Week 8: Planet Party!

I can't believe the end of the Extended Day session has arrived. What a great group of kids I had the pleasure of having in class! If the rest of their generation is as bright, curious and concerned as these kids, our world is in good hands!

Go Green 2012!



Dirt Cupcakes
(despite the name, the kids
thought they were pretty good!)

For our last day of Go Green: Environmental Explorations, we celebrated with a planet party! First, we had a special treat of dirt cupcakes. (Don't worry: they were really chocolate glazed cupcakes with Oreo crumbles.)


Owen and his cupcake.



Noah eating a dirt cupcake

 
After our snack, we played a game to see what we had learned. Each kid got turns to spin the wheel and answer questions about different topics, including ecosystems, water pollution, solar energy and reducing waste! I was impressed by how much the kids remembered about each environmental exploration.

Finally, we did some creative recycling. We took items that people might have thrown away, and turned them into cool art. Check out some of our creations!

Will and his recycled witch!

Hammond explains his homemade kaleidoscope.

I hope everyone enjoyed this Extended Day session! I will miss our Tuesday afternoons together. And remember ...

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Week 7: Look Up! (Trees)

For our next-to-last Extended Day class, we spent some time outside observing trees. We closed our eyes and listened to the sounds of the ecosystems overhead, examined bark and leaves up-close, and noticed different life forms who make their home in trees.

The ecosystems above us!



Evan and George listen carefully to the sounds of the ecosystem.



Getting up close and personal with bark.

  

We discovered fungus growing on the bark ...

 

An insect living in the ecosystem ...

And part of a rotten tree trunk - the end of the lifecycle!



Scientists at work.
(Top photo: Hammond examining some fungus.
Bottom photo: Scientist friends, Will and George)


After discussing our findings, we talked about why trees are important to our planet. Trees have a role in:
- Maintaining the water cycle
- Producing oxygen
- Preventing erosion
- Saving energy (shading/cooling)
- Providing shelter for animals
- Providing food for animals (leaves, acorns and berries)

Then we returned inside to make a craft by recycling plastic bottles into bird feeders.  Everyone customized their bird feeder with beautiful artwork.

Maddie decorates her bird feeder.

Hunter hard at work on his bird feeder.

I hope everyone enjoys hanging their feeder at home, and observing birds in their tree habitat! 

I can't believe that next week is our last environmental exploration. I'm looking forward to celebrating with a "planet party" - we will play games about what we learned, enjoy a special snack and do some creative recycling.