During the past couple of weeks, the third graders have learned a lot about natural resources, renewable and non-renewable energy, and alternative energy. They have also explored many aspects of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle pattern to find out what those terms really mean, and what part they can take in that cycle.
The students (and their parents) have scoured their trash cans and brought in items with some good potential for re-use - such as cans, milk jugs, old toothbrushes, out-grown blue jeans, and those old toilet paper rolls.
In class, the students have transformed these into pencil holders, planters, dog food scoopers, jewelry, and bird feeders!
The students have been especially mindful of their paper use lately - we are making good use of our GOOS (good on one side) paper box, instead of diving for the "clean" paper.
The grand finale of our studies was on April 22 - Earth Day! Third graders hosted an Earth Day celebration in our classroom. The students spent the morning making healthy treats like peanut butter balls (mix peanut butter, honey, and powdered milk, roll into balls, then roll the balls in wheat germ or coconut). They also made some healthy and delicious burrito bites (whole wheat tortillas with peanut butter, honey, wheat germ and coconut - roll up and cut into bites).
The students served these treats, displayed their recycled crafts, and showed the other elementary students how to use some of the interactive games they have been using to learn about Earth Day like the Planet Green Game, Virtual Forest, and Eeko World.
The third graders read the history of Earth Day, and the poem entitled "Earth Day" by Jane Yolen. We were also treated to readings by the 1st graders about what they do to reuse and recycle at home, as well as seeing some clever bird feeders made by the 4th graders.
No comments:
Post a Comment