Kindness Academy
What is animal sentience?
Animal sentience is the ability to have feelings — to feel pain, comfort, fear, curiosity, boredom and joy. A sentient animal does not just react; it experiences what happens to it.
Source: UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 review of over 300 studies
What is veganism?
Veganism is choosing not to use animals for food, clothing or entertainment as far as is possible and practicable. On a plate that means plants instead of meat, fish, milk, eggs and honey.
Source: The Vegan Society definition
Question 1 of 6 · Score 0
How does this cow feel?
A young cow kicks her back legs up and skips sideways across the field after the gate opens.
Kindness rules worth remembering
Ask before you touch
Ask the responsible grown-up before approaching a familiar animal. Let it choose whether to come closer, and stop if it moves away. Never reach towards unfamiliar animals or wildlife.
Watch the whole body
Ears, tail, eyes and posture tell you more than a sound does. Reading them is a real skill you can practise.
Quiet is kind
Loud voices and fast movements are scary to most animals. Calm bodies make brave animals.
Kindness includes people
People make different choices about food and animals. You can share what you love without making anyone feel bad.
Small choices add up
Trying a plant-based meal, helping at a shelter, or speaking up for an animal in your street — all of it counts.
Curiosity beats guilt
Nobody learns everything at once. Asking questions is always the best next step.
What does vegan mean?
What does vegan mean?
Being vegan means your food comes from plants — no meat, milk, eggs or honey — because you'd rather animals weren't used.
Do people have to be perfect?
No. Lots of people eat plant foods some days and not others. Every kind choice still counts.
Is plant food good for kids?
Yes — well-planned plant meals can give you what you need to grow. A grown-up makes sure you get vitamin B12 and checks nutrients like iodine, calcium, iron and vitamin D.
Understanding animal farming
Nothing here is designed to upset you. We describe what animals naturally do, what some modern farms make difficult, and what better looks like — so you can think it through yourself.
Hens
- 🌿 What they naturally do
- A hen spends her day scratching in leaves, dust bathing in the sun, and choosing a private, hidden spot to lay an egg. At dusk she flies up to a branch to roost.
- 🏭 What some farms make hard
- In many large indoor systems there is no soil to scratch, no branch to roost on, and thousands of hens share one shed.
- 💛 What better looks like
- Higher-welfare and sanctuary settings give hens litter to scratch, perches to roost on and quiet nest boxes — and their behaviour changes almost immediately.
Pigs
- 🌿 What they naturally do
- Pigs root with their snouts for hours, build a nest of straw before their piglets arrive, and keep their toilet far away from their bed.
- 🏭 What some farms make hard
- On concrete floors with nothing to root in, pigs can't do the things they're most driven to do, and they become bored and frustrated.
- 💛 What better looks like
- Straw, space and mud wallows let pigs root, nest and cool off — the three things they choose first when given the option.
Cows and calves
- 🌿 What they naturally do
- A cow grazes for eight hours a day, keeps a best friend beside her, and stays close to her calf for months.
- 🏭 What some farms make hard
- In dairy systems calves are usually separated from their mothers early so the milk can be collected, and both call for each other afterwards.
- 💛 What better looks like
- Cow-with-calf dairying and sanctuaries keep families together, and plant milks let people skip the dilemma entirely.
Continue exploring
An animal's space matters
Can one movement tell us how an animal feels?
No. A yawn, tail movement or ear position is a clue, not a complete answer. Look at the whole body, the situation and whether the animal can choose to move away.
1. Observe without approaching
With a grown-up, watch a familiar animal from a comfortable distance. Describe what you actually see: looking away, resting or moving. Keep guesses about feelings separate from observations.
2. Look for another explanation
A dog may yawn when sleepy or uncomfortable. Ask what happened just before the yawn. A short observation cannot diagnose an animal's health or prove that it wants to be touched.
3. Choose the least intrusive action
Stop, lower your voice and leave a clear way out. Never follow an animal that moves away. Ask its responsible grown-up before approaching; watch wildlife without touching or feeding it.
Your field challenge
Ages 7–9
Name two things you can see and one feeling you are only guessing. Tell a grown-up the difference.
Talk about it
When did doing less help an animal more?