Wachstumshormone

Feb

8

Exemplary EE Programs in the Pacific Northwest

Filed Under Environmental Education, Environmental Literacy, Feature articles, Programs | Leave a Comment

Click on the image for an overview of outstanding regional EE programs.
Put your program on the map!

Recent additions:
• Solar panels in Seattle classroom
• CREST Farm-to-School Program
• Expeditionary Learning in Washington

Nov

21

Kettle Falls: Engaging in Real Work

Filed Under Children and Nature, Environmental Education, Environmental Literacy, Programs | Leave a Comment

IMG_3029-1by Val McKern

Kettle Falls Elementary School believes that by engaging kids in authentic work, attitudes can change toward both work and community.  As a second grader, Todd started the year with little interest in school, had a difficult time focusing on discussions and avoided work whenever possible.

His teacher sought ways to help him stay focused but he continued to struggle.  In January, the second graders began seeking the answer to the question “What does it take for wood ducks to survive in the Colville River ecosystem and how can we help?”

Todd was initially intrigued by the fieldwork to the Colville River and became an exemplary student while studying the ecosystem.

As Todd became more engaged in determining how humans impact the ecosystem in both positive and negative ways, he became more focused.  Soon it was Todd leading the discussions during the science talks and sharing how to improve the Colville River ecosystem for wood ducks. He became adamant about protecting the ecosystem, encouraging students to “leave no trace”.  When reading difficult texts, Todd was engaged and even asked to move to a quiet place to study before participating in group protocols.

Each success for Todd led to a new success.  When writing his final product, a wood duck narrative based on fact, Todd continuously sought excellence through revisions, even asking to stay in during recess to perfect his writing.  His pursuit of excellence transferred to artwork and handwriting, where high quality became Todd’s goal.  His work was selected to send to the Cornell Ornithology Lab newsletter.

When the opportunity came to present their findings at the Ducks Unlimited Banquet on a Saturday evening, Todd completed his application letter promptly.  Once selected, he practiced during recesses to perfect his presentation.

Todd’s enthusiasm for helping wood ducks survive was clear as he shared the trail camera photos of nine wood duck drakes that were near the nesting box that Todd had built and the actual eggshells from two different duck species that had used the nesting box during the spring.

Todd’s knowledge and love of wood ducks made his plea to support ecosystems moving and they were able to raise substantial funds for Ducks Unlimited by auctioning student artwork and nesting boxes.

By engaging our students in real work, Kettle Falls Elementary School students learn they can make a difference in their community while pursuing academic excellence.

Submitted by Val McKern, Principal
Kettle Falls Elementary School

Oct

7

Filed Under Activities, Carol Malnor, Children's Literature, Environmental Literacy, Language arts, Outdoor education, Programs, Questioning strategies, Schoolyard Classroom | Leave a Comment

naturetrail-w-title

One of my favorite nature quotations comes from the Japanese conservationist Tanaka Shozu who said, “The question of rivers is not a question of rivers, but of the human heart.”

I wanted to touch the hearts of my middle school students with the beauty of nature as well as inspire them to take care of the local environment. I found the perfect spot for a nature experience less than an hour away from our school campus in the Sierra Nevada. Read more

Sep

26

Deepening Science Education, Increasing Ecological Literacy

Filed Under Outdoor education, Programs | Leave a Comment

Woodland Park Zoo’s “Ready, Set, Discover” gets kids outside

readysetdiscoverBy Katie Remine, School and Community Engagement Supervisor
Woodland Park Zoo

“With an opportunity to wonder, explore, and to question, students can discover fresh reasons to excel at other subjects and sense new confidence because they pursued and acted upon their inquiry. “
—Bruce Kelly, Kent School District, K-12 Curriculum Coordinator – Science/Health Fitness

The reflection above captures the spirit of Woodland Park Zoo’s Ready, Set, Discover (RSD) program for 4th and 5th grade students in south King County, including many schools in the Kent School District. RSD, supported by The Boeing Company, integrates programs on and off Woodland Park Zoo grounds to engage students in outdoor, inquiry-based science learning to improve science skills and to foster stewardship of the environment.

Read more

Apr

19

Sustainability and Relationships: Learning from the STAR School

Filed Under Programs, Sustainability | Leave a Comment

DSC01149-1by Gregory A. Smith
Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon

As news stories about global climate change, the peaking of oil production, or the threat of major water shortages appear more frequently in the mainstream press, it is not surprising that concerns about the long-term sustainability of institutions associated with industrial civilization have become common.  Although national and global organizations have been involved with this issue since the 1970s, only in the past decade has the general public begun to attend to the degree to which our economy and way of life are vulnerable to the impact of human behavior on the natural systems that support our species.  The term, sustainability, has become part of our daily language, and even though it is now employed to justify the efforts of transnational corporations as well as environmental organizations, its use points to a growing awareness that humanity can no longer ignore the environmental consequences of our activities and decisions. Read more

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