital camera, you could just take pictures of the bugs, and then take them home, and make a photo based bug collection.  There are a lot of online resources like www.whatsthatbug.com and www.bugguide.net, to help you identify them.

You could try raising some type of bug too -- look for butterfly eggs on the underside of plant leaves, or living caterpillars; put them in a tank of some kind and make sure they are fed daily (the same type of leaves you found them on, usually; if in doubt, look it up) - I raised monarch butterflies this way when I was in 3rd grade!

If there's a pond or stream nearby, you could always try making a "natural" aquarium; get a net and scoop stuff out of the stream; you can learn about dragonflies and those kinds of critters, or get some crayfish and raise them in an aquarium. Crayfish are great because you can even feed them things like lettuce, and they're interesting to watch.

You could also do some birdwatching -- start a journal, or get a camera and take pictures of all the birds you can find. Also learn to identify birds by the sounds they make. If you set a goal for yourself (e.g. one new bird or bug a day) it'll give you something fun to do.  If there's a nice big field or park nearby it'll make things a lot more interesting.

If those don't interest you, how about making a web site dedicated to your favourite animal / animals? Do research, make sections for the animal's life cycle, conservation status, range, maybe even look for the animal in fiction book.

There's all kinds of fun things you can do at home. That's just a starter!

Answer 4

It's not in your home, but you could advertise "dog walking" in your area.  Fun for everyone and you'd earn some money.  You could also check with your local animal shelter to see if there are any small animals that need fostering until they find a permanent home.  Take care of a pet rat, guinea pig, mouse, gerbil, hamster, etc.  It's a great learning experience and gives the little guys much more attention and socialization than they'd be getting at a shelter.