Video from https://youtu.be/vrU6YJle6Q4?si=sFFTa2Lxcw9ShpwG; Images from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/2a/b3/312ab319fce92b9f74531b5af6e38145.jpg and https://twitter.com/QuoteILoveU/status/880985804545372160/photo/1 and https://tsd401.org/we-appreciate-our-teachers/snip-of-happy-teacher-appreciation-week/
1 teacher. 1 world. Eco-friendly. EdTech-friendly. Classroom-friendly.Teacher-friendly. Kid-friendly. Parent-friendly. Planet-friendly. Sustainability. Innovation. What can we do to increase the likelihood that this one li'l world will be here eons from now? Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or just someone who firmly believes that every tiny bit helps, let's all be part of the solution rather than adding to the problem, knowing that innovation along the way is the way to make that happen!
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Earth Day: A Week Later
It's a week after Earth Day, and I'm still thinking about it. Really, at this point in the venture, it shouldn't be just Earth DAY...or even Earth WEEK....we should be dedicating some thought and action to it daily.
A friend and former colleague Tim Decker wrote this piece, for 13 Creeks, a local, online publication . I wanted to share it forward here. Based on our past experience, we are fans of *at the least* Earth Month...and you'll see that in his writing. But always good food for thought.
In it, you get a bit of history, a bit of science, and a bit of philosophy.
My favorite quote:
"How can you celebrate Earth Month, and Earth Day in particular? Enjoy an outdoor activity. Participate in an organized clean-up event, or just pick up trash in your neighborhood or at a local park. Plant a tree or some local plants that attract pollinators. Pledge to limit your use of plastics and fossil fuels whenever possible. Eat local. Shop local. Reduce. Reuse. Repurpose. Recycle."
- Advocating for Environmental Education By Robyn A. Hill, Ph. D. (April 19, 2024)
- Slip Sliding Away by Tim Decker (January 2024)
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Eight Ways To Celebrate Earth Day
Happy Earth Day 2024
If you are still looking for ways to celebrate your Earth Day, here are 8. Take care of Mother Nature today in order to feel your personal impact on the planet!
Erase Plastics in your life! With the 2024 Earth Day theme "Planet vs. Plastics," what can you do to eliminate your own plastics. How long can you go without plastics? A day? A few days? A week? A month? More?
Also, check out the "End Plastic Pollution Earth Day Calculator" to see just how much you use...and what you can do to eradicate it.
Really go all in with all the R's...Repair something or reuse it versus replacing it. Reduce your waste. Refuse to trash something or buy it to begin with. Remove the need to keep up with the Joneses, buying what you don't need. Think responsibly. Act rationally, radically, and rally together, sharing ideas. Remind others of all they can do to help your local and global and planetary community!
Take an online quiz via Gapminder.org. Gapminder is an independent educational non-profit fighting global misconceptions, with their mantra "Upgrade your world view." Use their non-partisan, fact-based tools and teaching materials to get a true handle on what life is like in the world.
Some good Gapminder quizzes to start with include: Global Warming, Plastics in Ocean, Threatened Species, Electricity Access, Water at Home, and many more.
Downgrade your transportation needs for the day. Can you find a better way to get from Point A to Point B? Consider carpooling, biking, walking, or taking public transportation as a cleaner way to get around today, this week, or this month. Downsize your commute and your environmental impact by working from home if you can.
Yearn to learn....never stop. "Yomp" as you go and explore nature and the natural world (aka; move quickly and energetically toward your goal with "determination and resilience"). Yield to new ideas that embrace a global perspective, a vision of human connection, and an attitude of environmental stewardship.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Jane Goodall's 90th Birthday--Environmental Champion
Lately, with life events, I've been living the Meg Ryan Lines in the 1991 movie "When Harry Met Sally" and I've been "trapped under something heavy."
Given that, I've not been running as "on time" as I'd like. But there's a lot going on in the world eco-wise these days. Please bear with me as I play a little important catch up...starting with Jane Goodall's birthday about 2 weeks ago on April 3rd. 90 years are definitely worth celebrating!
Born in 1934, Jane Goodall is certainly an environmental champion and cheerleader. A primatologist, an ethologist (person who studies animal behavior), an anthropologist, a conservationist, a UN Messenger of Peace, an activist, a trailblazer, and the founder of The Jane Goodall Institute. Not letting 9 decades slow her down, she's currently on a worldwide tour to hit 6 continents this year. Her primary message: "hope through action." She's a phenomenal lady who could be slowing down, but would rather spend her time, energy, and effort fighting the good fight on behalf of our planet. In the days leading up to Earth Day, she certainly is one to celebrate!And here are some additional tributes to this amazing environmental champion with some of my previous posts--happy belated birthday, Dr. Jane Goodall!
- Happy 80th Bday Jane Goodall!! April 4, 2014
- The Love of Books... And Jane Goodall, August 15, 2014
- Jimmy & Jane (Fallon & Goodall, That is!), Sept 23, 2017
- 60 Seconds with Jane Goodall, May 16, 2020
- A Trio of Messengers of Hope, Feb 9, 2022
Images: Portrait from her Jane Goodall Press kit (OTH0163-02-CREDIT: JGI/Bill Wallauer.jpeg) https://archive.janegoodall.org/portals/presskit?_gl=1*ouonf9*_ga*MTg2NTE2NzMzMy4xNzEyOTMyOTY3*_ga_TJ66KYN8TV*MTcxMjkzMjk2Ny4xLjEuMTcxMjkzMzYzMC42MC4wLjA.*_gcl_au*MTQ1MTYwODEyNi4xNzEyOTMyOTY3&_ga=2.129113676.157562142.1712932967-1865167333.1712932967, group photo taken by me on a school visit just a day after her 74th birthday https://www.greenteamgazette.com/2014/04/happy-80th-bday-jane-goodall.html, videos from https://youtu.be/7ZFgtsRpsUM?si=XmTU3ivgKBGd087L and https://youtu.be/wBZEVOuvqi8?si=Ds0t5CAJdnNpnkGF
Saturday, April 13, 2024
Earth Day 2024: Planet Vs. Plastics
The 2024 Theme: Planet vs. Plastics
The goal: to remove 60% of the plastics by 2040...with the true goal to aim for a plastic-free planet.
When you think of plastics, it's everywhere--and sometimes it's necessary. Think about its role in the medical field. However, the overuse of single use plastic has got to go. Not only is it a waste of a valuable, non-renewable resource (petroleum), but it is an endocrine disruptor and toxic hazard which can cause cancer. It's everywhere--in our food, in our fast fashion, in our air and water. And it's not recycled like we all wishfully think it is--only 5% is recycled globally.
For a bounty of ideas, check out the Earth Day Action Toolkit 2024 from EarthDay.org. You can find many of their other Earth Day and beyond toolkits here.
Additionally, here are more resources:
- Maine's Department of Education Earth Day 2024 website of Educator Resources (There's a wealth in here!! Way to go, Maine!)
- EarthDay.org's "End Plastics" online quizzes (and more!)
- Pedagogue's Earth Day 2024 Teaching Resources--with 8 online resources of what websites specifically to visit.
- Scholastic's Celebrate Earth Day activities
- Planetpal's Earth Day page of resources
Earth Day PSA video: https://youtu.be/xP-iIilHQsU?si=OMGF2Ja2tIbfY_fr, image from https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/plastic-vs-planet.html and https://www.earthday.org/planet-vs-plastics/, Earth Month Calendar from https://subjecttoclimate.org/blog/2024-earth-day-activity-guide-for-6-8#Lesson%20Plans
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Visualizing the Ripple Effect of Climate Disasters
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Eclipse Fever 2024
The eclipse is coming...the eclipse is coming....
It's the 2024 version of "Chicken Little."
Everyone right now has Eclipse Fever.
If you have been living under a rock, start here. It's our first total solar eclipse in the US since 2017....and the next is approx 2 decades away, slated for August 23, 2044.
I have friends flying into Dallas to view the totality to soak it up in its entirety. To find where you are on the eclipse map, check it out here.
Even if you are directly on the path of darkness and totality, that darkness will only last 3.5-4 minutes. (I had to chuckle when I saw on social media today that the length of time of totality is a strikingly similar length of time to Bonnie Tyler's 1983 song "Total Eclipse of the Heart." 🤣😎
As a product of the '80's, I have it burned on my brain (versus my retina) that YOU DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT A SOLAR ECLIPSE FOR FEAR OF EYE DAMAGE. Therefore, I am a more of a fan of the pinhole camera for solar eclipse viewing. Gotta say: the solar glasses scare me. No matter which approach you take--be safe out there people, and protect your eyes!
For where I live, the height of the eclipse is approximately 3:21 pm (right during after school dismissal and high school sports--tell me, are high school kids going to play lacrosse or run track with solar glasses on?!?), with it's 2 hour, 28 minute span lasting 2:08 pm to about 4:33.
Be safe out there people, since this is key after school prime time.
It's been all over the news these last few days, let alone few weeks, so I feel redundant sharing too much....except for this:
- NASA's website is phenomenal, and a super "go to" place if you still need eclipse information.
- BrainPop is ALWAYS for the win!
- If you have purchased/acquired solar glasses to safely view the eclipse...consider recycling them by paying it forward for others to use. There are eclipse glasses recycling programs where you can send forward your glasses for the Oct. 2nd, 2024 South American viewable eclipse. Glasses need to ship by August 1st.
And these are just plain interesting and/or funny--things I landed upon in the wonderful world of social media:
Chicken image created using Canva.com's Magic Media, Eclipse path: https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/10/17/total-solar-eclipse-2024-path-totality-locations/, videos from https://youtu.be/sAwSQHFRpp4? and https://youtu.be/DoD5ACZfzHU?si=oBWGC52rBdeR4Tr8si=HYD6th4pKuOYC_t-; Oreo eclipse found on social media.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
"Bee" Kind to Bees 🐝
Someday we may be the proud owner of some bees and a bee box (or two). My husband's been looking into it with some county education classes--much to my son's chagrin. (My son will come around one day).
Bees are vital to many areas of our grocery story, yet bees are in decline. So doing what we can to help them is a good thing!
You don't have to join BeeKeepers of America to lend a helping hand to our flying little friends. It can be as simple as what you plant in your own yard. This illustration from Hannah Rosengren gives some great ideas on how to build a bee-friendly yard.
Video from https://youtu.be/r7EpQnzbwA8?si=v7G3zpkDhqKpSwjr and https://youtu.be/LmBUq103u-M?si=jXvIJAZyTSOVjfsW; image from https://www.hannahrosengren.com/help-save-bees
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Happy Easter 2024
- Green Child Magazine's 50 Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Fillers
- Joyfy's Green Easter: Easy Ways to Be Environmentally Friendly
- Bounty Parents' Ditch the Egg-cess! 10 Ways to Enjoy a Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Easter
- Puddles & Pines' Tips For a More Eco-Friendly Easter
Additionally, here this Easter weekend, whether you celebrate the religious side or the hippity-hop Easter bunny side Easter, may this weekend and spring bring you joy. Spend a little time out there in nature too. Find, see, and smell the flowers.
Images created at canva.com
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
The Power of Parklets
This is what happened to me regarding parklets.
A parklet is a little do-it-yorself mini park, which urban areas and city dwellers are creating more and more of to counter green up the space, cutting down on the concrete jungles of urban areas. They help soothe both our physical and mental health by providing these pockets of green.
I ran across parklets in the the OneTreePlanted article by Gabrielle Clawson entitled Good News! 30 Positive Environmental Stories From 2023, which I used for the creation of my March 6th blog post "Postivtive Environmental Stories for 2023." Parklets was listed as Clawson's #12 item.
Parklets reminded me of downtown Annapolis during the pandemic. Restaurants took away parking places on the street to bring out planter boxes and more tables so that people could have the restaurant experience while dining outside. String some lights, make it cozy, bring in the greenery, and voila--goregous outdoor seating, with friends and family, for safer, accessible, open air dining during Covid times.Next thing I know, parklets and their nature and health benefits are everywhere!
Parklets started their modest beginning in 2005 in San Francisco, and since then have begun popping up in many different ways. They bring about greater connections and a sense of community. They widen and invite greater outdoor living. It all is part of what makes a community "livable."
- Happy Eco New's Parklets: A Small Way to Make Big Cities More Livable
- Guardian's More Flowers, Fewer Cars: The Rewilders Turning Parking Spaces Into Parks
- Georgetown University's Creating Community and a Sense of Place, One ‘Parklet’ at a Time
- Washington DC's Department of Transportation Parklet's Program Guide
- National Association of City Transportation Officials' Urban Street Design Guide
In the market to make your own? Check out Happy Eco New's How to Build a Parklet DIY.
With spring having sprung, makes me want to go out and find a li'l parakeet of my own to go and just soak in the sun, maybe a snack, and enjoy a little people watching along the way!
Images from https://scs.georgetown.edu/news-and-events/article/7858/creating-community-sense-of-place-parklet and https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/1/19/baltimore-wants-permanent-parklets and https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/citywiseblog/covington-parklets/ and https://www.capitalgazette.com/2019/09/01/parklets-in-west-annapolis/
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Earth Hour Is Here: Tonight, March 23 ~ 8:30 -- 9:30 pm
Earth Hour is here, during that hour, in your time zone.
Want to learn more--check out my recent post on Earth Hour.
Best part of being a part of Earth Hour is the highlight of how important one set 60 minutes for one person is when it is multiplied out by hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, globally. It shows the importance of the act of one to make a difference and highlight the importance of our planet.
Timing really is perfect this year, the day after the annual United Nations Environmental holiday World Water Day--a day highlighting how important it is for people worldwide to have access to clean water. Maybe even paying attention to your water consumption today is a great way to start honoring Earth Hour!
If you are looking for ideas on what to do for you, your family, or your kids, check out these ideas, all from my 2018 Earth Hour post:
- Stock up on candles and light them up as you knock out all your other lights at 8:30 pm.
- Unplug and have some good ole fashioned non-tech time.
- Play a game of night time Hide & Seek.
- Have a candlelight dinner... perhaps al fresco.
- Roast some marshmallows over a bonfire with good friends.
- Take a moonlit stroll.
- Spend some time in reflection and meditation.
- Play board games with your family by flashlight.
- Go stargazing.
- Take a night hike.
- Tell ghost stories.
- Take time having great conversations and quality time with someone you love.
- ...the sky is the limit! Create your own fun!
- Earth Hour's "Give an Hour for Earth" resource bank--lots of great ideas are listed here and you can click through to find things that are in your passion-sphere and wheelhouse.
- Spend your hour learning more either through their fiveEarth Hour Webinars or their page: I Want to Learn More About: Nature Loss & Biodiversity, Climate Change, or the Solutions & How to Help
- Earth Hour Education Pack--download some kid-friendly ideas to get the whole family involved.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
The Beauty of Each Season: Spring
The first day of spring this year happened on March 19th.
I'm always curious why sometimes it's the 21st or the 23rd, and know it has to do with the rotation of the planet and it's tilt, plus throw in a Leap year, and it always shifts slightly. In fact, this year is the earliest it has ever been in the 128 years of recording this data.
But spring is here, and there truly is beauty all around.
Following suit from my last "Beauty of Each Season: Winter," I popped back to @PositivelyPresent's Instagram page and found her graphics on Spring--so whether it is your season or not, my you find some love and lessons in this season!
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