Carly the Cow & Ellie the Elephant

TeachKind Wants You to Invite This Cow and Elephant to Your School

Carly and Ellie are ambassadors for all animals—and they’ll inspire your students to speak up for animals, too!

Meet Carly and Ellie!

These life-size mechanical animals travel the country, visiting elementary schools and teaching kids about empathy for all. Their lifelike movements and mannerisms make many children and even adults ask, “Are they real?” But the real magic happens when they start talking—and educators watch as Carly and Ellie captivate students with their inspiring stories and lessons of kindness.

Ellie and Carly don’t like to brag, but they’re kind of a big deal: They’ve toured all over the country and visited hundreds of elementary schools, YMCAs, and summer camps in every contiguous state, bringing their message of compassion to over 180,000 students!

Ellie’s Story

Ellie is a young elephant who was recently rescued from the circus. She moves her head, wiggles her ears, and laughs along with students as she talks about the importance of having empathy for all living beings, no matter how large or small.

Ellie’s mission to end speciesism through education and empathy includes her explanation that all animals are individuals with thoughts and feelings who deserve respect and compassion. Her story encourages students and educators to consider that all animals have needs and wants—just like humans—and that we should refer to them using the personal pronouns “he” or “she” rather than “it.” Ellie speaks up for all animals and encourages students to do the same.

Included with Ellie’s presentations, we provide free items and resources such as pre- and post-visit activities, stickers, coloring sheets, and pencils for each student, a Share The World Curriculum Kit for each educator, and more!

Ellie delivers her important message with a fun and engaging experience, and at the end of her interactive presentation, our two presenters lead students through a fun and thought-provoking Q&A that strengthens students’ empathy and promotes kindness for both humans and all other animals alike.

Are You Teaching Virtually?

While meeting Ellie in person is a magical experience, we understand that this isn’t feasible for all educators. Your students can experience Ellie’s presentation anywhere with this interactive video:

Carly’s Story

Carly is a Holstein cow who was rescued and brought to an animal sanctuary. She mooves and speaks to students about the fascinating lives of cows while sharing her important message of empathy for all! Through her 30-minute presentation, she highlights the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect, no matter our differences.

In an engaging and age-appropriate manner, Carly explains that all female mammals share a common trait: the need to make milk to nourish their young. While Carly emphasizes the many similarities between cows, humans, and all other animals, she helps students realize that all animals are individuals with thoughts and feelings and that we are the same in the ways that matter most.

Did you know that cows can smell up to five miles away? This is just one of the many fun facts Carly shares while shedding light on the inspiring work of animal sanctuaries and exploring the ways humans and other animals are more alike than different—emphasizing that bullying is never OK, no matter our species!

Carly’s presentation includes several free resources, including stickers, coloring sheets, and non-dairy ice cream sandwiches for each student and a Share The World Curriculum Kit for each educator. This is all completely cost-free, as is the presentation itself!

Additional Information

As schools around the country face an epidemic of bullying, it’s essential that we teach students empathy and respect for all living and feeling beings, regardless of species. Students are captivated by Carly and Ellie as they soak up information that helps them become more conscious, compassionate, and thoughtful citizens.

Complete with key vocabulary, higher-order thinking questions, and follow-up lessons, Carly’s and Ellie’s 30-minute-long presentations drive home the theme that bullying is never OK—whether they are a human or any other animal—and can help schools meet character education standards in your state.

Our team gives out loads of free materials during Ellie and Carly’s visits, including stickers and coloring sheets for each student. At Carly the Cow presentations, everyone gets a free non-dairy ice cream sandwich, and at Ellie the Elephant presentations, everyone gets a “I’m a Kind Kid” pencil. We bring additional resources for educators to explore, such as the Kind Frog, Ratty, Unlocking the Animal World, Poster Packs, and more!

Teachers can further students’ learning by using our pre- and post-visit activities specific to Ellie and Carly’s story. Our engaging worksheets, create-your-own kindness hats, Kahoot Quizzes, and mini workbooks get students excited and help them follow up on important concepts.

In addition to our robotic animal educators telling their stories, our two human presenters provide a dynamic learning experience through an interactive Q&A that includes picture games and a section dedicated to letting them ask questions. Our team handles everything from the presentation setup to clean up and breakdown.