Han and Friends

Author: Sam

  • February Newsletter

    Hi Friends, Hope you are doing well! February is a special month because of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day! So we put together two very special celebrations. One is our crafting night! We are making Taxidermy with plushies. A great vegan alternative that is more cost and eco friendly especially when you “rescue” your…

  • January Newsletter

    Happy New Year! Looking back in 2025 so much has happened; so let’s do a little recap. January 2025: Sam is looking to broaden her character range, so she takes a weekend workshop: Acting Like an Animator with Jake Bazel and Jennifer Barnhart. Feburary 2025: Han and Friends co-hosted a craft workshop to help fundraiser…

  • December Newsletter

  • November Newsletter

  • Puppetry as a Tool to Inspire Compassion – An Alternative Approach to Animal Activism 

    Traditional Animal Rights Tactics and The Backfire Effect  How do these images make you feel? After attending numerous protests and re-posting graphic videos on the cruel treatment of animals, I started to question whether traditional animal rights tactics were becoming counterproductive. Even if the goal is to simply raise awareness, individuals actively resist information that…

  • Be a Cat Champion!

    Are Cats the Right Pet For Me? Having a pet in general can elevate your mood and provide you with companionship. Compared to dogs, cats require less food and space. They are perfect for apartments! Cats don’t need to be walked outdoors and they do their business in a litter box. Cats groom themselves! Cats…

  • Teaching Prejudice with Rats

    When you hear the word rat or see a rat what is your first thought or reaction. If you’re like me you might think of Remy from Ratatouille or that special rat friend in your life. For other people, they might be thinking about an animal with beady eyes and naked tail that lurks in…

  • Teaching Mercy with Spiders

    March 14 was Save A Spider Day. For our weekly Ready Readers lesson, I decided to teach my group the word mercy; that just because we are bigger and stronger than someone we should show them kindness and compassion. To teach this I used the book Awake by Mag DeRoma; where a girl is awakened…

  • Why Humane Education?

    Humane education teaches empathy and compassion towards animals, people, and the environment. This approach not only fosters kindness in the classroom but is relevant to students’ futures in hopes to create a sustainable and humane world for everyone. Under New York City education laws, public schools are required to provide instruction “in the humane treatment…

  • Hello There!

    Hi, this is the first blog here on the Sam & Friends site. I thought I would talk a little bit about myself and explain how I got to where I am today. I was born and raised in NYC. In Brooklyn, you could find me watching Animal Planet, playing Pokemon, reading animal books, catching…