Learning can be fun, especially when kittens and puppies are part of the equation.

For the past 18 years, Charlene Gravens, who is a teacher at the Hawkins United Methodist Church preschool, has taken her students to visit the Vicksburg Warren Humane Society.

The field trip is scheduled during the spring when the three- and four-year-olds are learning about community helpers, Gravens said.

In conjunction with learning about the services provided by community helpers, Gravens’ class also collects items for the animal shelter.

“We do service projects in the class every year,” Gravens said, and one of them is to collect items for the Vicksburg Warren Humane Society.

Gravens said the collection begins in February and includes cleaning supplies that can be used at the shelter and toys for the animals.

The children will come into their classroom and drop an item for the shelter in a box, she said.

On the day of the visit, the children deliver the items to the shelter.

“This is something the children can actually get to see where their help pays off,” Gravens said.

Bridgette Cortezie, who is a manager and caregiver at the shelter, said Gravens has been faithful in brining her students every year.

“She has made it a constant thing, and it shows that somebody out there is teaching these young kids about what needs to be done to care for animals,” Cortezie said.

Following the delivery, the children had the opportunity to visit with some of the animals that are housed at the shelter.

When a Labrador-mix puppy was brought out there were plenty of squeals as he sniffed around and checked out the little visitors. The same happened with a small kitten along with a lot of “let me hold her” from the children.

Parents accompany the children on the field trip, and Gravens said, “One of my dreams is that a pet will get adopted.”

Over the years, Cortezie said animals have been adopted from these playschool visits.

“Some of the parents have come back out and said, ‘We want to look at this one again,’” Cortezie said.

After having a fun time playing with the puppy and kitten, the children made their way outside, where they had the opportunity to check out a horse and a donkey.

They got to visit with a few more dogs that were housed in the kennel along with a hog that was snoozing.

Three-year-old Kaci McWhorter had her eye on a kitten, her mother Alaina McWhorter said.

And four-year-old Luke Woods was enamored with a dog.

The Vicksburg Warren Humane Society is located at 6600 U.S. 61 South.

For more information about the animal shelter or to see a listing of available animals, visit, petfinder.com/member/us/ms/…/vicksburg-warren-humane-society-ms12/.