Register for
EE Week 2010
Join millions of teachers and students in a week of educational preparation for Earth Day.
Subscribe Now
Subscribe to our monthly EE Week newsletterNational Environmental Education Week Photo Blog
The photos and blogs viewed here have been submitted by educators from around the country and entered into EE Week's 2009 Photo Blog Contest. For complete contest rules, click here.
View the 2009 Photo Blog Contest Winners
Spring Cleaning!
On Earth Day, the Burgin Independent high school biology class traveled to their local Mercer County Extension office twelve acre property to help clear out invasive species, clear a natural freshwater spring and prepare ground for an outdoor classroom. Students helped clear Bush honeysuckle, Rose, Blackberry and Garlic mustard among other invasives, to allow for growth of the native species. We uncluttered and cleaned a natural spring and stream ,of debris and trash from a previous ice storm and an old farm in a wooded area. We discussed the importance of this spring and other watersheds and water quality for humans and wildlife alike in our county. Students suggested they could help keep those resources clean and healthy, by recycling plastic, paper, cartridges and cans instead of dumping. We prepared an area nearby for an outdoor classroom, which we will help construct and use at a later date, for environmental studies of our water, soil and ecosystems and to develop a closer relationship with and appreciate our environment with all of their senses. The students realize the importance of environmental education to ensure the survival of our planet and quality of life for all organisms. Our school is a small K-12, on a small property with limited space for a secret garden or outdoor classroom, so students are excited about this educational opportunity to do more work, study and labs outdoors in the natural habitats of rural KY.
Hydroponics - The Future of Farming
Last Monday, May 4, 2009, I took my Life Science students to Arthur & Friends’ Greenhouse Project, a wonderful not-for-profit job training program for disabled adults, housed in the greenhouse at the Fairgrounds in Augusta, New Jersey. Arthur & Friends is a project conceived by Wendie Blanchard, and inspired by her nephew, Arthur Blanchard. My students were given an enriching, hands-on lesson in hydroponics. They learned the step by step process of how plants are grown in water and nutrients, saving growers money and space, and in the process saving the environment. They were even able to start their own plants from seed. Wendie will be sending us photographs of our plants as they grow. My students had the opportunity to taste, and take home some of the gorgeous organic produce. One of my students was so impressed by the idea of growing plants in water that he will be working at the greenhouse this summer! With space at a premium in New Jersey, hydroponics offers an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional farming. And boy are the veggies good!
Bluebirds Attending School in Oklahoma
The students of Keystone Adventure School and Farm knew Eastern Bluebirds visited their 14-acre campus in central Oklahoma and did something proactive to make them a home there. The constructed a Bluebird Trail of seven houses and within two days they had a pair building a nest. The next week another pair in the horse pasture had built their nest. Today - just weeks after these 3 year olds through 13 year olds put up the trail - they have welcomed 8 beautiful baby Eastern Bluebirds. The younger students are raising mealworms to give them the extra protein growing bodies need. The students are very proud that even though they are little they can do some big things.
Building a Pathway to Discovery
The children of Fairview Elementary School in Demorest, Georgia made an exciting discovery during Environmental Education Week this year. They discovered when people link arms and work together, magic can happen. Seven hundred little hands full of wonder and anticipation turned an empty, muddy field into a beautiful, thriving School Garden that will provide endless educational opportunities. Every child pitched in, from testing the soil, digging paths, and shoveling mulch to painting rain-harvesting barrels and planting seeds. A Schoolyard Habitat was born, and as it grows up, it will include an earthworm farm, compost bins, a weather station, a solar-powered tool shed, a water storage tank, and bird nesting boxes. This outdoor classroom will create life-long relationships with the natural world, and will make environmental education come alive for students for years to come.
Keep It Clean From Drain To Stream
This photo was taken at Frontrange Earth Forces 12th Annual Youth Summit. At this summit, participating schools/students present their environmental service learning projects. This year over 900 students from the Denver area participated. This student display was a photo display that shared the students' work in water quality and pollution prevention. After identifying water quality as an environmental issue in their community, they researched ways to address this issue. They developed and implemented a student service project the included placing "Do Not Dump, Drains To Stream" placards around their neighborhood storm drains. This project was implemented in partnership with Denver's Keep It Clean From Drain To Stream Program.
Showing 1 - 5 of 32 posts