Bear Clinic: Make a Stuffed Bear, Then Be Its Vet

Kids 6–10 build a stuffed bear, then suit up as its vet while a real veterinarian shows them what to look for. Plus bear safety tips! Bring your kid to the Bear Clinic! It’s a hands-on morning where kids ages 6–10 build their own stuffed bear, then become its vet, with a real veterinarian showing them what to look for. Along the way, they’ll learn how Connecticut’s black bears live and how to stay safe when one wanders through the neighborhood. What to expect When you arrive, you’ll check in at the welcome table. The room is set up as four stations that you move through together, at your own pace: • Bear Safety: Learn simple tips for staying safe around black bears. • Build: Stuff, close up, and name your very own bear. The kits are no-sew, so there are no needles. • Be the Vet: Kids put on a surgery hat and mask. Melissa, a local veterinarian, shows them what a real vet looks for as they examine their bear. • Treat & Discharge: Kids bandage and wrap their patient, then get a certificate to take home. What kids will learn • What bears like and don’t like: food smells, quiet, and being left alone • That Connecticut’s bear population is growing, including right here in Canton • What can go wrong for a bear, from mange to run-ins with cars and trash • How to stay safe: make noise, never run, and keep trash and bird feeders locked up Good to know • When: Saturday, October 24. Drop in any time from 10:20 to 10:40 am. Plan on about an hour; we wrap up at noon. • Where: Kismet, Collinsville Axe Factory, Collinsville, CT • Who it’s for: Kids ages 6–10. Each child needs a ticket. One grown-up comes free and stays with their child the whole time. • What kids take home: their bear, a bear whistle, and a certificate. • No live animals. Every patient is a stuffed bear. • Bringing two kids? Get a ticket for each. • Only 20 spots! Who’s running it Melissa, a local veterinarian, coaches the kids through the vet station. Emma and Rich, two local teachers, help kids build and bandage, and Phillip runs the welcome and bear safety table. Giving back We’ll have a donation jar for Wildlife in Crisis, a volunteer-run nonprofit that has cared for Connecticut wildlife and protected open land since 1988. Giving is completely optional.