Connect
Make a list of everything you did today, everything you ate, everywhere you went. Then, try to write down the source of all the items - going as far back as you can. For example, the apple you had for a snack came from the grocery store, but before that it was at a farm, where farmers, bees and the weather all affected it.
What would happen if one of those elements was no longer around? In the apple example, what if there were not any more bees (or a significant reduction in bee populations)? How would that affect your life? The lives of those around you? The world?
Explore
Watch Jane Goodall's TED Talk. She recounts her early work with chimpanzees. She also talks about how she uses her love of animals, her communication skills, and her passion to speak up for nature around the world.
Engage
Here are some ways to learn about your environment and make a difference.
Ask your teacher to help you find a carbon footprint calculator for kids.
Ask an adult to help you try out Environmental Apps that identify and record nature where ever you are.
Check out these videos that showcase kids making a difference:
Here are a few suggestions:
- Who Is Greta Thunberg? by Ann Leonard
- What Is Climate Change? by Gail Herman
- Who Was Rachel Carson? by Sarah Fabiny
- The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth by Rachel Ignotofsky
- Who Was Jacques Cousteau? by Nico Medina
- Start Now! You Can Make a Difference by Chelsea Clinton
- Who Is Jane Goodall? by Roberta Edwards
- How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Naomi Klein
- Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth by Rachel Sarah
- The End of the Wild by Nicole Helget
- The Line Tender by Kate Allen
- The Last Wild by Piers Torday
- Hoot! by Carl Hiaasen
- Strange Birds by Celia C. Perez
- Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar
Sometimes you can't get out to see wildlife. Wildlife cams let you watch animals when they are acting normally. They also let you see animals that live in other parts of Wisconsin and the world.
Visit Wildlife Webcams for a chance to watch eagles, bears, and waterfowl.
Educate your friends and family about it and encourage everyone to find and document nature in your city.