Connect
Think about where you are:
- Look outside the window closest to you. What do you see that is made by humans? What is natural? How are they/aren’t they working together?
- Draw a map of your school and the surrounding area. Think about what borders your school, what the grounds are like, and the actual school building.
- Walk around your schoolyard. To the map you drew, add all the natural objects you see as well as the human-made objects. Are the natural objects found there or did someone/something move them to your school site? Where did the human-made objects come from?
- Complete the Hula Hoop activity by taking a hula hoop outside to your schoolyard. Toss it. Observe everything within your hoop. Do this at multiple points in the school year. What is living? Non-living? Plant? Animal? Journal about your observations.
Explore
There are a lot of ways to learn more about your school site. Here are three ideas!
Pierce Park Ravine in Appleton, Wisconsin was a dumpsite when the middle school students from Fox River Academy found it. This video tells how the students transformed the ravine from a place filled with trash and overgrown with undesirable species to a valuable asset in their community.
First the students made observations and gathered field data. They researched the history of the ravine and studied historical maps. They interviewed neighbors. They gathered more field data—species inventories, soil types—and began cleaning up. The more they uncovered, the more there was to uncover.
They discovered that a now endangered migratory bird once nested in the ravine. Students wrote a grant and received more than $60,000 to clean up trash, clear out brush and invasive species, restore habitat, design and construct trails, create signage, and hold an “open park” event.
A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. Ideally, you would invite naturalists and scientists to help identify and catalog the species that you find.
Check out some of the environmental aps that are available to help you identify plants and animals.
Ask your teacher about using the SEEK app by iNaturalist to help you conduct a BioBlitz.
Dan, an urban forester with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, shows how to use this mapping tool. Watch the video and ask your teacher for more information.
Engage
Now that you know a little more about your school site, think about how you can make it even better!
Learn about how and why you can help support insects, pollinators, and in particular, the monarch butterfly with the TEDTalk below.
Ask your teacher for information about Project Pollinator, Monarch Waystations, and National Wildlife Federation's Habitat Certification Program.
Watch these videos about Little Free Libraries. Talk with your teacher and classmates. Make a plan to install one at your school.
Use the video below to help you get started. Harvest the produce and use it for your school lunches or snacks! You can ask your teacher to share more from the Kids Gardening site, 'Starting a School Program Garden.'