Dear Reader,
Sometimes one of the best natural resources we can harvest is what we learn from the world around us. The systems and organisms that have evolved on this planet contain a dizzying array of lessons about efficiency, patterns, smart design, innovation, resource conservation, and life itself. The Earth has many lessons to teach!
Just as it is important to learn from the land, we must also teach ourselves and our younger generations about the world around us. As Aldo Leopold practiced, teaching students to see and observe the land — and helping them to understand what they see — will allow them to enjoy the natural world and have a passion for the environment and all of the plants and animals and ecosystems it contains.
So this month, get out there, be curious, and observe, explore, enjoy, and protect our precious planet and all of its living things.
Happy Earth Day!
Brenna & Betsy
The Folks at Nature Net
April
National Environmental Education Week
Photo credit: 2013 National Environmental Education Week Photo Contest winners from CalSERVES Bellevue Elementary in Santa Rosa, California
“Every woodland or forest, in addition to yielding lumber, fuel, and posts,
should provide those who frequent it with a liberal education about nature.
This crop of wisdom never fails, but unfortunately, it is not always harvested.”
-Aldo Leopold
Did You Know?
National Environmental Education Week is the nation’s largest celebration of environmental learning and stewardship among K-12 students. Hosted by the National Environmental Education Foundation, this 10th anniversary of EE Week inspires teachers and students to take action and care for the planet.
What To Do This Month:
Nature Net’s Earth Day Bouquet of Events is brimming with awesome things to do this month in celebration of Earth Day. Here are just a few examples Saturday, April 25th but, there’s events all week long, the 14th through the 26th:
* Bethel Horizons – Earth Celebration Celebrate Earth Day
* Madison Conservation Parks – Earth Day Challenge Earth Day
* Upham Woods – Explore the North Shore
* UW Arboretum – Class: Dragonflies
* Madison Children’s Museum – Edible Insects
* Party for the Planet Earth & Earth Day Celebration – Join more than 100 zoos and aquariums for Party for the Planet™, the largest combined Earth Day celebration in North America at the International Crane Foundation and the Henry Vilas Zoo
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Survey Says!
There is significant research proving that taking part in events like National Environmental Education Week, and taking advantage of the gardens and other green spaces at Nature Net sites (and other outdoor areas) is beneficial to children in many ways.
Studies show students in environment-based instructional programs score better on standardized measures in reading, math, language and spelling and are better at cooperative learning and civic responsibility. Other studies show outdoor education programs can increase student mastery of science concepts; enhance cooperation and conflict resolution skills; strengthen self esteem; and encourage positive environmental behavior, problem solving, and classroom conduct.
So, let’s just review: research is showing that environmental education can increase test scores (and not just in science) and improve the positive behaviors we want to see from our little learners. But it doesn’t stop there! There’s proof that using gardens, trails and diverse natural settings encourages students to be more physically active, aware of nutrition, more civil to one another, and more creative.
Other research shows simply spending time outdoors can increase concentration in children with ADHD, nurture self discipline, reduce stress, boost cognitive functioning, help prevent childhood obesity and, boost healthy brain development, imagination, and dexterity. Phew – that’s a long list of positives.
Richard Louv, who wrote “Last Child in the Woods,” has been expounding the negative impacts of our children’s digital, indoor world since the mid-2000s and has created the Children & Nature Network which compiles research studies like these and strives to share with the world the need to reconnect children with nature.
For Families:
Tricks of the Trail – Talking With Your Kids About Climate Change
Climate change and what’s in store for our planet and communities if human activities are not remediated can be scary to think about. But talking about these issues with your children does not have to be filled with worry. Last Earth Day, Nature Net Coordinator, Brenna Holzhauer, gave advice for “Talking With Kids About Climate Change” on Wisconsin Public Radio, recommending a focus on the positive and a nod towards solutions and action.
Remember that it’s a very complex topic, and you can keep building on it as kids get older. Parent’s Magazine suggests simply strengthening your young child’s relationship with the environment as a starting point. And for older children who can better understand complex interactions between humans and Earth’s systems, keep an open dialogue and do research together if needed.
Help children understand important basic concepts, like the difference between daily weather (day to day conditions) and climate (expected weather over a long period of time).
- Review more basics about climate change here.
- Watch for newspaper articles together and discuss what you read.
- Brush up on facts from sites like the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate.gov site, and ClimateWisconsin.org.
One teacher, who took part in NOAA’s Climate Stewards Education Project, suggests “children want to know the truth. They want to understand this world they’re living in without being overwhelmed by too much information.” So keep it simple and relevant to their age range.
Think up ways you, as a family, can make a difference in greenhouse gas emissions (get ideas from Green Living month at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center), and keep an eye out for innovative and uplifting stories (like this one about Costa Rica running on completely renewable energy sources for all of 2015 — or this fun idea for a Pop-Up Forest in Times Square).
Celebrate Earth Day with the Lorax Project! And always encourage creativity. Today’s children will be the inventors and builders for tomorrow’s green future.
Featured Nature Net Site:
Madison Children’s Museum
At the Madison Children’s Museum, they believe play’s a serious thing. It’s how we learn to invent, share, and explore. Kids who play do better in school. Adults who play do better with each other. And nobody does play better than Madison Children’s Museum — the learning playground no one ever outgrows, where there’s always something fun to do. Where eyes get bigger, laughs get louder, and families get closer, too. Make a discovery or a mess or a brand new friend. Make a trip to Madison Children’s Museum.
Check out the newest exhibits additions, including the “Millennium Chicken” and “Play, Back in the Day”. And don’t forget the many events taking place to celebrate the earth, Earth Day, and natural play.
Nature Craft:
He Speaks for the Trees!
Craft your own Lorax character and up-cycle some household materials while you’re at it.
Start with orange, yellow, white and pink construction paper, a toilet paper roll, scissors, glue, and green and black markers.
Cut about 1/3 of the paper roll off since the Lorax is pretty short!
Glue a piece of orange construction paper around the tube.
Cut out all the pieces to create yellow eyebrows and mustache, and white eyes. Cut out an orange circle and glue all the facial features on it.
Fill in the green iris on the eyes and add black details on the eyes and mouth. Now glue the face onto your tube, add orange arms and a pink truffula tree.
Imagine you’ve been given the last seed from the Once-ler – where would you plant it and how would you protect it?
Suggested Reading:
“The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss
“The Little Recycler” by Jan Geralrdi
“A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History” by Lynne Cherry
“In My Pond” by Sara Gillingham
“Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature” by Joyce Sidman
“The Animal Book: A Collection of the fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, shyest and Most Surprising Animals on Earth” by Steve Jenkins
“Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do You See? by Bill Bartin
“How to Help the Earth – by the Lorax” by Tish Rabe
“Pipsie, Nature Detective: The Disappearing Caterpillar” by Rick DeDonoato
“In the Tall, Tall Grass” by Denise Fleming
“Oh Say Can you Seed?: All About Flowering Plants” by bonnie Worth
“The EARTH Book” by Todd Parr