Editor’s note: The following is a guest post by Tim Magner, an environmental educator and children’s book author. For more resources on Growing Green Minds, visit Green Sugar Press.
What are your best memories from childhood? Catching fireflys? Building forts? Making mudpies? Climbing trees?
I’ve spent a lot of time with kids and there’s one thing I know makes sense: Letting kids be kids. They’re curious. They need time to imagine and play and explore. They want to be inspired and nature does the trick. [read the full article...]
I’ve been attacked by naysayers who claim one cannot be an environmentalist and consume meat. I beg to differ, but that’s my opinion.
For years I was a happy vegetarian. My husband is a devoted carnivore. We have five children and my vegetarianism fell to the wayside. I’m not a short order cook, my husband DEMANDS meat (and luckily fish qualifies as meat in his world) in his dinner and chances are the kids and I are eating the same meal. That’s a little thing called life.
Does this mean we are not green? [read the full article...]
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Move over evolution: Now you can add climate change to the list of controversial science topics taught in public schools. That’s right, the governor that sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over greenhouse gas emissions doesn’t want to mandate California’s children are educated on climate change. Why the apparent contradiction?
SB 908: Global Warming Education in Schools, sponsored by Senator Simitian (D-Palo Alto), would have revised the existing state framework to include climate change as part of children’s environmental education, but unfortunately it was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Not only did the bill include climate change in public school science curriculum, but also added to the science framework, and thus science textbooks, seven other topics:
- Integrated waste management
- Energy conservation
- Water conservation and pollution prevention
- Air resources
- Integrated pest management
- Toxic materials
- Wildlife conservation and forestry [read the full article...]
by Jennifer Lance on November 28, 2007 · 0 comments
Earlier this week, Kelli wrote a post called “Teaching Kids About Trash“, in which she asked her high school sustainability class, “When you throw something away, where does it go?” “Away” is the topic of Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Motion by Loree Griffin Burns. Based on the research program of oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, Tracking Trash chronicles the journey of trash in our oceans (Be sure to read to the end of this post in order to learn how to win your own copy of Tracking Trash).
What do ocean currents have to do with preserving our marine environment? Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer became inspired to study this topic when his mother saw an article about hundreds of sneakers washing up on the beaches near Seattle. Dr. Ebbesmeyer wanted to discover the origin of the shoes. He stated,
Tracking toys and sneakers gives us a chance to see what the ocean does with our trash. We can see the movement of trash by the great ocean currents and we can see the disintegration of the trash over time…and we can learn from it. [read the full article...]
by Derek Markham on November 26, 2007 · 6 comments
Where is “away”? That’s the question I asked my Environmental Sustainability students today. When you throw something away, where does it go? Here were some of the answers they wrote down:
“Away is throwing your stuff across town to a junkyard.”
“Your trash gets burned.”
“Away is a big hole that is dug in the ground.”
“Out of St Louis, somewhere.”
“Away is the landfill.”
[read the full article...]
by Derek Markham on November 15, 2007 · 3 comments
With the influx of environmental information permeating the web, it’s no surprise that sites targeting kids are popping up all over. Plenty of organizations are creating niche websites that get kids involved with the environment and sustainability, using bright colors, games, links, and activities geared. Here are three of the better ones, that are well worth clicking around (even big kids!)
The EPA’s Environmental Kids Club website is strong on science, and there are plenty of activities for kids if you poke around. There’s a downloadable activity book, an online coloring book and a cool game exploring recycling. Their Climate Change website is a great resource for explaining global warming to kids, although their tips for how kids can fight global warming are kind of unrealistic (what kid has the resources to get solar panels for their home?). There’s also a link to info for teenagers. This site is well worth a look if you need activities for your children. [read the full article...]
by Jennifer Lance on November 14, 2007 · 0 comments
Editor’s note: This is the second of a weekly guest spot by children’s media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children’s Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.
Depending on who you ask, children’s television may or may not have come a long way.
New entries like “Yo Gabba Gabba” feel retro in a classic “Sesame Street” or “The Electric Company” style, but offer a more modern take on design and music. Kid’s TV beat broadcast to the punch and has already issued user-generated content in a mixed media format. Networks have caught on to the lack of diversity in children’s programming, and have debuted “Go, Diego, Go,” “Handy Manny,” and “Ni Hao Kai-Lan” featuring Hispanic and Asian-American characters and culture. And although shows have focused on literacy before (after all, that’s what “Sesame Street” has taught multiple generations since its debut in 1969), there’s a new found effort with programs like “Super Why”, “Word World”, and “Wordgirl” to teach your kids more than just the alphabet song. [read the full article...]
