Small children will be visiting MSU’s small animals on April 28.
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Student Senate is hosting its annual Small Animals Day on MSU farms.
“It’s a day where the university farms open to the public to allow people to come in and see the animals,” animal science sophomore Lynn Voglsaid.
Children of all ages are invited to take tours of the poultry and horse farms. After the tour, the children will be taken to the Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education for a coloring contest and to see the other animals.
Animal science sophomore Jill Flukes said there will different cattle breeds, such as chickens, llamas, alpacas, sheep, swine and rabbits.
She also said there will be clubs with booths set up that may have some hands-on activities.
Families and groups attending can park at Lot 89, located at Mt. Hope Road and Farm Lane, for CATA busses to pick them up. The busses will take the visitors to the farms and the pavilion.
Vogl said the trip is a marvelous way for children who live in the city to meet farm animals.
Volunteers are still needed for the event to help out. Fluke said there are several positions open and anyone can volunteer to help.
Volunteers will also receive a T-shirt for helping with the event.
“It is a lot of fun, especially if you like animals or kids, it’s a really fun event,” Fluke said.
Small Animals Day has also become a tradition for the university.
“As far as we can tell it is more than 40 years old,” Susan DeRosa, assistant director for undergraduate programs for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said.
DeRosa said the trip was offered as a field trip to local schools in the past, but because it lands on the Friday before finals the college no longer does that. Now groups such as scout troops and church organizations attend.
“There is something just wonderful about little kids discovering little animals,” DeRosa said.
If you would like to volunteer to help e-mail Vogl at Vogllynn@msu.edu or Flukes at Flukesji@msu.edu.
