The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts have a program near you, and, as they say, “anytime is a great time to start scouting.” Go on a horse trek, climb the nearest mountain, or even go camping in a rainforest. And it is never too early to start thinking up your own brand of cookies.

The Junior Audubon Club offers you an opportunity to get out there with other like-minded individuals who have got it going on and experience the beauty of birding. Take advantage of the field trips, overnighters, parties, and exploration of wild places. It is free and open to all youth in the third grade and above.

Become a BirdSleuth! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology provides basic information about how to do real life science investigations. The program can be introduced at your local school, and you can also participate right from home. It is a way not only to explore bird behavior, but also to bring science to life through inquiry and research.

Join the Humane High School, where you will have the chance to learn about becoming an advocate for animals. Stephanie Clark, Principal, will welcome you to programs that share a spirit to respect all animal life. The online school has videos to view, online courses to join, study and activity guides to explore, and the possibility to engage in service learning. The Humane High School is associated with the Humane Society of the United States.

The Delta Society works to bring animals and humans together in a way that breeds happiness in all mammals involved. As a volunteer “pet-partner” with the program, you will be trained to visit people at everywhere from schools to hospitals with a choice pet, so that you and along with your dog, cat, bird, etc. can work to create a good place for you, your pet, and those who you visit. In one visit, a pet-partner visited a patient in a Cardiac Care Unit and helped to reduce a patient’s heart rate to normal even where medicine had not been able to do the trick. The program is for ages 16 and over and for ages 10-16 with guardian participation.