Learning opportunities are everywhere. One of the best places to start is in your own backyard. Here are ten lesson ideas that don’t need lots of materials, specific curriculum, or special ability. These lessons focus on learning together, encourage a project-based approach, and are fun for kids of all ages. We’d love to hear some [...]
Archive for the ‘Environmental Conservation’ Category
Ten Lesson Ideas From a Walk in the Yard
Posted by ginac on August 30th, 2011
Posted in Activities, Art, Biology, Environmental Conservation, Games 
Tags: Art, ecology, Fibonnaci, golden ratio, insects, microscope, observation, photography, play, weather 
Comments OffAn Important Lesson in Giving
Posted by ginac on May 30th, 2011
The dining table is an important piece of furniture in a family. It’s where we all meet to share conversation, enjoy meals, gather for big holidays, celebrate birthdays, etc. The dining table is the root of some of our fondest family memories. “Remember when Uncle Frank told that joke during dinner and Uncle Ralph laughed [...]
Summer Citizen Science Ideas
Posted by ginac on May 18th, 2011
Just because school’s out doesn’t mean kids should sit around watching TV or playing video games all day! There are some really fun citizen science participation opportunities that are not only fun for the participant, but useful for real scientists who analyze the data to further their research. How cool is that? Here are a [...]
Posted in Activities, Biology, Crowdsource, Environmental Conservation, Games, Online Tools Tags: Christmas Bird Count, citizenscience, Educational Resources, Environment, NASA Comments OffFun Sustainability Games, Videos and Learning Resources
Posted by ginac on April 15th, 2011
Kids love learning online. There are numerous online resources available for learning about sustainability, but we’ve selected a few that are extra cool. After all, our philosophy is that learning is fun! PBSKids Great short videos designed for kids, PBSKids Loop Scoops tackles topics like manufacturing of “stuff”, recycling, and the environment. Rustle the Leaf [...]
Posted in Activities, Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, Environmental Conservation, Online Tools Tags: Earth Day, Lesson plan, Sustainability Comments OffFive TEDTalks Around Innovative Sustainability
Posted by ginac on April 15th, 2011
Celebrate Earth Day by sharing some inspiring TED videos with children. There are numerous amazing TED Talks on sustainability and the environment. Here are a few of our favorites. Enjoy! Mitchell Joachim: Don’t build your home, grow it! Janine Benyus shares nature’s designs Mushrooms are the new plastic Natalie Jerejimenko: The art of the eco [...]
Recycle Old Junk Into Cool Make Projects
Posted by ginac on April 15th, 2011
We throw away so much stuff! Before tossing those empty paper towel rolls into the trash, consider giving them an extended life by transforming them into something beautiful, useful, and fun. We’ve found some great websites that offer simple and more complicated projects for recycling broken, used, and disposable items. Make-Stuff.com has some really creative projects, many [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Electronics, Environmental Conservation, Make Tags: Electronics, Environment, Floppy disk, Recycling, ReplayGround Comments OffHow to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
Posted by ginac on April 15th, 2011
Your carbon footprint is simply an estimate of how much carbon dioxide you produce as a result of your daily lifestyle. Besides the obvious CO2 you produce through breathing, chances are that the products you consume, the energy you use to drive, heat your home, or power your electronic devices all add to your carbon [...]
Twenty Common Sense Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Posted by ginac on April 15th, 2011
According to the Yahoo! Green website, the average American emits 9.44 tons of CO2 per year. In fact, the U.S. ranks second among all countries for carbon emissions. Let’s look at twenty common sense changes we can all make to help reduce our family’s Carbon footprint. Eat a meatless meal once per week. If you’re [...]
The Story of Stuff
Posted by ginac on April 15th, 2011
The Story of Stuff is an educational video that demonstrates how the process of manufacturing, consumption, and disposal of stuff works, how it started, and how it is damaging not only our environment, but our culture.
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, Environmental Conservation, social change Tags: Earth Day, Story of Stuff Comments OffHowtoons: Geeky Comics Show Kids How to Make Stuff from Household Items
Posted by ginac on February 26th, 2011
Howtoons is a comic-based website full of rich comic strips containing ingenious instructions on how to make things using basic science and engineering principles. Aimed at 8 to 12-year olds, Howtoons uses rich, colorful animation and a fun story to engage children’s natural interest in humor, comic strips, and having fun. Our youngster gravitated to the marshmallow [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Programming, Eclectic Homeschooling, Ecology, Environmental Conservation, Interdisciplinary, Make, Music, Physics, Science Tags: Arts, comic, Comic strip, Howtoons, Online 2 Comments »
