"Happiness" is a concept that has popped up a lot lately. Most recently when my daughter was on an academic spring break trip in Spain, and mentioned that everyone, everywhere she visited, seemed happier than we do here in America.
Saturday, March 16, 2024
United Nations International Day of Happiness: March 20th
"Happiness" is a concept that has popped up a lot lately. Most recently when my daughter was on an academic spring break trip in Spain, and mentioned that everyone, everywhere she visited, seemed happier than we do here in America.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Earth Hour 2024 Is On It's Way--Mark Your Calendar for March 23
By turning off your lights and/or doing something during the hours of 8:30 to 9:30 pm in your time zone on this Saturday, March 23, you can place a vote toward the betterment of our planet.
What can you do to take part in Earth Hour this year? Need help deciding....Earth Hour's links can help:
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Positive Environmental News for 2023
OneTreePlanted is a great place to go for good environmental news. After landing on their article "Good Environmental Stories From 2023," I was inspired to create the world map infographic below, showcasing some of the great news that includes plastic and paper bans, rejuvenated species, ocean clean ups, activism, biodiversity, and other great eco news. Click the poster to see an enlarged version, then click article links to find out more!!
Saturday, March 2, 2024
World Wildlife Day ~ March 3rd
March 3rd: The day in 1931 that the United States adopted "Star Spangled Banner" as it's national anthem.Additionally, March 3 is also the annual date of World Wildlife Day, voted on December 20, 2013 by the United Nations to be an annual environmental date of honor and celebration of wildlife.. This date is significant as it ties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that was signed in 1973.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Things To Love This February: Leap Year
- BrainPop's Leap Year Movie, online activities, and lesson plans
- From Cassie Smith & Thrifty in Third Grade: Fun Activities to Celebrate Leap Year in the Classroom
- Carly & Adam's Leap Year STEM Challenge
- Creative Teaching with Miss Hecht's Leap Year Virtual Library (below):
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Things To Love This February: FETC Follow Up
- Certification & Badge programs
- eSports
- Robotics, coding, & drones
- Creativity as engagement
- All aspects of artificial intelligence: upholding academic integrity, productivity helps to teacher, and AI-built into products as "magic"
- How tech can leverage people with disabilities with assistive technologies
- Cyber security and digital citizenship
- 3D printing
- Augmented and virtual reality.
- Hit up social media (especially X, formerly Twitter) and the hashtag #fetc.
- FETC blog posts:
- Your FETC 2024 Recap, Narrated by AI
- Anything from their FETC 2024 Category
- #FETC #NotAtFETC--A Padlet crowd-sourced with resources and FETC slide decks
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Things To Love This February: World Thinking Day
World Thinking Day is a day dedicated to international friendship, and thinking about global issues that impact each other. Themes differ from year to year, but this year's theme is Our World, Our Thriving Future: The Environment and Global Poverty.
Recent themes in years past (which also tie to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) include:
- 2023: Our Planet, Our Peaceful Future
- 2022: Our World, Our Equal Future
- 2021: Stand Together for Peace - Peacebuilding
- 2020: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Whether you are a Girl Scout to any degree or not, thinking about our world, it's thriving future, and how the environment ties into global poverty is an important issue to think about.
Here are some places you can learn more:
- World Thinking Day 2024 Activity Guide--A 13 page activity guide which includes the story of "The Power of One Tree."
- WAGGGS.org's The 2024 World Thinking Day activity pack: Our World, Our Thriving Future--Here you can download a 58 page activity pack that includes how environmental issues can be solved through innovation and technology, including learning some environmental skills and tying into the natural world.
- To learn about the history of World Thinking Day, check out their WAGGGS.org official history link:
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Things To Love This February: Black History Month Resources
The Center for Racial Justice in Education has a treasure trove with at least 80 links on these subjects:
- How Do We Celebrate Black History Month? Lesson Plans and Curriculum Resources for Educators
- Do We Need Black History Month? The Underrepresentation and Miseducation of Black Stories, Experiences, and Histories in Schools
- Why Teach Black Lives Matter in Schools? (Think Pieces)
- Where Are Afro-Latinos Represented in School Curricula?
- How Do We Center Black Women and Black Girls in Our Schools?
- How Do We Center Black LGBTQ Experiences?
- As a Parent, What Are Ways I Can Engage My Family in Black History Month?:
- Microsoft's Education blog post "Resources for celebrating Black History Month in 2024
- We Are Teachers' "7 Fresh Ideas for Black History Month"
- TeachStarter's "Black History Month 2024 Teaching Resources"
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Things To Love This February: Valentine's Day
In case you need a little history lesson, here's a kid-friendly video on the history of St. Valentine's Day.
Given the tie in between Valentine's Day and Random Acts of Kindness Week, why don't you sprinkle the love and kindness around like little heart-shaped confetti. See how far your heart can spread this year. (There are great resources for both schools and individual use at the Random Act of Kindness website!)
Videos from https://youtu.be/5fmy1MX42b8?si=Rld6OXuBjVqfbafm and https://youtu.be/tOLEyhNJksg?si=yve1Iu5zW8UwbxFE, Image created at canva.com
Saturday, February 10, 2024
Things To Love This February: February Environmental Days
- World Wetlands Day: Feb. 2nd
- World Ostrich Day: Feb 2nd (not endangered or vulnerable, but populations declining due to threats)
- World Marmot Day: Feb 2nd (some species endangered)
- World Bonobo Day: Feb. 14th (endangered)
- World Hippopotamus Day: Feb 15th (depending on breed: endangered & vulnerable)
- World Pangolin Day: Feb 17th (endangered--celebrated annually 3rd Saturday of February)
- World Whale Day: Feb 18th (many species are endangered--celebrated annually 3rd Sunday of February)
- International Polar Bear Day: Feb 27th (vulnerable)
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Things To Love This February: Super Bowl Sunday & President's Day
- Clutter Free Classroom's "Super Bowl Classroom Activities for Elementary Students in 2024"
- A multitude over at Teachers Pay Teachers
- Teach Starter's "12 Fun Super Bowl Ideas & Activities From Teachers Around the US"
- Newela's "Get a Kick Out of Learning With Super Bowl Lesson Plans"
- That's So Montesorri's "Score Big with These 9 Super Bowl Classroom Activities"
- We Are Teachers' "25 Meaningful Presidents’ Day Activities for the Classroom"
- HMH's "9 Presidents' Day Lesson Plans and Activities to Foster Engaged Citizens"
- Newsela's "Presidents’ Day Lesson Plans To Grow Future Leaders"
- Teach Starter's "Presidents' Day 2024 Teaching Resources"
- Clutter Free Classroom's "Presidents Day Activities for Elementary Students for 2024"
Super Bowl image from https://www.npr.org/2024/02/10/1230621176/super-bowl-58; Presidents's Day Image from https://www.template.net/edit-online/57412/vintage-presidents-day-linkedin-post
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Things to Love This February: #FeedTheBirdsDay & The Great Backyard Bird Count
Video from https://youtu.be/6RdXDGcqHTg?si=DNGto7Y_6fy4HOgR, pictures from my backyard, Backyard Bird Count Logo from https://www.ogeecheeaudubon.org/new-events/2020/2/14/the-great-backyard-bird-count-zyx3g, Feed the Birds Day graphic from https://www.postermywall.com/index.php/art/template/79d7cf62b65886934167e721e61b0e25/feed-the-birds-day-design-template
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Nature is the Best Teacher
In these 4 minutes by Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, we can see just how in many ways. Nature and the environment tend to be the best inspiration for tech and innovation--and likewise, innovation will help solve our environmental issues.
Saturday, January 27, 2024
Using Environmental Education As Empowerment
As the perfect follow up from my last post about the history of environmental education...
In this TED Talk from May 2023, Arvolyn Hill speaks out about her experiences as a black woman tying together environmental awareness with racial justice. She also talks about her nature programs at the New York Botanical Gardens and how these programs can help black and brown kids see themselves out in nature....because representation matters!
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
History of EE: Environmental Education
October 14-26, 1977, in Tbilisi--now in the country (not state) of Georgia in what was once part of the USSR--there was the First Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. Created by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the Tbilisi conference was one of the first of its kind to place emphasis on educating others about the perseveration and improvement of the global environment to help develop balanced communities world wide.
While environmental education wasn't a new idea, this funneling of attention toward education and stewardship took root here in Tbilisi.
To learn a bit more about this blossoming of environmental education, check out these two videos from the North American Association of Environmental Education.
Learn even more about the history of environmental educations more by going through NAAEE's 5 part learning module about the History of EE.
Videos from https://youtu.be/7wzIKwyYXlw?si=z4J9JUv9l-EAXUrs and https://youtu.be/e1uCExDFAgI?si=_ob-4VkiDMDH6EcN, logo from https://naaee.org/, last image screenshot from https://eepro.naaee.org/learning/eelearn/eelearn-2-history-ee
Saturday, January 20, 2024
Population Education's: A Quick Trip to 8 Billion
Population Education is an amazing website that brings together a lot of globally important factors: numbers, demographics, and human impact on each other, economics, and our planet. In the many. years of Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education conferences I've attended, I always try to catch any workshops presented by Population Education. They have a wealth of lesson plans and teaching resources, and they are top notch in anything they do.
One of my favorites is their World Population "Dot" video, which I first wrote about in 2015 and I watch at least once a year with students. Another version of it is their World Population History data visualization accompanying website.
Now, as our numbers keep growing, they have a new poster out: "A Quick Trip to 8 Billion." This two-sided wall chart gives a timeline of historical events and inventions over the past 200 years to show how the population has impacted all of this. The flip side shows a multitude of infographics detailing the challenges that come from increased population growth. Along with the poster, 3 lesson plans are included: 1). a guided exploration of the timeline; 2). a scavenger hunt to see how numbers and resources have changed over time; 3). an activity where students create a planetary report card to measure the human and environmental health of the planet over the past 200 years.
I'm looking forward to ordering a couple for my school. (Posters are $5, but $4 if you buy in larger quantities. Click here for details.) Additionally, you can also get a high resolution version of the e-poster.
Other Resources on their site include:
- Population Clocks
- Global Environmental and Social Infographics Collection
- United States' Demography Infographic Collection
- Earth Day Activity Packets & Lesson Plans
- Population Pyramid Activities & Lesson Plans
- Articles, Factsheets, and Book Lists
- Over 340 Classroom Resources & Lesson Plans--filterable by topic, grade, and subject area, including a whole section on Distance Learning
Population Education is tied to the following education websites to check out for even more resources:
- World of 8 Billion
- World Population History (as mentioned above)
- Population Connection
Images from https://www.worldof8billion.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/wall-chart-high-resolution.jpg and logo from https://populationconnection.org/population-education/k-12-students/
Disclosure: I am not profiting at all if you purchase anything from their store--I just love their resources!
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
The Beauty of Each Season: Winter
I will say, I do find it beautiful to look at though. The glowy bright light illuminating off the snow. The puffy piles of white lying on branches. The swirl of snow as it starts to fall. The stunning color of a bright red cardinal against the world of white. The backyard birds and animals foraging for seed from our feeders.
Last year, we had a snow drought and basically in our area went over 700 days without snow. While we did see it a year ago Christmas when traveling, here at home it was a long while without snow. Until this past weekend! Mother Nature did her thing and dropped 4 or 5 inches, gifting us even with a ❄️ SNOW DAY!! ❄️ For teachers and kids alike, that announcement elicits a happy dance indeed. It never gets old. It's the ultimate gift. Even better if premeditated the night before.
Living in a land of 4 distinct seasons, even though the outdoor part is something I have nudge myself out in, the first major snow definitely offers a pause. Especially when combined with the unexpected gift of a snow day and the gift of time, it offers the opportunity to take notice of the beauty that surrounds. Watching my son play with our frolicking dog who finds fascination in eating the white stuff. Taking note of how the world can change by these tiny little flakes that keep coming down. By the way everything changes when this planet crystalizes.
Yes, there's a lot to learn from the winter and soaking in it's beauty and gift.
Saturday, January 13, 2024
Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
With this weekend being Martin Luther King Day I've been doing a lot of thinking about all that 39 year old Dr. King accomplished in his life.
Monday (MLD Day) is seen as a Day of Service, one the only holidays we have dedicated as that. A day "on" versus a day "off." Of course, people are free to use it as they wish. As a teacher, even though we are newly back to school after Winter break, the 3 day weekend definitely felt like a timely gift. Already.
Every year, right before MLK Day, I teach a curricular lesson with tech integration to the 4th graders, all about Dr. King and his 6 steps of nonviolent social change.
I use the principles from the King Center and tie it into how the ideas of non-violence can be adapted on the playground, in their own home, or in big ways as they were used during the Civil Rights era. We discuss what "civil disobedience" means and how that would have looked during the 1950s and '60s with sit-ins, marches, bus boycotts, and peaceful protests. There's always a bit of shock and awe when I paint the picture of how sitting in at a Whites Only lunch counter could have people yelling or spitting or pouring milk shakes on black protesters quietly sitting there, peacefully making their point, and only wanting to purchase a burger or coffee, which really should be everyone's right. Then we discuss how courageous it is to sit there, trying to silently, peacefully showcase your point in a nonviolent way--how the violence being bestowed on theses protestors speaks louder and in a stronger, more poignant way... especially in a time period where watching the news unfold on the TV screen in your house was a new concept.
I always am hopeful that, as a white woman, I can convey my empathy, historic facts, and the fact that we aren't always proud of our history. I'm hopeful that I present it in a compassionate way to be heard by my students--especially my black students. I found myself this year, more than ever before, thinking that in this very partisan world, this classroom conversation was one that could create personal ramifications for myself and my own employment if I was living and teaching in a different school--in certain states...in some of which I once taught.
My guiding principle of teaching has always been "to educate." Especially with the following principle being at the heart of who I am as a teacher:
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Riding the Line Between Snow And Rain
Mountains and higher elevations tend to complicated life when it comes to potential snow storms, inclines, ice, and road preparedness for all of the above. Add to that the two day window of a weekend, and trying to figure out when it's best to leave and when we definitely want to make sure to be back. Additionally, we knew to expect more rain here, but there was a lot of uncertainty as to to what was between here and our western destination in the middle of all of the above.
It makes for an interesting juggle, to say the least. Not to mention, it's a lot like Vegas gambling. Try to get there before it all hits? Wait until it all passes? Hope the timetable and the storm doesn't shift in a way that does not serve us! And heaven forbid: no freezing rain or sleet!
There's a lot of unpredictability that exists when riding the line between snow and rain. A few degrees of temperature difference can make all the difference indeed. I think the impact of it all has hit harder as this is really the first winter storm system that was heading our way this year, when the ground at our house has yet to see its first flake in probably 2 years.
All of this lead me to pondering and the land of investigation...and the following videos. Might as well learn a little bit while we were waiting for our travel window to fall in our lap!
Saturday, January 6, 2024
The Endangered Species Act: Looking Good at 50!
But 50th birthdays/anniversaries are meant to be celebrated. And truly, since 1973, there's a lot to celebrate regarding our planet, biodiversity, animal conservation, and the protection of endangered species!
Five Fast High Fives:
1. Species Recovery: Thanks to the Endangered Species Act (the ESA), many species have come been fortunate enough to become success stories, bouncing back from the edge of extinction. Some notable ones include the bald eagle, gray wolf, California condor, and the Peregrine falcon.2. Habitat Protection: Through restoring habitats, the ESA has led to the preservation of a multitude of diverse ecosystems. This level of safeguarding has helped protect the Florida panther in the Everglades, red-cockaded woodpeckers in longleaf pine forests, and several salmon species in the Pacific Northwest.
3. Preventing Extinctions: Through identifying threats and putting conservation measures in place, the ESA has helped to prevent the extinction of many species including the Whopping Crane, manatee, and sea otters.
4. Global Influence: Successes these past 50 years due to the ESA has served as inspiration to other countries, leading them to create their own laws for safeguarding species on the edge of endangerment and extinction. Japan, Australia, and India are just a few countries that have put protection laws in place.
5. Economic Benefits: Conservation efforts under the ESA have been known to boost local economies by way of eco-tourism. While not a product of the ESA, eco-tourism has been on the rise in the last 50 years in places like Yellowstone National Park, the Galápogos, and other nature-centric parks, sanctuaries, and wildlife refuges.To go deeper into the celebration, you can check out these websites:
- The Endangered Species Act at 50 website. You can read up on their successes, events, and learn ways to take action to protecting biodiversity and the longevity of all species.
- From the White House and their official statement regarding the anniversary: A Proclamation on the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, 2023.
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Library Collection "The Endangered Species Act at 50: More Important Than Ever" page, where they feature 15 resources about their environmental progress over time regarding the 1,662 U.S. and 638 foreign species the Act protects.
- Learn more about the status of some of your favorite plants and animals at The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Follow the timeline of the Endangered Species Act at Gale's "Explore the Endangered Species Act through the Ages."
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Goals for the New Year
With the turn of the calendar, as I mentioned in the last post, 'tis the season for goals and resolutions.
Among my logistical travels, it gave me extra time for social medial scrolling travel, and I landed on these 4 images and infographics...all of which speak to living the year with new, green goals. Maybe there'll be a few ideas here to visually inspire you to start your year off right.
1. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1iWkYKgafy/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ%3D%3D
2. https://www.facebook.com/SweatpantsAndCoffee/posts/pfbid021fcacxvSxCjrq7tfCquQoFfNzA5BXf9FodZeyoLHgQrShsiwk12t4b3SDE32ad5ql
3 & 4. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1kI3KKgW8G/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ%3D%3D Additionally, they make these visual lists monthly
5. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1mhtbYMlEx/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ%3D%3D
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Happy New Year 2024
Afforestation adventures await! Plant some trees or visit some new forests to check out their flourishing biodiversity.
Breathe deeply and take in the bliss of crisp, clean air by "getting out there."
Cultivate sustainable habits and conscious choices for a greener and cleaner future. Start by looking at your home products.
Dive into the depths of eco-conscious decisions. Say no to plastics when you have a pollution-free choice instead.
Embrace renewable energy by opening windows or curtains to bring the sun and wind power in.
Foster a love for our feathered friends. Visit a bird sanctuary or do a little backyard bird watching.
Grow a garden of green: make your backyard bloom with blossoms or a become a bounty to veggies to feed your family.
Harness some humans-nature harmony: take time out in nature to find fellowship with flora and fauna.
Illuminate your home with energy-efficient lightbulbs to save money and energy.
Join hands with environmental advocates for Mother Earth.
Kindle the flames of environmental education to spread eco-awareness to keep knowledge going and growing.
Let love for our Earth be a guiding star, leading us toward sustainable practices and eco-friendly living.
Marvel at the beauty of marine life, less impacted by mankind, though not immune from pollution.
Nourish your body with organic food to maximize your own health and wellness.
Optimize waste management in your own home: turn trash into treasures when you recycle, upcycle, reuse, and refuse what you no longer need.
Plant the care of conservation by supporting endangered species and restoring ecosystems.
Quietly observe the delicate balance of nature, appreciating the beauty of the separate seasons.
Reduce your own transportation impact: while you might not be ready to buy a lower emission electric vehicle, can you carpool, walk, ride your bike, or take public transportation to get from point A to B?
Sow seeds of environmental stewardship, cultivating a sense of responsibility and care for our home planet.
Turn the tide on pollution, so that our rivers and oceans run free of marine debris.
Unleash your own creativity and celebrate the creativity of architects and artists who masterfully weave sustainable design and environmental awareness to their work.
Value, protect, and celebrate the variety that makes up the rich tapestry of species of life on Earth.
Walk gently on the Earth, leaving behind footprints of kindness and care.
'Xperience the joy of eco-friendly exploration. Go out and adventure into the great outdoors. We protect what we love.
Yearn for a world where green spaces thrive, especially in urban worlds where green spaces provide an escape.
Zero in on sustainable solutions. May zero-waste lifestyles and circular economies become the norm.
Disclaimer: AI was my friend with both the ABC list and the art of this post. I used ChatGPT and the following prompt on December 17, 2023 to build the inspiration for this post. My prompt that I used to create this post: "You are a creative and genius wordsmith who loves to craft creative text. Create an inspired ABC list of environmental well wishes for the new year ahead: 2024." I then tweaked the verbiage a bit to make it a more streamlined post. Art created using the Magic Media tools of Canva.com using this prompt (then I added the embellishments of the year and graphics): "Happy New Year picture, realistic, pixar style people of all ages and races there, including white, asian, hispanic, and black people celebrating the new year with a happy new years signs around the room, in a party setting."
Friday, December 29, 2023
Katherine Hayhoe's Inspirational Recommendations for Climate Content
She knows her stuff when it comes to climate change.
In her latest newsletter, timed right at the holidays, Hayhoe listed out some podcasts, books, and social media accounts to jump into in order to build hope and education around the issue of climate change. You can read that newsletter here, or find her inspirational social media post (with the following images) on her Facebook page. With the doom and gloom that can be a heavy find when learning more about the climate implications on our planet, it is refreshing to land on inspirational leaders and lessons about how we can make a positive impact in our every changing world. Lots of great places to look into with the new year ahead!
For other recommendations from Katherine Hayhoe, check out her FAQ and recommendations page.
Images from http://redgreenandblue.org/2019/01/08/katherine-hayhoe-climate-change-thermometer-not-liberal-conservative/ and https://www.facebook.com/katharine.hayhoe/posts/pfbid02ZHMkgYqcAeZ5Mq9zD6kSHbQRYB51Sg8AJkywDFWc2cykJVK9Ws8SQgGNpbTCvfkgl