The Environment on the Web: Resources for Earth Day
RSS-- School Library Journal, 04/07/2009
The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. www.sustainabilityed.org/how/play_the_game/index.html. Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. (Accessed 4/2/09). Gr 8 Up.
Ecological Footprint Quiz.
www.myfootprint.org/. Earth Day Network and Redefining Progress. (Accessed 4/2/09). Gr 7 Up.
The Great Green Web Game.
go.ucsusa.org/game/. Union of Concerned Scientists. (Accessed 4/2/09). Gr 6 Up.
With everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio to Ben and Jerry touting the virtues of saving our environment, teens are sure to want to lend a hand. The simple fishing game found on the first site will leave teens pondering America’s buy-more consumerism. The goal here is sustainability not competition as three fishing boats work each day to provide for their families. Though the site offers information for teachers, the quick challenge will spark student interest. At the Earth Day Network site, a 15-question quiz will let them know just how much of an ecological mark they are leaving on the world. (Knowledge of the metric system is required.) The Great Green Web Game is an enlightening trip around a board full of multiple-choice questions that encourages teens to examine the choices they and parents make concerning food, heating, transportation, and spending. At the end, players can compare their charted impact on the environment to the average American’s. Though educators may stumble in defining sustainability, the concept will be clear to students after perusing these hot spots.
Composting for Kids. sustainable.tamu.edu/slidesets/kidscompost/cover.html. Texas Agricultural Extension Service. (Accessed 4/2/09). Gr 1-3
EEK! Recycling and Beyond. www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/recycle/recyclingbeyond.htm. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (Accessed 4/2/09). Gr 2-4
The Imagination Factory. http://www.kid-at-art.com/. Marilyn Brackney. (Accessed 4/2/09). Gr 1-4
These sites will motivate your students to reduce, reuse, and recycle throughout their lives. Lots of colorful photos and simple text highlight the benefits and ease of composting at the first site. In slideshow format, it shows children in action, creating a compost bin and using materials such as mulch and potting soil. At EEK! Recycling and Beyond, kids will learn how garbage can become something new and treasured. A quiz reinforces where different items should be discarded and there is a survey about wasteful behavior. Tips to help reduce waste and a word search are included. If those two URLs aren’t enough to charge youngsters’ inner green machine, the Imagination Factory is sure to do the trick. Sponsored in part by an Indiana waste management company, this blending of art and conservation is brimming with craft projects–from a telephone book scarecrow to cereal carton birdhouses to junk mail jewelry. Almost all of the materials used can be salvaged from the trash and turned into creative masterpieces. With ideas like these in mind, kids will have fun as they learn about the importance of recycling.
New York Times
This "Times Topics" page gathers hundreds of articles on environmental topics. (Accessed 4/7/09).
EPA Kids
The Environmental Protection Agency offers materials grouped by grade. (Accessed 4/7/09).
