It’s super-easy to get active for animals at any age. In fact, there are tons of things that you can do to help that don’t require much cash—just your time and energy. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

The best thing you can do to help animals is to stop eating them! For some great tips on how you can save lives, help the environment, and improve your health by cutting animals out of your diet, check out all the info here.

Chances are that your local animal shelter can probably use your help, so give ’em a call! You may be too young to volunteer, but you’re never too young to have a fundraiser or a drive to collect supplies.

Does your school have a student-choice policy allowing students the right to refuse to dissect? Are there animals being held hostage at your school, commonly known as “classroom pets” or “hatching experiments”? Do your teachers plan yearly field trips to the zoo or the circus? It’s your school, too, and that means that your voice counts, so speak up and let your teachers know that there are alternatives to animal exploitation. And don’t forget to recruit your classmates to help you tackle these issues!

Educate others! Use animal issues as topics for all your school projects. From book reports to posters in art class—we’ve got you covered.

Letter-writing is one of the best things you can do to help, so get that pen and paper—or computer keyboard—ready! Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper about animal rights issues. Scan the newspaper for upcoming events, issues, or “free to a good home” ads, and fire off a letter to give the animals’ side of the story. For instance, when the circus is coming to town, let the public know what really happens under the big top, and urge readers to boycott animal circuses.

 Grab some friends or your siblings and set up a literature table in the mall, outside a store, or at the local library (get permission from the “powers that be” first—that means Mom and Dad and the mall office!) and distribute PETA literature. Or gather some friends together and leaflet around town.

 We’re always looking for new ways to make a difference for our animal friends, so drop us a line and let us know what you’re doing so that we can pass it on. And please, be sure to include pix of you in action, ’cause you may just find yourself gracing the imagess of an upcoming issue of Grrr! magazine or on PETAKids.com!