Tips for teachers, parents and kids on how to live "greener" everyday lives. Contact me at Teachgreen@AOL.com
Hi! Thanks for stopping by. Every month, I will answer your questions on
how to bring environmental studies into the classroom, how to deepen our
environmental awareness and how to live more "green". I'll suggest seasonal
activities that can help our children get closer to nature and give
suggestions on how to encourage them to be loving caretakers of our great
planet earth. I want to encourage our children (and ourselves) to fall in
love with nature. When you love something, you will take care of it.
I look forward to hearing from teachers and parents about environmental projects that you've done that have been successful. E-mail me at teachgreen@aol.com and I'll share with others what you are doing.
Also, I want to hear from Kids! E-mail your poems and stories about nature, ecology and our great Planet Earth, to Teachgreen@aol.com and I will share your feelings with other kids in the Earth Patrol Kids section at the end of this site.
Q: Dear Carol, I am a coordinator for our church's summer bible camp. This year our focus is on loving our self , community, environment and animal kingdom. I would be eternally grateful for any craft or large and small activity ideas. Hopefully we will plant a seed of being earth friendly that will spread like the ripple effect. Thank you for your time!!! Pauli Francis
A: Immerse your campers in nature. Go on nature walks daily. Have some wildlife, insect and plant books on hand so that you can look up all your wonderful discoveries. Get them up and out early to watch the sun come up and watch the sun go down. Have them make nature journals, where they can record their observations, poetry, and pictures.
Pressing leaves or flowers is a wonderful activity, just be careful not to pick too many wild flowers. Make a "Nature place mat" that they can bring home with them. Using clear contact paper, cut two pieces the size of a place mat. Peel off paper backing of the first piece. Lay your natural treasures on the sticky side. Peel the paper off the second piece of contact paper. Lay it on top of the first one, sticky sides together. Trim edges if necessary.
Welcome April! There are a lot of wonderful ecologically minded events occurring in April. Although we celebrated the first day of Spring on March 21st, April really epitomizes spring. Keep a watchful eye on the trees for the blossoming buds and on the ground for all those blooming flowers.
Here's what's going on in April:
Spread the word! Sign this petition that will designate Earth Day as a national holiday. The petition will be delivered to members of Congress and the White House on World Environment Day, June 5, 2000.
"We the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, hereby request that Earth Day, April 22 be designated a national holiday for the purposes of promoting the well-being and protection of the Earth and its ecosystems, upon which all life depends."
Here is a sampling of some events that are planned across the country in celebration for Earth Day:
Created in 1990, March for Parks is the nation's largest walking event for parks and open spaces. March for Parks allows local volunteers to "adopt" a national, state or city park or public open space. All proceeds raised at individual marches stay at the local level to fund park projects identified by local volunteers, called "March Partners." In past years, citizens have repaired historic buildings, planted trees, repaired existing trails and built new trails for disabled park visitors, and even bought land for new community parks. You can choose to raise money for your adopted park or open space by holding a walk, march or run. Or you may decide to hold a clean-up or festival to celebrate your park. For further information, visit the National Parks and Conservation Association at www.NPCA.org or e-mail lbailey@npca.org
If you are looking for a class or school project perhaps this Earth Day grocery bag project will be of interest.
In 1998, thousands of school children from 490 schools decorated over 165,193 paper grocery bags to celebrate Earth Day and increase environmental awareness. These artful bags were returned to a local supermarket, where they were then used to bag shoppers groceries on Earth Day.
Here's what you do:
1. Contact a local grocery store that uses large paper grocery bags. See if the manager will let you "borrow" enough bags so that each student in your school can decorate one. Let the manager know about the project and its environmental education message, of course! You could mention that last Earth Day 489 schools from all over the world participated! Grocers usually get these bags in "bundles" of 500.
2. Have students at school decorate the bags with pictures of the earth, environmental messages, the name of your school, etc. Be creative! DO NOT allow students to write their last names on any bags.
3. A couple of days before Earth Day, April 22nd you and/or your students return the decorated bags to the grocery store - with many thanks to the manager! The store then distributes these bags (full of groceries) to happy and amazed shoppers on Earth Day.
4. Fill out the guest book on the project web site, or send in a brief email report to mahlness@halcyon.com with a count of how many bags your school made. Be sure to include the name of your school and where you are. For more information, visit their website at www.earthdaybags.org.
Here are some suggestions for your school or your family to host your own Earth Day Celebrations.
1. Wake early, take a morning walk and watch the sunrise. Breathe in the morning air focus on the natural world around you. Think about how you can preserve and keep the earth in good health.
2. Make a cake and sing happy birthday to the earth. Have friends over.
3. Make up your own Earth Day pledge, and encourage your classmates and friends to, too.
4. Arrange an Earth Day clean up.
5. Do an Earth Day planting.
6. Bike to school, work or the store. Avoid the car as much as possible.
7. Ban electricity day. See how many ways you can do without electricity.
8. Plan an Earth Day walk-a-thon. Or clean-up-a-thon. Take financial pledges from people to sponsor you for each mile you walk or each garbage bag you fill. Donate the money to a reputable environmental agency or use the money for local beautification.
9. Write and perform an Earth Day play.
10. Organize an Earth Day Music Concert.
11. Organize a compost workshop.
12. Take a field trip to your local recycling plant, landfill, or water resevoir.
13. Your school can make a sculpture of recycled materials, or individual classes or individual children can create their own recycled art projects.
14. Organize a hazardous waste drop off day. Contact your local Department of Sanitation for rules and regulations.
15. Study Native Americans and their philosophy on Mother Earth.
16. Create a Earth Day Hero Award for teachers, children or adults that are
committed to doing great things for the planet.
17. Start an EcoClub.
18. Make a presentation of disposable items that you and the world can do without.
19. Organize a clothing, book, toy, household article swap.
20. Write a letter to the President or your Federal government representatives asking them to focus on a particular environmental issue.
I want to hear from you Kids! E-mail your poems and stories about nature, ecology and our great Planet Earth, to Teachgreen@aol.com and I will share your feelings with other kids in this Earth Patrol Kids section. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Carol Baxter is a free-lance writer specializing in articles regarding environmental issues, with special interest in how environmental negligence impact on the health of our children, family and the planet. Her articles have appeared nationwide in parenting magazines and newspapers and in environmental publications. In 1989, she founded MY FAVORITE PLANET, INC, a company selling products that have a positive environmental impact, inspire the love of nature, and encourage kids to take care of our planet. She is currently working on the book Teaching the Green which will be an "at your finger-tips" resource guide for educators and parents, that will make accessing environmental educational materials convenient.
She is a co-developer of the Nyack Farmers' Market and presently serves as its Market Manager and Program Coordinator. She is a very involved member of the New York City based Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet and is an active volunteer for the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Rockland County. She is also a 4-H leader. Her club the Hudson River Mermaids, are focused on learning and discovering "how things work" in the natural world and are energetic caretakers of the world around them.
In 1993, she became an ardent activist against the use of rbGH hormones in milk production and was co-founder of the New York City Safe Milk Coalition, which set out to convince the New York City Public School System to join the hundred school districts nationwide to ban rbGH-treated milk in the schools.
Prior to writing, she was a professional dancer in New York City for fifteen years. She currently lives in the Hudson River Valley with her husband and two children. She can be reached at her e-mail address, Teachgreen@AOL.com
© Copyright Carol Baxter 1999
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